Reflection: "The Peace of God"“Shalom” says Jesus to his disciples when he appears before them on that day, just after his resurrection. Shalom roughly translates to “Peace be with you.”
Now, peace was probably the last thing the disciples were thinking about at that stage. After all, they’d just been on a huge roller coaster ride which included: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem only a week before, the changing of the traditional Passover Meal into the sacrament of communion, the traitorous actions of Judas Iscariot - one of their own, the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, his trial and crucifixion, death and burial the empty tomb……. and now, his rising from the dead and appearing before them. Surely, they would have been really confused and scared, not knowing where to turn, or what to do. Therefore, peace was EXACTLY what they DID need. To top it off, Jesus tells them that he’s sending them out into the world with something called “the Holy Spirit” to guide and protect them, so all was coming to a fulfilment. Jesus had assured them earlier that he would bring them comfort and joy (John 17:12-13). He would give them an advocate, "the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father" (John 15:26). And with that Spirit, he would send them into the world to continue the work and spread the message so, in the words he used when praying to his Father, "that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23). Now, in their presence, Jesus breathed on them, and they were touched by the Holy Spirit. At the time of the appearance of Jesus, after his resurrection, the disciples were a closed, inward-looking group, but he turned them into an open team of missionaries, sent out into the world. Could this be the time that we acknowledge as the birth of the Christian Church? The time when a body of believers first met and were told that their mission was to go into all the world and spread the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The disciples were told to go out and forgive people’s sins, just as Jesus had forgiven sins when he was in his 3 years of ministry around Galilee and Jerusalem. Would they be able to do the same work as Jesus had done during his ministry on earth? Would it work, or would the people just scoff at them, or worse still, stone them for blasphemy? Speaking of scoffers, there were, and still are today, those who wouldn’t believe that Jesus and died and risen from the grave after 3 days. In fact, even one of the 12, Thomas, refuses to believe that Jesus is alive, as he wasn’t in the room when Jesus first appears to the disciples. And he said: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Not an unreasonable assertion, given the circumstances and one that you and I would probably make too. Even the disciples seem unable to recognise Jesus the first time he appears before them. It wasn’t until he shows them his hands and side that they recognise him. Does that make Thomas a “doubter” - or a realist? He had seen Jesus nailed to the cross and he saw him die, so, you really can't blame him for wanting a real encounter with a truly risen Lord, just like the other disciples had encountered. When you read through the resurrection accounts of all four gospels, you quickly realise that Thomas is not alone in his doubt - in fact, doubt isn't the exception, but the rule. No one - even after all the predictions - no one says, "Welcome back Jesus. We knew you would do it." No! – no-one anticipates the return of Jesus and when he shows up, everyone doubts. To make sure that he includes all of his closest followers, Jesus appears a week later, in the same room”. Jesus doesn’t chide Thomas as he allows him to put his fingers in the nail holes and his hand in the gash made by the centurion’s spear. It is then that Thomas utters the words “My Lord and my God!”, recognising Jesus for who he is. Jesus then says: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Isn’t that what “faith” is all about? I mean, we weren’t there 2,000 years ago, yet we believe that the events occurred and were faithfully recorded and passed down through the ages. Like Thomas, we’d like to be able to have some physical signs of God’s presence. But, instead, we must rely on our faith and be part of the greater number of people who “have not seen and yet believe”. So, to all the scoffers, I say that there must have been a cataclysmic event that changed the scared, hiding disciples, into bold advocates for the Gospel – the good news about Jesus. I believe that it was this meeting with the risen Jesus, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, that gave them the courage to go out there. Most of them ended up being killed for the words they spoke. Would they have done that if the Easter message had finished on Good Friday, with their leader being crucified? I think not. From the immortal poetic words with which John opens his gospel “In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God” - sending the reader back to the "big bang" of the creation of the universe, to this final intimate moment of comfort and assurance, with the risen Jesus, John wants us to know that we didn’t have to be there in person and walk the paths in Galilee with Jesus. We didn’t have to witness the miracles first hand. We didn’t have to be in that closed room. Through the reading of John's message, and others like it, we can hear the stories and believe. And, in believing, we can have life eternal. I like to think of us as Resurrection people - that is - people who don't need to have it all figured out before coming to church, or helping a neighbour, feeding someone who is hungry, or caring for someone in need. If we have to figure it all out ahead of time, then we'll probably never get started. There’s so much hurt in the world - does the hand we extend, or listening ear we offer, really change that? I believe they do, but I, like you, at times wonder…..and have doubts. And yet, because we are Resurrection people, we believe, as well as doubt, and in believing, even in this more fragile way, we act, we reach out, we feed, we care, we tend, we struggle, we work, we love, all without any guarantees that what we do will have any impact, just a promise from the Lord who continues to bless those who believe amid their doubts and keep the faith, amid all their uncertainties. John 14:27 tells us that Jesus brings us peace. Not the sort of earthly peace that we’re used to, but the eternal peace that only he can give. He tells us not to be afraid, he has gone to be with God and we should rejoice. So, can you remember the last time when Jesus brought peace to you? Close your eyes now for a short time and see if you can feel the peace of God flowing over you. Pastor Rick
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