Second Sunday of Easter
“Peace Be With You”
As I write this, Hamas has attacked Israel, and Israel has declared war. Russia is still invading Ukraine. Chaos all around the world!
Jesus in John 20:19–31 says, “Peace be with you,” three different times. We as citizens in the twenty-first century are still trying to find this sense of peace. Will it ever come from the government, the military, a constitution? The answer is no.
As I look back on this text, what gloom do we find the disciples in? Jesus, their Messiah, has just been beaten, crucified, and buried. The man whom they thought was going to elevate Israel and conquer the Romans. The man they thought was going to bring peace to the nation after centuries of oppression. Dead.
We find these men hiding in a room with the doors “locked for fear of the Jews.” These disciples of Jesus are scared; they are doubting the last three years; they have just gone through a chaotic week. They saw Jesus announced as a king one day and a few days later being crucified as a criminal. Chaos.
Jesus shows up in the midst of the chaos and says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Jesus is sending you and me out into the world to bring the message of peace.
In a world that is on the verge of collapse, you and I can bring the message of peace through Jesus’ death, burial, and most importantly his resurrection! What a blessing to be able to bring peace through the name of Jesus in such a trial time!
JonMichael Deisher, pastor
West Salem Moravian Church, West Salem, Illinois