Monday Meditation: He’s Alive! Part 3: They needed his peace
Those closest to Jesus were baffled when confronted by his resurrection. We’ve seen this before, and we come to it again in the account we’re reading today.
William Barclay explains why this is significant:
Christianity is not founded on the dreams of men's disordered minds or the visions of their fevered eyes, but on one who in actual historical fact faced and fought and conquered death and rose again.
But this is not the only reason caregivers can find comfort in today’s passage.
Today we can pause and ponder Jesus’ words when he appeared miraculously to the disciples: “Peace be unto you,” he said.
Even though it was a greeting common in that time, we can imagine the words meant more to the disciples that day than ever before. Isolated, confused, and afraid, they had likely never felt less at peace.
We need his greeting in our lives, too. We caregivers are also often isolated or confused or afraid. What a blessing to imagine Jesus stretching out his wounded hand, and saying, “Peace to you”!
This wasn’t the first time Jesus had spoken to them of peace. “Peace I leave with you,” he told them on the eve of his capture and crucifixion, “My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Maybe they remembered those words as he surprised them now with the assurance that his life was not over and their mission had just begun.
But the promise of peace is not just for Jesus’ inner circle.
The promise is not just for Jesus’ inner circle.
“Do not be anxious about anything,” Paul wrote to troubled believers in ancient Philippi. “In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by tension or tiredness; it’s common for caregivers to grow weary as we face dashed dreams or growing disability. And if we look up from our own troubles long enough to take in the distress and distrust and disasters in the world around us, we may feel anything but peaceful. We may wonder how we can cope another day.
We may wonder how we can cope another day.
One solution is to step back and look beyond the current situation. Refocus on God, consider all he has done, and remember what he has promised.
We can do that today by trying to imagine Jesus calmly showing his disciples his miraculous return to life. His resurrection was nothing more than what the prophets had predicted and he had promised.
He is alive. And amid any upsets or uneasiness we may be experiencing, that truth can stir within us a welcome reality:
We can be at peace.
Read: Luke 24:36-49
Pray: Help us, Lord, not to be overwhelmed by our challenging days. Remind us, Lord, of your unmatched power that promises us help and hope for whatever we may be facing.
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