Normal Dies, Resurrection Comes
“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the [coronavirus], Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”
That’s my rewrite of the first line of our gospel.
Of course the original text does not say “locked for fear of the coronavirus,” it says, “locked for fear of the Jews,” which was the label the community of the Gospel of John put on their fears.
But the fact that we can replace only one word of the gospel, the story of faith written two thousand years ago, and have it so exactly reflect our own experience, tells you something.
We are nearer in spirit to our ancestors in faith than we perhaps have ever been before.
Notice what happens here. The disciples are hunkered down behind locked doors just like we are.
They can’t go outside for fear of an external threat, just like us.
And the amazing thing is that Jesus comes to them.
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