Jesus Forgives All
03/27/10 06:00 Filed in: Forgiveness
Jesus had a choice to make when He appeared in the Upper Room, in the midst of the very men who had betrayed Him. He could have extended a fist and demanded that they grovel before Him, pleading for mercy; but, instead, He extended and open palm in a sign of peace and forgiveness. In so doing, He made clear to all of us that forgiveness is always close at hand.
“He said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24: 35-48)
When He appeared to His disciples in the Upper Room, the Risen Savior's body still bore the marks of His crucifixion. There was no mistaking whom He was – the same man that they had abandoned on Calvary. The very hands that had been pierced on the cross now reached out to them as He told them not to fear.
All was forgiven.
When we, too, are in need of forgiveness, Jesus extends the same helping hand to us. His handshake is the firm, callused grip of a carpenter; the same powerful grasp that pulled Simon from the depths; the same sure-handed grip that swung the whip as He cleansed the temple.
But it is also the soothing hand that touched and healed the lepers; the gentle hand that hugged children close to His breast; the hand that turned spittle and mud into a healing balm; the finger that wrote in the dust, wiping away sin. It is the hand that fed millions, broke bread with His closest friends and shared a final morsel with His betrayer.
Jesus had a choice to make when He appeared in the Upper Room, in the midst of the very men who had betrayed Him. He could have extended a fist and demanded that they grovel before Him, pleading for mercy; but, instead, He extended and open palm in a sign of peace and forgiveness. In so doing, He made clear to all of us that forgiveness is always close at hand.
When He appeared to His disciples in the Upper Room, the Risen Savior's body still bore the marks of His crucifixion. There was no mistaking whom He was – the same man that they had abandoned on Calvary. The very hands that had been pierced on the cross now reached out to them as He told them not to fear.
All was forgiven.
When we, too, are in need of forgiveness, Jesus extends the same helping hand to us. His handshake is the firm, callused grip of a carpenter; the same powerful grasp that pulled Simon from the depths; the same sure-handed grip that swung the whip as He cleansed the temple.
But it is also the soothing hand that touched and healed the lepers; the gentle hand that hugged children close to His breast; the hand that turned spittle and mud into a healing balm; the finger that wrote in the dust, wiping away sin. It is the hand that fed millions, broke bread with His closest friends and shared a final morsel with His betrayer.
Jesus had a choice to make when He appeared in the Upper Room, in the midst of the very men who had betrayed Him. He could have extended a fist and demanded that they grovel before Him, pleading for mercy; but, instead, He extended and open palm in a sign of peace and forgiveness. In so doing, He made clear to all of us that forgiveness is always close at hand.
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