‘Ruach’ – Spirit, breath or wind
by Sal Huckel
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Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’. And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20:21,22).
Read John 20:19–31
We probably cannot comprehend the traumatic effects on the disciples of the death of Jesus and the disappearance of his body. It’s hardly surprising that even after the account of Mary Magdalene they are still locked away in a private place in fear of their own lives.
Reflect for a moment on the healing effect of the words of Jesus: ‘Peace be with you …’, he breathed on them, and repeated it.
They are not just words, they bring the Holy Spirit and healing. Physical and spiritual healing.
We can forgive Thomas. We don’t know why he wasn’t there. We read nothing to show that Mary’s account was believed by the disciples either. Thomas wanted to experience Jesus himself. In his trauma how can he believe anything right now?
Yet with Jesus’ grace for Thomas, we also read: ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’
That’s us. That’s you and me. We don’t have what we might feel is the ‘luxury’ of the post-resurrection sightings of Jesus, but we have the Holy Spirit in us through our baptism. We have the word of God in the Holy Scriptures, and we have God’s promises and all of these accounts through which our faith is nurtured. We don’t need to hide away in upper rooms. We are not in danger of our lives when we are identified as God’s people. We have the responsibility to share our faith with others; we are instructed, like the disciples, to forgive the sins of others: ‘… if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’
Outside the upper room, what are we doing with our freedom? Just as Thomas was no good isolated and alone, neither are we. Nurture your faith. We have the freedom to worship in our church family every week and the responsibility to share our faith and God’s love in our daily lives.
Breathe on me, breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do. Breathe on me, breath of God, until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to do and to endure. Amen (Edwin Hatch 1878).
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel, and they live in Victoria with their six children. Music, theology, literature and languages are passions the family share and explore together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
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