After Jesus' death on the cross the disciples spent a considerable amount of time figuring out what it all meant. So much had taken place over such a short amount of time: Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Jesus' death, and the empty tomb. On the first Easter Sunday, the disciples gathered in a locked room and were consumed with uncertainty, doubt, and fear. They had no idea what the future held, they had trouble understanding what Jesus' death meant, and even more trouble understanding the empty tomb.
In the midst of their doubt and fear, the risen Jesus appears to the disciples.
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’"When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’" John 20:19-23
Jesus comes to the disciples and shares a word of God's peace. The risen Jesus comes to the disciples to quell their fears, address their doubts, and bring comfort to their hearts. Jesus comes to the disciples in a most powerful and profound way, and he does so that they might understand fully what his life, death, and resurrection is all about. After addressing their fears and doubts, Jesus shares a second word of peace with the disciples. The second "peace" also includes a sending: "as the Father has sent me, so I send you." The peace of Jesus then seems to have a dual purpose: to calm fears, and to send. Jesus wanted the disciples faith and confidence to be strong, but he also wanted them to go out into the world and share the message of forgiveness in Jesus' name.
The sending aspect of peace is vitally important in the life of individual Christians and the life of the church. Jesus comes to us, offers his unconditional love, mercy, and grace. He comes to give us true peace, comfort, and security. But like the disciples, we too are called to move past the locked rooms of our personal faith. Like the disciples we are called to move beyond the comfort and security of the four walls of our church. Like the disciples we are called to share God's love with the world.
The moment we stop looking outward, the moment we stop stepping out of our comfort zones, is the moment the church is no longer the church. When the church no longer reaches beyond itself, when individuals care only for themselves and their own, when we fail to love our neighbors, we are no longer the church of Christ. The story of the risen Christ tells us that we are sent out into the world in Jesus' name, for his sake. We are called to make a difference in the lives of those who are hurting, we are called to make a difference in the lives of people created and loved by God.
So may we receive the peace of the Lord in a new way, may we know with full confidence God's love for us. May our fears and doubts be removed by the peace of the Lord, and may we share God's peace with all we encounter.
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