Equipped with Peace

Scripture — John 20:19-23 (RSV)

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Devotion

As a child, I think there was nothing more exciting like seeing your favorite Aunty or Uncle (or any other beloved relative for that matter) that you hadn’t seen in a long time. Whether they visited at Christmas, or another time, just seeing them brought a smile to your face, with the added knowledge they had goodies for you; mainly candy!

And what added joy erupted when they had a new school bag or new pair of brand-name sneakers for school that made you so elated you were now set and ready for back to school. Similarly, we can imagine the disciples with such emotions of joy as the resurrected Jesus equipped them with His double portion of peace to conduct their mission on earth effectively, as we see in today’s text.

On this first day of the week, in the evening, even though the doors were locked, Jesus appeared and stood in the midst of His disciples by greeting them, as he said, “Peace be unto you”.

Today, Jesus still offers us as His followers peace—as promised in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your_ _hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” During this Eastertide, we can be refreshed and reminded that even with all the chaos surrounding us at times, His peace is ours to embrace, daily.

The second affirmation of peace teaches us that Jesus not only helps with managing our fears and doubts but He also desires to shape individual lives, as the “you” in this verse is plural. This peace gives deep meaning and purpose, which inspires visions in our lives and brings the promised abundant life. Additionally, this peace is the one that marks the Hebrew, “shalom”: peace with God, with ourselves and our past, with other people and creation.

As the Bible tells us, the disciples rejoiced on seeing Him and sharing with Him in this manner. Before Jesus’ crucifixion He mentioned He would leave the helper, the comforter, the Holy Spirit; now for these final days on earth, He was fully equipping the disciples with peace and these reassuring words, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (v. 21).

Then He infused them with His life as He breathed on them, now fully equipped with the Holy Spirit. As they received the Holy Spirit, they were receiving the gift, the Comforter, which would empower them to do amazing works through His name.

Then He challenged them on the matter of forgiveness—this virtue of forgiveness which was clearly essential to their mission, and subsequently essential to ours today.

In order for His peace to be fully manifested, Jesus showed the awesomeness of authority in this subject of forgiveness which is set within the divine passive. This authority was given in extending forgiveness to others and the power also in withholding it from others. Jesus said “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (v. 23).

As Jesus bestowed on His disciples ultimate peace, He confers the same to us today. In order for the Christian community to fulfill the mandate of truly exhibiting peace, trust, unity and love, Jesus shows us that forgiveness also is vital.  As hard as it may be at times, Jesus is challenging us to offer forgiveness to others. This word can also be intended as a warning to us of the uncomfortable implications of refusing to extend forgiveness to others. Let us be encouraged, as Jesus has commissioned us to share the gospel with His peace to others.  May we also go with a heart of forgiveness towards those who may be hard to forgive—yet through the Holy Spirit we have been equipped to achieve and extend it in His Name.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The Importance of Workplace Relationships (John 14-17).