May 4, 2025
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“Unshaken by Fear: Finding Peace in the Presence of Jesus” (John 20:19-23)
John 20:19-23
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
The disciples are hiding in a locked room for fear of the Jewish leaders, and that fear is understandable. They saw how they beat and crucified Jesus and they knew they were likely to come after His followers next.
When Jesus shows up, He greets them by saying "Peace be with you." It was a traditional greeting, but it also was much more than that. The concept of "peace" finds its roots in the Old Testament Hebrew word "shalom," which indicated a state of wholeness.
Jesus said in John 14:27 that He gives us peace, but not as the world gives. Worldly peace is absence of conflict. The peace of Christ is about restoring relationships to their rightful place.
1) When Jesus walks in, fear walks out.
Fear often grows in the unknown. We often fear things that don't exist and most likely won't ever happen. Fear is a mental battle, and we must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Sometimes we create unnecessary fears, but other times the fears are legitimate, as in the case of the disciples fearing the Jewish leaders. Even if our fear has a legitimate cause, it doesn’t mean we should succumb to it.
When Jesus enters the room, the disciples fear dissipates because their focus shifts from themselves and what they are fearing to Christ. When we are afraid we need to be close to Jesus so our focus shifts from what scares us to Jesus' presence with us.
2) Christ's calling is greater than your fear.
Jesus doesn't waste any time sending them on mission. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since Jesus was raised from the dead and He’s already commissioning them to go.
If you are a Christ-follower, you have been commissioned to go as well. You’ve enlisted in His army, and anyone who joins the army knows there is no option for enlisting and then sitting on the sidelines. Once you join, you begin filling the role to which you’ve been assigned.
Jesus didn't let the disciples' fear keep Him from commissioning them.
3) The Holy Spirit fuels the mission God gives us.
As soon as Jesus tells them He is sending them, He breathes and them so they can receive the Holy Spirit. It's a precursor to the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost.
The disciples don't have to fulfill Christ's mission in their own strength. In fact, they can't fulfill Christ's mission in their own strength. We can't, either. We need the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
A Prayer to Trust in Jesus:
“God, thank you for loving me even though I’ve rebelled against You. I confess that I’m sinful. I’m so grateful that Jesus died on the cross to pay for all my sins. Right now I turn away from my sins and I turn to You. I’m putting my full trust in Jesus to rescue me from my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and washing me clean on the inside. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
