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Wednesday, July 03, 2019

Locked doors

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”...26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:19,26). 

This is often thought to mean Jesus walked through solid walls. While that's a possible inference, there are problems with that inference:

i) The narrator doesn't mention the locked doors to prep the reader for a miracle. Rather, the reason he provides is to draw attention to the disciples' state of mind: they were terrified that the authorities would arrest them. Since the authorities executed their leader, were they next? They were distraught and demoralized. That's the explicit reason for mentioning the locked doors. 

While that's all consistent with a miracle, the locked doors require no further explanation. That's their narrative purpose: not a setup for a miracle, but a symptom of the disciples' panic. 

ii) In this chapter and the next, the narrator records several scenes, including this scene, to emphasize the physicality of the Resurrection. If, however, Jesus could dematerialize and dematerialize at will, then that subverts the narrator's aim. That means Jesus is intermittently embodied. Sometimes he has a body, sometimes he's wraithlike. Not consistently physical or ghostly but alternating between those two different states. 

iii) This is not to deny the possibility or implication of a miracle. But it reflects a very limitation imagination on the part of the reader to assume he gained access by passing through walls. An inviting parallel is Peter's jailbreak (Acts 12). While that involves Peter miraculously overcoming physical restraints and barriers, it's not because his body dematerializes. Nothing happens to his body. Rather, supernatural things happen to the physical restraints and barriers–as well as the guards. 

Another example is Paul's jailbreak (Acts 16). In a sense, nothing supernatural happens. But the timing is providential. A coincidence miracle. 

John's Gospel is generally explicit about the miracles of Christ. They showcase his divine power. It would be odd if the narrator was recording another miracle, but in such ambiguous and understated terms. And the primary miracle in Jn 20-21 is the Resurrection itself. 

13 comments:

  1. Steve, I think this is all very reasonable, but, you don't make it explicit what you're suggesting (potentially) happened. Perhaps you're saying "we're not told, it's not hugely important". But you're at least saying "it's as likely that the 'miracle' was that he locked doors, than that he passed through them" ?

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  2. The miracle, if there was a miracle, is the doors supernaturally unlocking, analogous to Peter's jailbreak.

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    1. Sounds reasonable. If the text doesn't explain the mechanism, then we're not bound to presuming one. When you say "if there was a miracle", then what are the other possibilities? You mention timing miracles, but how would something of that sort apply here? Or are you suggesting Jesus picked the lock or something of that sort?

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    2. I find the questions puzzling. When I draw a parallel with Peter's jailbreak, Peter didn't pick the lock on the chains, they miraculously fell off. He didn't pick the lock on the gate, it miraculously opened.

      If I was a Christian moviemaker, I'd have to show something. I'd have to make an interpretive judgment call. If I was filming John's Gospel, I'd show something like the disciples locking the doors and sitting inside. Jesus approaches from the outside, stands before the locked doors, waves his hand, the audience sees the doors unlock from the inside, the doors swing open, and Jesus walks into the room.

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    3. As a director, I might add some suspense. The disciples hear the footsteps of somebody approaching from the outside. They see the doors unlock, swing open, and Jesus enters.

      That may not be what happened, but it's a reasonable way to fill the gaps in the narrative description.

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    4. "I find the questions puzzling". The questions are aimed at filling in the gaps in the post and replies, so that I can understand what you're thinking. When you say "if there was a miracle", that indicates to me that you think *possibly* there was no miracle ("if"). Hence, the question in my mind - "if the doors were locked and he got inside, and there was no miraculous actions involved, then Steve is positing the possibility that Jesus got inside by ... ??? (can't work it out)". i.e. I'm asking because I'm not clear on what you're saying. I'm clear now that you favour the view that the door opened miraculously. But you also - if I follow rightly - think it's possible there was no miracle at all. But I don't follow what implies. Or under your terminology, would waving-of-hands-causes-opening-of-doors not be a "miracle"?

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    5. The text doesn't *entail* a miracle. So it's open-ended in that regard. A naturalistic explanation is that Jesus spoke to them through the doors, they recognizes his voice, and unlicked the doors. That's not the first explanation I'd reach for.

      Waving his hands is a supernatural explanation. I *incline* to a supernatural event, but the account is very muted in that regard, unlike other miracles in John's Gospel.

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    6. Now that Steve has mentioned it, I don't even see the need for any miracle - it could simply be that the apostles were on high alert, then Jesus comes to the locked door and they let Him in.

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  3. Isn't it a case of both. We are being shown timid disciples pre Pentecost. Later to be contrasted with fearless disciples post Pentecost.

    Not so much a miracle but now Jesus post ressurection is no longer bound by time and space. In the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:31 we see he disappears before their eyes.

    The locked room shows Jesus can appear at will.

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    1. Why assume Jesus was bound by space before the Resurrection? He could perform nature miracles. And he had a way of making himself invisible to lynch mobs.

      As to being bound by time, i guess that depends on what you mean.

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    2. True. But before the Resurection, Christ lived amongst the disciples. He hungered. He aged. He felt pain.

      After the Resurrection he has ascended to the right hand of the Father and the post Resurrection appearances are "fly in, fly out" visits.

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    3. i) It's true that he lived continuously on earth for about 33 years. After the Ascension, his appearances are sporadic.

      ii) Although the glorified body is ageless, I wouldn't say it's incapable of hunger or pain. A capacity for physical pleasure includes a capacity for physical pain. Absence of pain would be due to providential protection.

      iii) Humanly speaking, he doesn't transcend time, although divinely speaking, that was always the case.

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