Jesus' gift of peace

The theme of today’s Gospel is peace (Greek eirene; Hebrew shalom).

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But it is not just any peace. It is the peace which is the gift of the risen Lord to his, then, still fearful disciples. Despite what they heard about their Master being risen from the dead, the trauma of his violent death left them paralyzed. They could not go out right away to celebrate the good news. It was at this point that the risen Jesus appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you” (v 19).

Jesus could have confronted his disciples for not remaining with him up to his death. He could have admonished them for their lack of faith and courage, for being overwhelmed with fear. But he chose to console them instead, and to bless them with his peace. The joy the disciples felt must have been overwhelming at seeing their Master alive again and without any charge or condemnation for their betrayal of him. Jesus chose peace because he is peace and it is in peace that people can live as children of God.