Peace Be With You

John 20:19-31

“Peace be with you”, said Jesus. And again, two verses later, “Peace be with you.” The promise of peace rings out like a great bell, a loud single sound with several undertones. The promise is for an inner peace for those who have faith, but that is not all. The promise is for a war torn world in desperate need of the Prince of Peace, but that is not all. The old Hebrew word Shalom is a deep meaning word. It speaks of a quality of life which includes but also transcends this life. Jesus promises that with the Resurrection and later the Second Coming He is bringing forth a new creation that is better than we can imagine. The peace of God is with us, but peace of God is coming more fully soon.

Jesus does a few things that may seem simple at first, but upon further reflection are profound. He shows the disciples his hands and his side, the marks of the love which had loved them to the uttermost, the signs that the bill had been paid (compare 19:30, where ‘It is finished’ means, among other things, ‘the price is paid’). Easter means that peace, which is very costly, has truly been purchased on the cross.

Jesus showed them his love in the most profound way possible, but then he quickly moves from love’s evidence to love’s commission. In the beginning God breathed life into the first humans. Here Jesus breathes on the disciples to give them the Holy Spirit with the commission to bring about new life to all who will listen. They and we are to be peacemakers, bringing a form of peace to lost souls that know no real peace. He says, ‘As the Father sent me, so I send you.’ This is the highest call of the Church, given by the highest authority in the entire universe, with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. In one sense we could say the peace Jesus promises is not so much a state of being, but more a power let loose upon the world.

The early Church took this commission very seriously. They were willing to sell property that had been in their families for generations to further the cause. They were willing to be spoken badly of, beaten, and even killed to carry out the commission given to them by Christ. We too are called to carry out the commission given by Christ. We are to go into all the world and make disciples, in doing so we bring the peace promised and longed for by all humanity.

This is a tremendous honor and a tremendous responsibility. We do this because we know what true love is as seen through the lenses of Easter. To God be the glory in all things.

Here are the texts for the last few days. I am fighting some sickness (nothing worth whining about just a sinus infection and bronchitis) and have not written much lately. I hope to back at it real soon.

April 07, 2013            Josh 12–13, Luke 8:1–21, Ps 44:1–5, Prov 9:3–4

April 08, 2013            Josh 14–15, Luke 8:22–40, Ps 44:6–11, Prov 9:5–7

April 09, 2013            Josh 16–18, Luke 8:41–9:11, Ps 44:12–20, Prov 9:8–10