The Risen Christ Brings Peace

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When Jesus appeared to the group of disciples in John 20, we see in verse 19 that the doors were locked because the disciples were fearing the Jewish leaders. And then John says Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you".

Shalom! Peace! Some people still use this greeting today. Although in the 1960s the word peace tended to have a bit of a hippie connotation. Picture a guy with long hair, dark half-moon glasses under his bloodshot eyes showing the peace sign. Peace, man. Make love, not war.

Meaning of Peace

I'm not sure Jesus arrived in the Upper Room in that way, because when we see the word peace in the New Testament, it's translated into English from the Greek word Eirēnē, which in turn comes from the Hebrew word Shalom which means wholeness or completeness or welfare, well-being. It means to be well.

So when Jesus uses it as a blessing, and when Paul used it at the beginning of his letters, they were referring to not just a confidence in God, but a complete wholeness because of what Jesus had done through the cross and the resurrection to make peace between God and people. It was an all-encompassing sort of peace.

In fact, remember when Jesus was born? The Angel promised peace: “Peace on earth and goodwill to all on whom God's favor rests” (Luke 2:14). And so in a sense, Jesus brings it full circle at the end of His time on earth.

Peace in Fearful Times

As we saw, Jesus appeared to the disciples when they were fearful. Their doors were locked. In South Africa today, there's nothing strange about locked doors. In fact, if you aren't locking your doors, you're a bit strange because the dangers of crime and so on here are very real. We lock our doors. We have electric fences, alarms and all of that to keep ourselves safe.

But for the disciples to have locked their doors, they must have been really afraid. Maybe they thought they were next, that the Jewish leaders were going to come and crucify each of them as well. And Jesus arrives in the midst of their fear. He joins them where they are in their fear , note that. And He says, “Don’t be afraid. Peace be with you.”

His Peace Is Personal

What fears are stirring your heart today? What worries are you facing? Have you locked yourself away? Put up some walls so that you can hide in fear—scared to fail? Scared to succeed? Scared of change that’s coming up? Scared of death? Scared of somebody or something? Scared of people’s opinions?

Jesus comes to you and says, “Peace be with you.” In the midst of your fear, there is peace. Hear those words of Jesus to the frightened, trembling disciples. Hear them speak into your own frightened, trembling heart. Peace be with you. He said it twice in this passage. Peace be with you. When Jesus repeats Himself, He’s serious. And so when He says, I bring you peace today, believe it.

But remember, the disciples didn’t enter a trouble-free life after Jesus said that. Not at all. In fact, they had great troubles and struggles, and life was very, very difficult for them. But they had such a sense of peace when they knew that Jesus was alive. Their hope was in the risen Jesus, King of kings, Lord of Lords.

Even in their darkness, those words—Peace be with you—never left them. I pray that those words will never leave you either. Be filled with peace today because He’s alive, and for the rest of your life, He will never leave you.