On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”
Biblical Studies Press. (2019). The NET Bible (Second Edition, Jn 20:19–23). Thomas Nelson.
But faithful action does not begin with our courage; it begins with the risen Christ standing among fearful disciples and speaking peace. Peace is the settled assurance that Christ is present, sin is forgiven, and fear does not get the final word. What is even more remarkable is that we are given this gift of peace before we are even given a mission to the world. A foundation of evangelism and discipleship is having a peace that only God can give you. That peace isn’t even tied to where God may send you! He came to the disciples and said, “Peace to you,” weeks before He gave the Great Commission.
John rarely uses the word “peace,” but he places it carefully. Jesus promises peace before the cross, assures His disciples of peace in trouble, and then speaks peace over them after the resurrection. The peace He gives is not a denial of danger. The doors are still locked. It is the assurance that the crucified and risen Lord is present, and that His victory is stronger than their fear. Peace was not a new idea for first-century Jewish disciples. It fills the Old Testament as one of God’s promised gifts to His people. Yet John uses the word sparingly, so when the risen Jesus repeats it here, we should hear it with weight.
We must each examine ourselves and determine where we need peace. What keeps us cowering behind locked doors? When we know what that is, we must find ourselves at the altar, surrendering it over to our Risen Messiah.
The fact that Christ rose from the dead is the wellspring of our peace. The doors may still be locked, the danger may still be real, and the disciples may still be afraid, but death has already been defeated. This is why Jesus showed them His hands and His side. He was not merely offering them a comforting thought; He was showing them that the crucified One was now standing alive among them. The wounds proved continuity. This was the same Jesus who had walked with them, taught them, loved them, suffered before them, and died on the cross. The peace He spoke of was not detached from pain. It came through His wounds and out the other side of the grave.
This is the peace we are also given by Jesus. We may not know what we face next, but we know the peace of Christ will be with us. Brothers and Sisters, go in peace.
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