Peace Be with You – John 20:19-31
/Lectionary Readings for April 19, 2020
Acts 2:14a, 22-32 v 24 But God released Jesus from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Psalm 16 v 7 I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
1 Peter 1:3-9 v 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.
John 20:19-31 v 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Today’s reading seems appropriate considering all that we’re going through these days. The disciples were locked in a room, sealing themselves off from the external world, fearing the harm that those on the outside might cause them. Sound familiar?
Like the disciples, we too may be wondering, “Where is God in all of this?”
Like the disciples, we too may be asking, “How do I let my faith, how do I let God, guide me in the midst of everything that’s happening?”
For the disciples, Jesus unexpectedly, unexplainably appeared among them, in the flesh, with the opening line, “Peace be with you.” Peace…
When I say the word “peace,” what comes to mind? Some people may immediately think of the peace movement in the 1960s along with the iconic images of the peace symbol and the VW microbus.
Or maybe you think of the numerous protests against war and for freedom and equality. You know, as I think about these images, I can’t help but think of all the sacrifices people made and the ridicule they suffered as they pursued peace.
When I say the word “peace,” maybe you think about “peace” in terms of nature. I know that’s my go-to image. For days now I’ve been mentally singing the old African-American spiritual song “I’ve Got Peace Like a River in My Soul.”
Or maybe a dove comes to mind. The dove is a nearly universal symbol used to convey peace and love; it goes back as far as 3,000 years before Jesus. Interestingly, “Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Paganism, and of both military and pacifist groups.” (Wikipedia - Doves as symbols) The dove is for peace and love what the black purse is for fashion – it goes with everything.
There’s only one problem here. Jesus doesn’t say peace, He says shalom.
And maybe you’re thinking, “No big deal, shalom is the Hebrew word for peace.” Well sort of. That’s kind of like saying Disney Land is equivalent to Mickey Mouse. Well, sort of. But Disney is so much more than just Mickey Mouse. Shalom is so much more than just peace in the sense of calm happiness.
Shalom is a conceptual word whose meaning includes “peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, well-being, and tranquility” (Wikipedia – Shalom) – all words that could be used to describe the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus says, “Shalom be with you,” He’s saying, “May every aspect of the Kingdom of God in its fullness be with you so that, instead of worrying, you can focus on experiencing and sharing God’s love.” It’s a lot easier to say shalom!
Jesus was telling His disciples – and telling us today – that He wants them and us to feel a wholeness and completeness… with God, with the world, within ourselves, and with each other.
I think we can all agree that if we have that kind of all-encompassing peace in our lives, the normal and dramatic ups and downs of life will neither overly excite nor overly depress us. Shalom is an understanding, a perspective, an attitude – which means it’s something we can, and should, actively work on.
This week I want you to actively look for what steals your peace and what gives you peace. What do you need to see, hear, or do to have the peace, the shalom, that God wants you to have? God’s ever-present Spirit is shalom. God invites us into a shalom relationship with Him, with creation, with ourselves, and with others.
How personal, how intimate is that invitation? Consider the brief exchange between Jesus and Thomas – “Doubting Thomas.” Poor guy; only last week Mary reported seeing Jesus alive and the disciples didn’t believe her (because she was a woman, but we’ll deal with historic sexism another day). Just a day or so later, Thomas also questions the male disciples’ report, and he’s forever pinned with the nickname Doubting. I’ve always felt most connected to Thomas because of his doubts and because he was willing to ask the questions so many people were certainly wondering.
And how does Jesus respond to Thomas? Not with any condemnation nor rejection. Quite the opposite, Jesus responds with an invitation. Jesus says, “Put your hand into the wound in my side.” Seriously?!
Beyond the gross factor, think about how vulnerable Jesus made himself for Thomas’ benefit, for Thomas to have shalom. God offers us the same intimacy today.
If you discover that this shalom is difficult to find, ask God to open your eyes, your ears, your mind, and your heart to it. Rely on the words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount in Matt. 7:7-8. (I love the active and all-inclusive language of the New Living Translation here.) This is from the famous Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is telling people how they can have a closer relationship with God.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Folks, in your conversations with God this week and ongoing, keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking because, like Jesus with Thomas and the other disciples, God is in your presence – in our presence – ready and waiting with open arms to receive us, every bit of us. Amen? Amen!