Quick Apology: The authority to forgive sins…

One of my favourite things about having a blog is that, every now and then, I’ll get an email out of the blue from someone I don’t know. I love getting emails from people I’ve never met. There’s something quite wonderful in having an interaction with someone from across the continent or even the world, all because of something you’ve written!

Very often when I get emails they contain questions of an apologetics nature. I’m trying to get better at converting these email exchanges into posts. So, in light of that, I would like to share a response I gave to an email I received a few weeks ago. The gentleman asked the following question:

While discussing Christ’s establishment of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I brought up John 20:21-23.  My Protestant friends said that this is Jesus’ way of warning everyone not to hold a grudge against someone by retaining their sin. I know what Jesus was doing here, but I lack the bomb-proof Catholic response to this interpretation; can you help?

I’m not sure if my response qualifies as “bomb-proof”, but here was my reply…

The Response

Let’s begin by first looking at the text:

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” – John 20:21-23

If Jesus’ purpose here was to “[warn] everyone not to hold a grudge against someone by retaining their sin”, then I think He chose a very strange way to pursue it. If this were the intended meaning, then I think we have to answer some other questions…

Q1. Why teach this again (and why now)?

I say this because, during His public ministry, Jesus had spoken to the crowds on multiple occasions about holding grudges. To pick just two examples:

“…as we forgive those who trespass against us…” – Matthew 6:12

“…leave your offering on the altar and be reconciled with your brother first…”– Matthew 5:23

Why does the exact same message get repeated here to the disciples at the Resurrection? Isn’t it more likely that Jesus is talking about something a little different, something which is possible following His Passion, Death and Resurrection?

Q2. Why, on this occasion, is there no warning?

In the past, when speaking about holding grudges, Jesus would give a warning:

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses – Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus doesn’t do that here. Why? Instead, He simply says that if someone’s sins are retained then that person’s sins are retained! The sinner remains guilty. There’s no talk about consequences of the person doing the retaining. Why? Unless, of course, He’s talking about something a little different…

Q3. Why does the scope of forgiveness increase? 

Previously when speaking about forgiveness, Jesus had spoken about sins committed personally against the individual. However, in this post-Resurrection appearance, He talks about forgiving the sins of “any”. The scope of the forgiveness has been increased. Once again, it sounds like he’s talking about something a little different…

Q4. To whom was Christ speaking?

The context shows that Jesus is speaking to the leaders of the Church. Jesus says that He is sending them in the same way that the Father sent Him. Jesus came with full authority to forgive sins. He is sending out the disciples in the same way. 

Q5. What is the link to the Spirit?

Why does Jesus talk about the Holy Spirit immediately prior to talking about forgiveness of sins? This needs an explanation. There’s clearly a link between the two things in the text and the link is that the authority with which He is endowing them is a special gift of the Spirit. This, once again, shows that the forgiveness of which Jesus speaks is different in character to the previous, general exhortation not to hold grudges.

Q6. What did the Early Church think? 

It’s always important to see how other ancient Christian teachers understood Scripture. I took a quick look at the Catena Aurea and found several quotations, but I think this is the most explicit:

St. Gregory: …The disciples who were called to such works of humility, to what a height of glory are they led! Lo, not only have they salvation for themselves, but are admitted to the powers of the supreme Judgment-seat; so that, in the place of God, they retain some men’s sins, and remit others. Their place in the Church, the Bishops now hold; who receive the authority to bind… Great the honor, but heavy the burden… 

So, in conclusion, we can see that in this post-Resurrection appearance, Jesus is doing something a little different from what He did during His public ministry. He is endowing the future leaders of the Church with the very life of the Trinity and granting them authority to forgive and retain sins.