Peace be unto you
Today's focusBehind locked doors, the risen Jesus stands among his fearful disciples, shows his wounds, breathes the Spirit on them and sends them out.
Read
19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Reflection
Fear often causes us to close ourselves off, much like the disciples who "assembled for fear" behind "shut" doors. Yet, locked doors are no barrier to the risen Lord. Jesus comes and stands "in the midst" of your worries, meeting you exactly where you are. He does not offer a rebuke for your trembling heart; instead, he speaks a deep and recurring word of comfort: "Peace be unto you."
To prove he is the same Jesus who suffered for you, he "shewed unto them his hands and his side." His wounds are the marks of his love and the evidence of his victory. Seeing him transforms fear into joy, as the disciples were "glad, when they saw the LORD."
Jesus does not leave you hiding in that room. He says, "as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." He provides exactly what you need for this mission. He "breathed on them," giving the gift of the "Holy Ghost" to empower you. You are sent out not in your own strength, but with his peace and his Spirit.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What 'locked doors' of fear are in your life, and what does Jesus' 'Peace be unto you' mean there?
Pray
Risen Jesus, you come through locked doors and speak peace. Come into my fears and show me your wounded hands. Breathe your Spirit on me and send me out in your peace.