John 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
This verse speaks about a few days after Jesus had risen from the
Dead. He unexpectedly showed up at a meeting of the Apostles. They were
gathered together, possibly in the same upper room where they spent the last
supper with their Master. When the risen Jesus showed up, everything was
different. The Apostles' lives would head in a direction they could have never
imagined in their wildest dreams. At the ascension of Jesus back to heaven, He
told them they would be witnesses to Him to all of the Earth (Acts 1:7-9);
however, they still did not comprehend the effects this calling would have on
their lives.
When Jesus shows up, everything changes; nothing will ever be the
same. Think about our life before Jesus showed up and accepted us into His
royal family. There were times in our lives that things might have seemed
hopeless before Jesus showed up. But, when Jesus did show up that night in that
locked room with His apostles, He told them, peace be with you. Two times Jesus
promised them that they would have peace in their lives. But unfortunately, the
peace that Jesus spoke of cannot be obtained through positive thinking, nor
does it come from a pill bottle, and we cannot order it from Amazon.
Peace is a gift from God. Jesus said, "My peace I give to
you." One day during Jesus' earthly ministry, the Apostles found
themselves in a boat during a great storm. Jesus was sleeping soundly in the
stern of the Boat. They woke Jesus and asked Him if He was concerned that they
would all die. Amid that great storm, Jesus showed up and spoke directly to the
storm. He said peace be still. Wherever Jesus is, there is great peace.
Peace is a gift of God that defends and guards our hearts. In
Philippians 4:6-7, Paul identifies this truth. "Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
When Paul proclaimed that the peace of God would guard our hearts and minds, he
was using a military term. It is the term that describes a soldier standing guard.
The truth is plain and clear. God's peace stands guard over a troubled soul.
When Jesus shows up, he will bring us a new perspective. Until the resurrection appearance, Jesus's disciples were confused. They did not understand nor believe the stories that were circulating. Some people were spreading rumors that Jesus was alive. Jesus showing up that day gave them a whole new perspective. They knew that Jesus died on the Cross; they knew that He had been placed in a tomb that the Roman Government guarded. However, their perspective of the last few days was completely changed when Jesus showed up that night. It brought a sense of peace to their lives that they thought they had lost. It works the same way with us; there was a time in our lives that we could not see a future past this earthly life. We believed that death was the end which fostered great unrest and a lack of peace in our lives. However, when Jesus showed up in our lives, we suddenly realized what Jesus meant when He said:
John
14:27 Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
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