"Peace Be With You"

William Hole / Public domain

When it was evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, "Peace be with you." Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you." After saying this, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

- John 20:19-23 [CSB]

They were afraid. The disciples were afraid. They had just witnessed the best man they had ever known be dragged before the authorities and nailed to a cross. Whose to say they wouldn’t be next? And if they were next, what would their deaths amount to? They were mere Jewish peasants. They were nobodies. When asked about their cause of death, their family and friends would say that foolishness was the cause. They would say that their leader proved to be nothing more than the king of a cross – they would say their end was sealed with his.

And so yes, the disciples locked the doors. They weren’t going to let anybody in. They were just going to try to stay alive, even if what remained could hardly be called living. 

But the locks on those doors couldn’t keep Jesus out. For that matter, neither could the stone in front of his tomb keep him in. And as he stood before the disciples, it became apparent to them that the Roman cross could not keep Jesus dead. He was alive! His body bore the marks of the cross that no ghostly apparition or imposter could bear. And his mere presence delivered the meaning his words carried when he said to them, “Peace be with you.”

“Peace to you.” Christ tells his disciples. It is a gift they could enjoy in that moment and every day thereafter. Christ’s victory over death gave them the assurance that they were on the winning side. Their friends and family might still call them fools. They might be still dragged before the authorities and crucified. But their king had conquered the cross and their end was indeed sealed with his.

This peace belongs to every one of us who believes Christ is risen. We have hope for tomorrow and peace for today because Jesus lives. We have the assurance that our sins are forgiven and we have been given the ministry of forgiveness. You see, Jesus not only gives us peace, he gives us a mission. “As the Father has sent me, I also send you" he says. We are sent to bring the message of repentance and reconciliation to our neighbors and to every corner of the globe. We are sent with the good news that the power of sin has been broken, that death will not hold us down. We are sent, not alone, not in our power, but with the abiding presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We are sent. 

There are many things we do not know today. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, nor next month, nor next year. But what we do know today is enough for us. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. He is our peace. He is our commander. Let us walk with him.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.