PEACE BE WITH YOU
John 20:21-23 : Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 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 them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
This particular encounter with the resurrected Jesus began when Jesus appeared to ten disciples and Thomas was not there. They were only ten because Judas the traitor for obvious reasons was not anymore among them and a new apostle to replace him was elected only after the Ascension of Jesus.
Although some scholars think that Judas was not so much of a traitor but rather a secret agent of Jesus, appointed by Jesus to fulfill secret missions like negotiating with the enemy forces to offer jesus's life in exchange of sparing the lives of the disciples.
They argue that there was no reason not to arrest all the disciples in Jesus on the Mount of Olives. If they were after Jesus, they would have jailed also his disciples, as well as a group of rebels, especially when, according to the Gospels, Peter even attacked an armed servant by cutting his ears off on that specific Thursday night.
Nonetheless, these are all mere speculations, though they found a non-canonic, gnostic gospel from the late second century, called the Gospel of Judas, containing these sentiments, buried in the sand of Egypt. So, when Jesus appeared to the ten disciples, Judas was not among them any more, and Thomas was not there by chance. The ten happily announced it to Thomas that they saw the resurrected Lord.
It is written in the Gospel of John that Thomas answered them, that "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
He accused them that they saw a vision, they were either drunk or they were in delirium because of the grief or they saw a ghost, practically anything but Jesus the resurrected one.
Although, Jesus, way before his crucifixion, foretold his disciples what will be going to happen in the near future, like he will have to suffer, he will have to be betrayed and captured, he will have to be tortured, he will have to be put to death, but also he will have to be resurrected on the third day.
Despite of the precise prediction of Jesus of these near future events, Thomas, after these events all had happened, said that I could still not believe the resurrection part, unless I will touch the resurrected body of Jesus and his wounds. A pretty odd request, by any means, which might have meant that it is not even enough that I will see him with my own eyes, because our own eyes can deceive us, I need some tangibly veritable proof, like touching his wounds, then I will believe. But only after that.
There is a famous slogan in the evangelical universe, that whatever our circumstances are, whatever the circumstantial conditions around us are, whatever our immediate or long run challenges we do have, we should always ask the pivotal Christian question, that what would Jesus do in our boots, in our situation?
In this case of Thomas, when he earned his nickname, the Doubting Thomas, there is the astonishing reciprocation of this question by asking that what Jesus should have done here instead of submitting to the request of Thomas.
Some strict hearted people maintain that Jesus should have refused his touching request and declare Thomas excommunicated, as the apostles were supposed to be selected by Jesus to become the example of faith, to become the leaders of the New movement of the followers of Jesus the core and the planters of the growing kingdom of God on Earth.
As Judas was thrown aside by the universe for the assumed betrayal, so Thomas should have been thrown aside for his unbelief. However, Jesus followed his own insight regarding hearts and characters and his knowing of friends and his disciples, better than they knew themselves, he chose to appear again at this time to the eleven.
As it is written in the Gospel of John, chapter 20, that "After eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the midst, and said, " ' Peace be to you.'
Then he said to Thomas, 'Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be faithless, but believing. ' Thomas answered him, ' My Lord and my God! ' Jesus said to him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.' "
We can see a conflict in the heart of a doubting and confused disciple called Thomas, to whom Jesus personally came giving him the second chance, which second chance was also given to Peter the Jesus denier, to Paul the persecutor, to John and James the thunderers, to Matthew the tax collector, to Simon the guerilla fighter, and so on.
After the shock of the crucifixion of the beloved master, they all were troubled and depressed and in grief. Certainly they had some resignation, apathy, the feeling of being defeated, but also a huge conflict in their heart. Jesus came to comfort them and to empower them, and above all to create peace in their hearts.
The only possible way to achieve peace in the hearts of the Apostles was for them to meet the resurrected Jesus. In their hearts the destroyed balance of the universe was reinstated, their pivotal belief in the divine justice, mercy, love and reason reestablished.
Even the conflicted, troubled, warring and raging Saul had to meet the resurrected Jesus in order to become the Apostle Paul, to reach the peace of the Holy Spirit, as a part of the kingdom of God.
Thus happened, that when Jesus appeared to the ten, the first words he said were that peace be with you. When Jesus chose to reappear to them, he said it also to Thomas, that Peace Be With You. Thomas could not have ever achieved the peace of the reassurance in his doubting hearts, but only by the meeting with the resurrected Jesus. Among our trials and tribulations, in every generation, we often lose heart and faith, and in specifically dark times we even often lose hope, as well. And losing hope is like the end of the world.
In order to gain peace in hour hearts, like the apostles we must meet with the resurrected Jesus, to be reassured that there is resurrection and life after death, to be reassured that if we belong to Jesus, then the dark forces on Earth and in hell do not have power over us.
The peace Jesus gave the disciples and he offers to everyone, who believes in the Love of God, who believes in divine justice and mercy, the ultimate rule of Heaven in all affairs, this peace of his is a dynamic and active peace, which can not stand idle.
The phrase of the Peace be with You, was actually just the first part of the greeting of the resurrected Jesus, he added, that Jesus therefore said to them again, " As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit! Whoever's sins you forgive, they are forgiven to them. Whoever's sins you retain, they are retained." This exactly meant, that by faith, they must go and change the world for the always greater glory of God, by the grace of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to do the same, may God help us so. Amen.
