Start atSeptember 9
________________________________________PEACE FROM CHRIST
19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” – John 20:19-23
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After Jesus died, his disciples were all in hiding and were scared of the Jews. It is in this account that we witness Jesus showed himself to His disciples after he died. He watched them living in fear, so He told them to have peace. Showing His presence and the parts of his body that were pierced during his crucifixion made the disciples comforted. They now see with their own eyes that their Master conquered death and the promise of resurrection is right in front of them. It is during this time that Jesus makes them aware of the gift of the Holy Spirit which will now live in them because He is now with the Father in heaven. Jesus emphasized that they can only have peace through Him. Because He was sent by God, the Father, He also sends them out to bring the same peace He gives them. Another reminder that He gave His disciples in this conversation is the importance of forgiveness. He stresses that if they forgive those who hurt them, they too, will be forgiven their sins.
In this first meeting of Jesus after He died and rose from the dead, we are given hope. The promise of a life eternal from believing in Jesus has been fulfilled. There is no more room for fear or apprehension. Jesus assured them of the power that is vested on all those who believe Him. There is no reason to entertain fear because Christ has conquered the grave. Jesus made the disciples see the spiritual realm which at first, they could not understand. They couldn’t fully comprehend what Jesus taught them because they were limited to grasp it. But, since Jesus has already made them aware of the Holy Spirit living in them, they will now be able to recognize things in the Spirit. They no longer live in fear and darkness. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, they will now have power to conquer fear and evil.
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REFLECTION
• How can we have the peace even if we are surrounded by suffering and evil?