Easter In The Upper Room
By Christina O’Brien
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:19-22
Perhaps it’s too obvious to say that this Easter was like no other. As we continue to weather a global crisis, we observe the highest celebration of the mystery of our faith without presence for the powerful liturgies, beautiful rituals, communal prayer, and ancient traditions we are used to. For many of us, our hearts fall when we consider that this is the first Easter since we started receiving communion that we will not receive Jesus in the Eucharist. We feel God’s presence might be harder to sense in our living rooms as we attempt to honor him through our last minute home altars, buffering screens, and broken prayers. But at Easter, Jesus reveals himself in his resurrection, and he did this in a variety of places and circumstances. One of these situations is remarkably similar to ours.
Having seen the immense suffering Jesus endured for stepping out and interacting with others authentically, and probably doubting everything they thought they knew about him, the apostles’ only safe choice was to hide in locked rooms, away from the world that posed imminent threats to their safety. This year, we are similarly asked to observe this Easter season behind closed doors due to the dangers outside our homes.
The doors of the upper room were locked “for fear” of what would happen if anyone came inside. I imagine that the apostles sat anxiously together in the dark. Maybe the most pious among them prayed, but perhaps others bitterly regretted having given up their lives to follow who they now believed to be a false prophet, someone whose alleged power simply was too good to be true.
But this is precisely where Jesus met them. John’s Gospel tells us that “Jesus came and stood in their midst.” The locked doors and fearful hearts could not keep the Resurrected King out of their presence. Furthermore, Jesus spoke directly into their anxiety and offered them exactly what they needed and longed for in the moment: “Peace be with you,” he boldly spoke twice, offering them the deep and unshakable peace that the world cannot give. He let them see his hands and his side, giving them a tangible experience that he truly is the risen Lord.
But then, he absolutely explodes their expectations by offering them each personally the greatest gift possible - a gift that would have been unthinkable to the people of their time. Jesus breathes on them with the astounding line, “receive the Holy Spirit,” his Spirit. This is the same Spirit that wrought the plagues on the Egyptians and led the Israelites in the desert, whose presence was reserved only for specialized and ritually clean priests. He is the same spirit who conceived Jesus in the womb of his mother and raised him from the dead, and he was offered personally to each of the apostles to strengthen their hearts, offer them enduring peace that the world cannot give, and most importantly, deep intimacy with the Lord within the depths of their hearts.
When Jesus met them in their anxiety, he offered a custom two-fold response for their exact need: his eternal presence, responding to their longing for their Master, and enduring divine peace, responding to their fear of their circumstances. These gifts are offered to us today and always, assuming we are open to receiving them.
Behind closed doors with the dangers lurking outside, the apostles rejoice at the shock of the Resurrected Lord. Knowing that the Lord will not abandon us, we join them from the safety of our homes, embracing the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace, and the Father’s gift of his only Son, who promises to surprise us with his intimate presence, even behind locked doors and within fearful hearts.
