PEACE
John 20:21 Jesus appeared before His disciples after He was crucified. At this point in the men's hearts, they were very very VERY afraid.
I mean they were scared for their lives kind of afraid.
Scared like Jelall just came back from the dead AGAIN and is about to team up with Zeref kinda scared.
Like Sherlock jumps off a rooftop to his death kinda scared.
Like Harry Potter's scar is hurting again type of scared.
Their very lives are being threatened and there is little to nothing they will be able to do about it.
They are hiding in a freaking locked up room waiting for someone to bang on the door and demand they come out only to kick the door down and throw a flash bomb at their faces.
You could cut the tension like warm knife through butter that just got out of the microwave and is still in that solid state and yet if you look at it sideways it will dissolve into a liquid state like Juvia when she looks at Grey.
I mean, this is serious stuff...
And as if the atmosphere couldn't get any more tense
Jesus walks through the wall.
Like a ghost from any horror film.
I think it would have been a feeling like this:
I can't help but imagine what would have been going through the minds of some of the disciples.
I mean really.
You are sitting there after having watched one of your closest friends killed brutally in front of you only to realize
"Haha, I'm next... screw thissssssssss!!!"
So now you are hiding in a room with all of your remaining friends
And then suddenly the guy you thought might as well have been dead just...
shows up...
Read the atmosphere, Jesus. Don't walk through walls when everyone thinks you're dead.
That makes people scared.
Really, REALLY scared.
But listen to what He says after He scared the living who-ha out of His friends (personally, I think He just wanted to see who would wet themselves first)
"Peace be unto you."
Can you imagine?
Your best friend just came in out of nowhere after you saw them die
and all they say is
"Peace be unto you."
Many things come to mind at this...
Zuko
Harry Potter
Jelall
But the reactions to these three are very VERY different from the disciples' reaction.
Jesus showed them the proof that He had indeed been the one killed in front of them.
But He was NOT a ghost.
He was alive and well. and He was sending His friends and followers out into the world to ensure the rescue of everyone in it.
The disciple's fears were gone in an instant.
They were happy, "overjoyed" says verse 20.
But what is this "Peace" that Jesus gave the disciples?
The word "Peace" is synonymous with a time where there is no war.
The time of the early church is described as "Peaceful"
Romans 2:10 says that peace will come to those who do good.
1 Corinthians says peace is the opposite of confusion
Peace is the absence of fear and discord.
Peace is a sign that the believer knows that no matter what may happen in this life, there is no chaos, no fear, no discord, no insanity, no torture, no pain, and no cliff hanger that can take away our hope of tomorrow.
No, we are not guaranteed a tomorrow, because God may call us home at any moment.
But we ARE guaranteed a HOME to go to when that time to go comes.
And that is enough to give anyone peace.
Whether they are waiting for the season premiere
Or waiting for the test results to come back
Or waiting on death row
Or facing terror right in the face
God gives us peace that passes all understanding...
Even if it does not make sense as to why we are at peace when faced with such horrors in this world.
The peace God gives us is too great for our understanding.
And that is Okay.
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