Second Sunday of Easter, 2020 – “Jesus Breathed Into Them”
Jesus said to them, “Peace … I send you” … (then) he breathed into them.
Jesus kissed his disciples with the Spirit.
The very different cultural language in which the Bible is written is abundantly clear in the text for this Sabbath: John 20. “Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit” – ah, nice. Images of stained glass and brass … one can visualize how the King James’ translators perhaps imagined Jesus wearing clerical robes! The text clearly and simply says, “Jesus breathed into them!” And there’s only one way to do that: mouth to mouth – which culturally was what a Galilean man would do to his close friends (a.k.a. the kiss of peace).
Face touching face, lip-to-lip, breathing-Spirit-into-the-mouth resurrection is about being incarnate: Spirit living in Body. Sure, Jesus’ body, and also ours! Incarnation – hunger, fatigue, laughter, physical desires and aches ‘n pains – living in these bodies that run and jump and bump around so easily when they’re young and can be so annoying as they age – living in these bodies, incarnation, is what resurrection is about. Each person in that upper room physically felt the warmth of his embrace, smelled his skin, tasted the breath of Jesus.
Resurrection is about each breath, which if it were your last is your last, each heartbeat, which if it were your last is your last. That stitch in one’s neck, growl in our tummy, twinkle in the eye looking upon one’s beloved with candle light … all that human gutsy, joyful, sometimes annoying human stuff is what resurrection brings us to: New Life, on this side of eternity!
Resurrection begins with a kiss. In the beginning, God kissed the divine image into the nostrils of the musty humus-human in the Garden. Jesus kissed the divine passion into the nostrils of the humanity of his followers.
During this time of physical-distancing, I pray the Spirit will break all the health rules and appear before us, through all the locked doors and fears, and kiss us! Full on the lips. And breathe into us Resurrection, Incarnation, Life.
- Prepared by Tim, Core Community, Qu’Appelle House of Prayer -
Thank you for this, Tim. Your knowledge is such a great gift, opening passages to new meaning and new understanding. I am very comfortable communicating with the Spirit dwelling within me, seeing her as Wisdom and Guide and as One who Loves deeply. Now I have another new powerful, yet gentle image .... heart-felt and soul-felt .... to take to my times of sitting with the Spirit of Resurrection and New Life.
ReplyDeleteTim this is a very new perspective for me. Thank you for giving me something new to reflect on.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, Tim. In our day of masks and separations, fear and doubt, the very thought of the disciples - me included - being kissed by Jesus to breath life into us is soul moving. I think of mouth to mouth artificial respiration - an urgency to get life saving breath into someone of the verge of death. Is that the state we are in? That we/I need to be resuscitated?
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to think of Jesus kissing me to breathe the Divine Breath of Life in to me, this most intimate act of body contact, to revive my soul. As I receive that Holy Breath of Life, Holy Spirit, breathe in me. Quicken my life force, stir the corners of my soul, raise within me the fire and power of your love that I may no longer doubt or fear as did the disciples in the upper room that Easter day. Unlock the doors of my inner room and drive me out with the power of your Spirit to be your living, loving presence in our aching world this day.