"the One Who Offers Peace Is The One Who Has Been Through The Most"

“The One Who Offers Peace is the One Who has been through the Most”

John 20:19-31

Last Thursday, I woke to the news that, in the past 4 weeks 22 million people have lost their jobs.

At the same time, The American Psychiatric Association has come out with a new poll which states that nearly half of all Americans are anxious about the possibility of getting the coronavirus, and more than a third of Americans say the coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most people feel that the coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives.

Most adults are concerned that the pandemic will have a serious impact on their finances and almost half of us are worried about running out of food, medicine, and supplies.

That’s a lot of anxiety.

That’s a lot of fear.

If you are feeling this way this morning, know that you are not alone.

Add to all this the recent tornado damage in Chattanooga and much of the South…

…and we’ve got a pretty crazy situation going on.

Our Gospel Lesson for this morning begins with fear.

On the very day of the joyous new life of Resurrection, the disciples huddle in a bolted room, afraid of the authorities.

And their fears are realistic.

The collusion between the religious leaders and Roman Empire has destroyed Jesus, and they have every reason to expect that they too are on the list of the usual suspects.

And so, their doors are shut, but fear and locked doors are no barrier for the Resurrected Christ, Whose body has already overcome all human obstacles.

John tells us that “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’

After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

Could it be that in showing His wounds to the disciples, Jesus is not only showing them that He is the same person they saw hanging on the Cross a few days ago, but also that His wounds prove to them that Jesus has overcome the very worst the world can do to Him or anyone else for that matter.

Evil is no match for Jesus Christ.

Death is no match for Jesus.

The devil is no match for Jesus.

Therefore, what have we got to fear?

When Mary Ellen was little, I used to tell her I was the strongest person in the world.

I didn’t tell her this because it was true nor did I tell her this to impress her.

I told her this in order to calm her fears.

For instance, if, before she went to bed she said something like, “Daddy, I’m afraid of robbers breaking in to our house tonight.”

My response would be: “I’m the strongest man in the world, I’d just kick them out the door.

You have nothing to worry about—nothing to fear.”

And it worked.

She believed me during her very early years when those kinds of fears are especially disruptive.

Well, in a very real way, Jesus IS the “Strongest Man in the World.”

All the powers and authorities…not even death itself can keep Him down.

What have we got to fear?

In Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” Mowgli, the man cub, asks the animals what the most feared thing is in the jungle.

He’s told that when two animals meet on a narrow path that one of the animals must step aside and let the other animal pass.

The animal that steps aside for no one would then be the most feared.

Mowgli wants to know what kind of animal that is.

One tells him it’s an elephant.

Another tells him it’s a lion.

Finally the wise old owl exclaims: “The most feared thing in the jungle is death.

It steps aside for no one.”

Well, my friends: welcome to the jungle.

We live in scary times.

The anxiety level, the fear level is pretty high right now.

Jesus said to the first disciples, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus says to us, “Peace be with you.”

What kind of peace is Jesus offering?

What does He mean?

And who wouldn’t want peace?

Isn’t that what most sane individuals desire most?

We all need peace, do we not?

First of all, there is some danger around the word “peace.”

We must avoid making the mistake of assuming that Jesus is talking about the absence of conflict, the presence of quiet and rest, everyone agreeing and getting along.

That may happen in the world to come, but not in this world.

I mean think about it, Jesus says, “Peace be with you!”

And then He says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

And with that, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”