On Tuesday morning, as sat at my desk and went through my to-do list for the week, the joke-that-wasn’t-really-a-joke that I made was that I wasn’t going to spend any time on my sermon quite yet, seeing as the state of the world really seemed up in the air at that point. Would bombs fly? Would threats be realized? Would cooler heads prevail? It was hard to tell. I was feeling fearful and anxious and powerless. Perhaps you were, too.
But, I read through the Gospel text anyway, and the part I kept coming back to was Jesus’ repeated words to his disciples: “Peace be with you.” Three times in these verses Jesus says it: “Peace be with you.” The repetition drew my attention, nudging me to wonder if this was just a common greeting, or something deeper.
This Gospel story takes place over two Sundays. The first encounter is on the evening of Jesus’ resurrection. Early that morning, Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb. When she got there, she saw that the stone was rolled away, and immediately ran to tell Peter and another disciple. They ran back to the tomb, and, looking inside, saw that it was empty, except for the linen cloths that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. The men didn’t quite know what to make of it, and returned home.
Mary, though, stayed, and when she looked into the tomb, she saw two angels, then turned around and saw someone she guessed was the gardener. When the man said her name, she knew it was Jesus. He instructs her to go tell his disciples, and she does, proclaiming, “I have seen the Lord!”
Despite having heard this news, later that evening the disciples are locked away, fearful and uncertain. They did not believe Mary’s testimony, or, if they believed it, they at least were not acting as if it were true. But even a locked door and unbelieving hearts could not keep Jesus away. He came into their midst, showing his wounds, speaking peace, and equipping them for the days ahead.
Thomas, though, was absent from that gathering, and when the disciples tell him, “We have seen the Lord!” he responds with the same disbelief as his companions when they heard Mary’s proclamation that morning.
A week later, the disciples are gathered again, and Jesus comes to them. Thomas is there this time, and Jesus shows his wounded hands and side, again offering words of peace and assurance to his friends. Having seen, Thomas proclaims, “My Lord and my God!”
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| Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash |
"Peace be with you." Jesus comes among his friends, speaking words of peace and also embodying it. This simple greeting communicates much more than its brevity might suggest.
In this text, “Peace be with you” means, “Don’t worry, it’s just me! I told you I’d be back!” Jesus has, after all, snuck up on people who are already afraid, hiding behind a locked door, and probably a bit jumpy about someone suddenly appearing among them. “Peace be with you” is, first, a greeting and a prayer.
“Peace be with you” also means, “I forgive you.” The last time Jesus and his disciples had seen each other was marked by pain, betrayal, denial, and desertion. These words of peace are words of reconciliation. They offer the assurance that Jesus is not coming to punish them or seek revenge. Instead he comes in peace, looking to be joined to his dear friends once more.
“Peace be with you” is a gift. In the midst of their grief, fear, and uncertainty, Jesus speaks peace that will accompany his friends and followers long beyond that moment or that day. Jesus speaks peace and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. Both of these gifts will empower them for mission, for the work Jesus has called them to do.
I may not have wanted to start my sermon amid all the uncertainty of the week, but the truth is, regardless of the specific circumstances of any one day or week, we are always in need of a word of peace. Grief, uncertainty, and fear are inseparable from life in the world. Though they are not the totality of our experience, there’s no way to avoid these emotions as a human living among humans. Thankfully, the threat of violence and destruction are not always so close to the forefront. But there are still plenty of other things that leave us wishing we could lock ourselves away from reality - difficult relationships, ambiguous test results, heartbreaking diagnoses, conflicts at work or school, circumstances that leave us feeling stuck or helpless.
It is into these realities that the risen Jesus speaks peace, breathing into us the gift of the Holy Spirit. This peace is an assurance of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a gift that strengthens and empowers us - not just for a single moment, or a single day, but for all that lies ahead of us: joy and sorrow, fear and elation, certainty and doubt.
The peace that Jesus gives is more than a moment of quiet or solitude. Instead, it is a deep and abiding sense of groundedness, of reassurance, of trust – not that we’ll always have the answers, or that things will turn out how we want them to, but a reassurance that whatever comes, Jesus will be there, speaking peace and offering the assurance found only in him.
Like the disciples, like Thomas, today we reach out to touch his broken and wounded body, receiving into our hands this gift of life, given and shed for you. In the waters of baptism, we, too, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of forgiveness. Grounded in the peace and love of Christ and trusting in his promises, we, too, are sent to proclaim that we have seen the Lord.
It's true - we make this proclamation into a world where peace often seems elusive – peace between people, peace among nations, peace with creation. What good news it is, then, that the peace we pray for and proclaim and share is not our own fragile peace, but the enduring peace of the risen Christ.
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