Week of January 26

Following a most brutal miscarriage of human justice and a horrific crucifixion, the resurrected Jesus Christ appears before His disciples and spreads peace. His disciples, formerly war-filled in the Garden of Gethsemane, are presently worshipful at His appearing—and in the years to follow. No counteroffensive is planned and implemented; instead; they become intent on spreading the peace of Christ and His Good News. 

How then have so many believers today become engrossed in war-games and not witness? Violence seems to surround us at every turn. It appears in the form of hateful rhetoric, mass killings, and terrorism here at home and abroad. Sadly, many believers today have become engulfed by the darkness of this age. They enter houses of worship on the Lord’s Day bruised and battered by the events of the previous week, and then leave in turmoil without having been touched in any meaningful way by the peace of Christ. Let’s examine the passage for an answer to this probing question.

Note well that these events took place on the first day of the week, the day that would become known as the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). This day would be forever marked as a day for worship and remembrance. It foreshadowed the coming day of the Lord, one that the prophets had predicted (cf. Isaiah 2:11-19; 11:11; 12:1, 6; Jeremiah 31:6, 27-34; Ezekiel 34:11-12; Joel 2:1-2, 11, 31; Amos 5:18-20; NAC, Borchert, John 12-21). It was evening time, but God’s glory was about to burst forth into a dawning of new understanding.

Like many contemporary Christ-followers, those first disciples’ hearts had been gripped with darkness, but rejoicing would soon flood that room and their lives with the light of the present Christ. I believe our contemporary worship services lack two key ingredients that were present that evening in Jerusalem. First, we lack believers who are expecting the coming Day of the Lord. Secondly, worshipers do not long for an encounter with the risen Christ.

Enter the correct battle. We will never know whether the disciples, upon seeing Him, began to think that a messianic revolt might once again be in the works. Why? Jesus’ first words are about “peace.” He, Himself, had just won the decisive battle with evil and suffering, and He declares that the door leading to the fullness of God’s blessing is now thrown open wide (cf. Acts 10:36). These followers of His will soon know this fullness in superabundance and will be commissioned to advance with this message of peace to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-3). 

Experience the great reversal. A great reversal takes place in this moment. In the Old Testament, a Divine appearance (theophany) engendered fear and was followed by the calming word of “peace.” A commission would follow. Here, in this context, the disciples were already afraid! They needed to hear the Lord say, “Shalom!” (NAC). The resurrected Savior has arrived not to bring judgment, which often was a part of a divine appearance, but to announce God’s salvation. Sadly, we all too often give the world a mixed message about Christ’s appearing with our messages of judgment. There is no time for war-making when all our time is spent peace-spreading (cf. Matthew 5:9). The disciples would spend the balance of their earthly lives sharing the word about the dawning of the Messianic kingdom.

I viewed on a recent evening the last few minutes of Baylor University men’s basketball game. The game came down to a last play, and my alma mater suffered a defeat. The roaring crowd fell silent. It was as though someone had jabbed their jubilance balloon, and all the expectation of an exciting win leaked from the arena. I paused in my mind for a brief moment and reflected on one or two things our team lacked that led to the defeat. And then, in a moment, I said, “Change the channel.”

Here is a spiritual thought. Do you leave worship and Bible study on Sunday and subconsciously “change the channel”? I know of many churches and believers that appear to be “running out the clock” until the return of Christ. They have been commissioned to carry Christ’s peace to the world (Matthew 5:16), yet they gather on the Lord’s Day and behave, inexplicably, like He still lies in a tomb. Peace-spreading is a simple method to disperse the darkness that hangs over our worship and world. Christ has said to our hearts, “Peace be with you.” Let’s respond by truly sharing the peace.

1. Consider the countless numbers of meetings and dollars spent to “analyze” what ails churches, when the lack of peace is painfully obvious. Invite Christ to bring His peace—both the calming of your fears and the commission to spread the Good News—into your midst on each Lord’s Day. 

2. The world often sees no reason to step into our churches because they are war-torn and filled with darkness like the world outside. Reverse the pattern. Cease making war, invite Christ’s peace to flood your soul, then take it into the world.  

3. For Families: When Jesus gives his benediction of Peace, His disciples were changed, as this devotional explains. It was an old and precious phrase used throughout the scriptures, and it is still used by Christians in churches every Sunday across the world.

Believers “exchange peace” with each other. They say, “May Christ’s Peace be with you.” And the response is, “And with you.” In many cultures, the phrase “Peace be with you” is also used in the home and with guests and neighbors to show respect, hospitality, and hope.

Share its salvation message with your children, and make the exchanging of peace a part of your daily family life, too. Encourage your family members to memorize this verse:


Invite them to make it a heart-prayer as they say it to each other. It can be made even more memorable by asking your children to speak this verse aloud in every room and to use chalk to write the word “peace” on doorposts, sidewalks, and porch floors. May your family dwell and flourish in the peace of Christ.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock