It’s the Sunday evening following Good Friday. The disciples are a mix bag of thoughts and feelings. No doubt many of them feel shame after most of them ran away and abandoned Jesus the moment He was arrested. Surely Peter is filled with guilt having denied the Lord during His trial. Their consciences must be firing on all cylinders. Dread and maybe some paranoia seize them after they fled from their teacher and friend in His darkest hours. After they all scattered during those early Friday hours, many of the disciples must have stayed in hiding during the Sabbath Day.

Today, ten of the disciples are gathered together in one place behind closed doors. They fear the Jewish authorities who just might arrest and condemn them as followers of Jesus. Doom and despair have grabbed hold of these disciples, which can be felt in the words of the men who walked with an incognito Jesus toward Emmaus earlier this Sunday afternoon. They told Him, “We had hoped He was the one to redeem Israel.” Hopelessness sets in as they start to think and feel that it's all over with His death. They hoped He was the Messiah. They hoped He was the king of Israel. But now He’s dead and the disciples feel their hopes are dashed to pieces. They are as filled with doubt as a “doubting Thomas.”

They have heard the rumors throughout the day. The women who went to the tomb early in the morning reported an angel who said Jesus has risen from the dead. It seems like nonsense to the disciples. Then, several hours later the two men who headed down the Emmaus road reported that they saw Jesus.

The disciples are perplexed by these accounts and in discussion as they huddle around the room. Suddenly, a man appears in the middle of them. “The door is shut, so he didn’t come in that way,” says one. “Oh, no! Maybe an angel has come to strike us for running away,” declares another. “Maybe the ghost of Jesus has come to haunt us because we abandoned Him,” announces a third. “Now He wants His revenge on us! We’re doomed! God has visited us for our iniquity. Our sin has found us out,” yells a fourth. And so, the disciples panic with fear.

You can put yourselves right in the sandals of those disciples. Every time you sin, you run away from the Lord. Every time you ignore the Lord’s Word, you abandon Him. Every time you listen to the evil temptations of the devil, the world, and your own sinful heart you deny the Lord. Every doubt that creeps into your heart fills you with a sense of hopelessness. You become overwhelmed by guilt and shame. Maybe Jesus is going to haunt you in vengeance because of the times that you’ve turned away from Him in sin and doubt.

As the man stands in the middle of the group of quivering disciples, He speaks four words—four wonderful words: “Peace be with you.” The man hasn’t come in vengeance, but in peace. He offers reconciliation to these terrified, ashamed, guilt-ridden followers of Jesus. Then, having announced peace He shows His hands and side. “It’s Jesus!” “It’s the Lord!” “Rabbi, you really are alive!” I can imagine them calling out with joy as they see the Lord.

Again, Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” It is as if He says, “All is forgiven. I died and have arisen in victory to save you from sin, death, and hell. We are reconciled. Be at peace.” Peace isn’t just the absence of war, stress, or worries. Real, true peace means the war against God is over. We, who were seduced and enslaved to sin as child soldiers fighting a war against God, have been adopted by Him in love. We are no longer hostile to Him, and His wrath is not being stored up on us. We belong to Him, and He belongs to us. That’s peace—and that’s the kind of peace that can give you joy in all circumstances.

Jesus has been raised from the dead, and He’s not out to get us for our sins and doubts. That’s great news! Instead, He’s after us to forgive and renew us in His living, life-giving, precious blood shed in sacrifice. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

On the evening of His betrayal, Jesus said to the disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” The world rejoiced with exceeding joy to see Jesus suffer, while the disciples wept and lamented with many sorrows. But now that Jesus has revealed Himself and announced peace, it is all who believe in Jesus who rejoice with great joy, while the unbelieving world laments the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord extends His peace to you. He died upon the cross for your sins, atoning for your shame, cleansing your guilt. Your conscience can be and is at peace, because the Lord is at peace with you. He’s not out to get you. He’s not seeking to make your life miserable for all the crummy things you’ve done. He’s desiring to grace you with His mercy and grow your heart ever larger in faith and godly living.

Jesus spoke to His disciples and in speaking to them, He breathed the Holy Spirit into them. The Lord has forgiven His people and has gifted them His Holy Spirit to equip the Church for a task. The heavenly Father sent Jesus to save the world through His death and resurrection, and the Church is at such peace with the Lord, that Jesus sends her with the mission to witness to salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Beginning with the apostles, the Church will commence the task of calling men from among her to do two basic things: properly apply Law and Gospel to the lives of sinners. The Law is to be preached in all its full severity and sternness. We have sinned. We are sinners. Our sin and our sinfulness earns us an eternal trip to hell, but Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose in victory. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Therefore, those who repent of their sins receive the forgiveness of their sins that relieves the ashamed, guilt-ridden, doubting heart, and they have an eternal, heavenly inheritance—a free gift of God in Christ Jesus—awaiting them in God’s kingdom.

However, those who refuse to repent of their sins and those who reject Christ’s death and resurrection remain in their sins. They have not believed in the one who atones and cleanses of all sin. Therefore, their sin remains and they become a witness to their own eternal judgment.

Thanks and praise be to God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for planning and accomplishing salvation for all through faith in Christ—a glorious reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins that delivers such peace and joy—even in the midst of earthly sorrow.

May you also rejoice, brothers and sisters, as Jesus literally stands among you, not metaphorically, not symbolically, but actually stands among you by means of His Word and Sacraments to forgive, renew, and lead you. That’s what makes the thoroughly biblical Lutheran understanding of Christ’s presence so wonderful. He’s here among us in Word and Sacrament. We fellowship with each other and with our God. He desires to dwell with you—His people—and He does so whenever two or three or more are gathered around God’s Word and Sacraments in the name of our precious crucified and raised Lord, by which we receive the blessing of His salvation. Amen.