“What’s that sound?” My young 12-year-old body began to panic as I remembered that I was alone in our home, yet my brother’s R2-D2 toy was making all kinds of noise. The original Star Wars movie had just come out in 1977 and Ben had received an electronic replica of the faithful droid for Christmas that year. Battery-operated, this R2-D2 toy made all of the authentic sounds and beeps and moved around as well. It was quite impressive for the 70’s. So why was it making noises? Who was in the house?
Any peace I had previously experienced in my body while doing homework in my beautifully appointed bedroom flew out the window as I began to catastrophize all of the horrible possibilities of who was in the house and what they might do to me. I know, I know, it makes no logical sense, that an intruder whose intent is to harm would first stop to play with a Star Wars character toy, but anxiety is rarely logical.
I sat there brainstorming how I might get out of the house and away from the intruder and decided that I would run like the wind down the hall and out the garage to our next door neighbors’ house. Mr. Woody was often home and could help me. Rather than causing me to freeze and hide, the anxiety I felt actually propelled me to run as fast as I could. Not looking left or right until I got to the Woody’s, I furiously knocked on their door. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Woody opened the door, I fell into their arms and felt an incredible sense of peace in the safety of their presence. They were adults I could trust. As I told them everything that had happened and my fear that someone was in our house, neither of them laughed or made light of my story. Instead, Mr. Woody volunteered to walk through the house and assess the situation. After which he brought out the rogue R2-D2, continuing to make the sounds I had heard earlier! Apparently it had an automatic switch that caused it to “come to life” periodically. I had been alone in the house the whole time, but when I heard that familiar sound, fear gripped me and I believed the worst!
The time following the crucifixion of Jesus was a confusing and fearful time for His disciples. They expected Jesus to be recognized as king and they anticipated reigning with Him as His inner circle. They saw Him perform miracles and heal multitudes, but then they saw Him arrested and killed. For fear that the same thing would happen to them, they hid. In fact, in John’s gospel, we read that the room the disciples were in was locked because of their fear of being found and potentially captured and killed as Jesus was.
So much has happened on this Resurrection Day. As it is coming to a close, we pick up the story in that room where Jesus’ friends had gathered, sharing stories of unbelievable interactions with their risen Messiah. Was it real or were their imaginations playing tricks on them?
Read Luke 24:36-49
Peace to You!
Jesus has risen from the grave and has appeared to a select few in His resurrected body. As His disciples and the Eleven are together discussing their Jesus-sightings earlier that day, all of a sudden He is there, in the midst of them! This wasn’t like being at a crowded party and a friend walking up and surprising you. This was Jesus demonstrating the changes that were part of His glorified body, as He could now walk through solid materials, like walls. Naturally, observing something like this would freak just about anybody out, so Jesus said, “‘Peace to you!’ But they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.” (vv 34-35) Peace? They felt anything but peace and tranquility. They were scared out of their minds and thought they were seeing a ghost!
And this wasn’t the first time Jesus' followers thought He was a ghost. This had happened before, when Jesus sent The Twelve ahead in a boat across the Sea of Galilee while He dismissed the crowd of 5000-plus that He had fed and then spent time alone in prayer with His Father God. While not included in Luke’s narrative, it is a hallmark in the other three gospels. Let’s pick up the story in Matthew’s account: “Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost!’ they said, and they cried out in fear.” (Matt 14:24-26) They couldn’t make sense of Jesus walking on the water, understandably, so they jumped to the only conclusion that made sense - it was some type of spirit!
Back to Resurrection Day, Jesus’ closest followers couldn’t make sense of Him appearing, seemingly out of nowhere, so they jumped to the same conclusion as before. Jesus understands their confusion about the actual physical reality of His resurrection body and begins to gently prove that He has risen from the dead by appealing to their senses of sight, hearing and touch. The disciples can all see Him, hear Him talk, but more importantly, Jesus encourages them to touch Him and verify that He is in the flesh and not merely a spirit. He even asks if they have anything to eat, and given a piece of fish, eats it in their presence. Jesus is not a disembodied spirit. The risen Christ and Jesus of Nazareth are the same person; however, Jesus’ resurrected body is gloriously different from his pre-resurrection body. His body now is completely healed and strong, no longer subject to death and decay. This is unlike Lazarus’ resurrected body, the widow of Nain’s son or Jairus’ daughter. Each of these people, while brought back to life by Jesus’ miraculous power, still inhabited bodies that would eventually die.
“Peace to you." Jesus’ words of peace to His frightened disciples was not merely a greeting, but a declaration of the peace found in His presence. His words of peace were a profound expression of hope as well as Jesus’ prayer that they would experience a calm, stable, courageous peace in Him that would assure them of His love for them. He had told them before His crucifixion of what was to happen and said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus now reminded them of the necessity of fulfilling all that had been prophesied concerning Messiah, and He “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (v 45) How beautiful, for the disciples to finally understand all that had happened which up to that point, seemed fuzzy at best. All of the conclusions they had come to, based on their limited understanding, came into clear focus.
Lastly, Jesus reminded them of a promise He had made a while back: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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.” (John 14:26-27) Jesus was sending them the Holy Spirit, which His Father had promised them, but they would need to stay in Jerusalem until the Spirit came down from on high. If they thought they could see and understand the Scriptures clearly today, just wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them like flames of fire!
I don’t know about you, but I’m regularly in need of the peace of Jesus’ presence. I need the calm that confidence in Him affords my body. I need the assurance that He is bigger, more powerful and more wise than me or anyone else in this world. I need the insight and understanding that He gives me as I depend on Him for life and breath, and especially as I dig into His Word for direction and clarity. Jesus says, “Peace to you” to us. Just as they were for the disciples, his words are a prayer for us, his often panicky disciples, to be at peace with the assurance that he is with us, as well as confidence to step out in faith and obedience to what He reveals. In this spirit, what else might hearing “Peace to you” empower within us? Perhaps “Peace to you…I want to talk, I know I have avoided some tough topics, now I’m ready to face them.” “Peace be with you…I’ve changed my mind, you were right, I was wrong.” “Peace to you…will you forgive me?” “Peace to you…I forgive you.”
Big Picture Questions for Today:
Some day, we too will have a resurrected, glorified body and it's interesting to observe some of the things Jesus was doing because it gives us a picture of our future reality. Have you given much thought to your future glorified body?
What does hearing Jesus say, “Peace to you” empower within you?
Pray and thank Jesus for the peace and power of His presence in you, His beloved. Ask Him for the courage to remain in his peace even when chaos and confusion surrounds you.
Give Me Your Peace | Official Lyric Video | Gateway Worship
Give Me Your Peace, by Gateway Worship
Verse 1
The storm inside
It brings me to my knees
Nowhere to hide
This weight is crippling
Pre-Chorus
Come speak to the sea
That’s raging inside of me
All of this worry
To You I will release
Chorus
I cast my cares at Your feet
Take it all, take it all
I trade my fear for Your peace
Take it all, take it all
Give me Your peace
Verse 2
You pull me up
When I feel beneath
You clear the skies
You are my soul’s relief
Bridge
Let Your peace fall down
From Your hand to my heart
Let Your peace fall down
Cause it’s who You are
Songwriters: Patrick Aaron Smith / Zachary Bradon Rowe
Give Me Your Peace lyrics © All Essential Music, Be Essential Songs, Gateway Worship Publishing, Gateway Music Global Publishing
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