On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:19
The disciples were in lockdown, afraid for their lives, confused about the empty tomb of Jesus, huddled together with no peace and no plan. Suddenly there was Jesus. He stood among them. No locked door could keep Him from them just like no sealed grave could contain Him.
And in His presence was comfort and strength. His first words to their anxious hearts: “Peace be with you”. And it could be with them because their Lord and Savior was with them.
Jesus showed the stunned men His crucifixion wounds. The confusion was gone. He was risen from the dead! And then He gave them His plan: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). They could not stay hidden in fear. They were sent to share the peace of Christ with the world.
And so even now, there are temptations to fear as we shelter at home. But let’s not do so out of fear of disease. Let’s do so out of love for our neighbor and to ease the burdens of first responders, nurses, and doctors who may see more suffering than ever. Let’s let the peace of Christ live here with us. And by every means available in a networked world, let’s believe and speak out that Jesus has sent us into this world, right now, to make His presence, His peace, and His people known.
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