John 20:19-20…“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vss. 19b-20
The disciples, wracked by fear, had locked themselves away in a hidden upper room within the walled city of Jerusalem. Even though they had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, they had no idea what to do. They didn’t even know if the stories told by the women were true. And then suddenly Jesus was there. There had been no knock, the door had not opened. But his words, “Peace be with you,” calmed them. Everything was going to be okay!
We still crave those calming words in our moments of fear and anxiety. In this broken world we often seek shelter in our hidden retreats. We feverishly scroll through our inboxes and news sources, looking for words to assure us, but we don’t even know if the stories we read are true. If only we could find some assurance, if only there were someone we could trust.
And then all of a sudden, we’re not quite sure how it happens, Jesus shows up. We’ve been so alone and out of nowhere a companion comes close, and we just know that it’s Jesus. We feel his love and in the silence he speaks, “Peace be with you,” and we are calmed. How good it is to know that we’re not alone, that there is a greater presence who is as near as our breath!
Thought for the Day: When have I felt the presence of Jesus?
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