It is too bad that he 20th chapter of John’s Gospel is divided in half between Easter Sunday and the Sunday after Easter. If we wish to get the sense of what John was trying to convey we need to look at the chapter as a whole and place it in context to the first chapter of John’s Gospel. Remember that the 20th chapter of John begins with Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. The Gospel of John begins with a description of creation, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” The Gospel of John ends with the new creation of Mankind. “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” A Jew hearing this could hardly miss the point. God created humankind by breathing into Adam (Gen. 2:7). The 20th chapter of John starts with Mary Magdalene at the tomb where she sees Jesus. She does not recognize him supposing him to be the gardener. There is no doubt that this is a reference to God planting the Garden of Eden. It should not surprise us that the resurrected Lord is seen as a gardener. Genesis tells us, “…The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east.” And so we have a new Garden of Eden and a new creation of mankind in this powerful closing to John’s Gospel.

Seen through the lenses of the 20th Chapter of John, we can understand what a waste of time the creationism debate is – for the real story of creation for Christians is in this chapter. The scientific verses creationist question of creation is like arguing how many angels can sit on the head of a pin. The resurrection and new creation are about soul building, a new psyche or character that is a gift of new breath from God. What is not a big bang theory verses creationism, but what does it take to make us new, what does it take to make us a community of peace and love?

To enter into the new one must break the power of the old, and forgiveness is the key. This is why Mary Magdalene is so important as the first witness to the resurrection. The tradition is that she was the whore who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them clean with her hair. Jesus said of her, “... Her sins, though many, are forgiven because she loved much.” Mary Magdalene followed Jesus; she stuck with him to the end. It is at the end that she comes into focus for us. At Jesus’ arrest, when others ran, Mary stayed. While the church has so often described Jesus’ mother as the new Eve, John seems to be saying that the new Eve is Mary Magdalene. The woman forgiven for her many sins is the first to see the gardener, the risen Lord, the Son of God. This time, rather then being the temptress as in Eden, Mary Magdalene is the one who runs to tell of the resurrection. But the disciples doubted and were filled with fear so they locked themselves away in the upper room.

The apostles had committed apostasy. As the crucifixion approached they fled and denied Jesus. By coming among them after his death Jesus restores their fellowship with him and with each other. His presence rebuilds the community and forgiveness is the door through which they pass into a new creation. The disciples’ final encounter with Jesus is startling. Jesus infuses them with Gods Spirit by breathing on them. A new humanity is created as Jesus imparts his Spirit to his followers. He does this so that like Jesus we may become a life-giving spirit. Jesus, the Re-created One, gives birth to a new humanity by his resurrected breath. Each time we forgive in the name of Christ we are making the creation new.

If forgiveness is the door that leads to a new creation, doubt is the threshold. In John’s Gospel we have a unique intermingling of the roles of doubt and faith. At surface level Thomas’ doubt is about the resurrection; at a deeper lever his doubt is about our ability to forgive and be forgiven. Jesus first appears to Mary, whose sins, though many, were forgiven because she loved much. He then appears to his apostate denying and fearful disciples and by giving them the peace of forgiveness commissions them to become the agents of forgiveness. At the last Jesus forgives Thomas his doubt. It is a gracious gift of forgiveness because it speaks to all of our doubts. It speaks to the mysterious truth that faith always wrestles with doubt. One who has not wrestled with doubt has not plumbed the depth of what faith can mean. The new creation that Jesus breathes into us leaves room for human freedom and doubt. Thomas is not condemned for wanting physical proof. Likewise, we are not condemned for our doubts. Jesus does not require certainty from us.

What is required is a spirit or heart that is open to the peace that forgiveness creates. What is required is a person who feels the Lord’s empowering breath then goes with words of forgiveness to a broken and bloody world. This is the seeing without seeing.

John closes his Gospel with the final beatitude; “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” It is Jesus’ forgiveness of us that brings us to the door of faith. He forgives our evil, our betrayals, our lies and our doubt all to make a new creation out of us. He breathes resurrection into us so that we may breathe it into others. He commissions us to be forgivers so that we may join him in making the creation new. I am convinced that if we want peace in the world this is the only way it will happen.

Amen.