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THE BRINGER OF PEACE (LUKE 24:36-43)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “The bringer of peace” Peace or shalom is more than the mere absence of war or disturbance. Peace is experiencing the presence of God, the totality of well-being and the sense of security even in challenging or turbulent situations. Jesus the bringer of peace means Jesus represents the manifestation of God’s glory in our lives that assures us of wellbeing and a sense of security. We shall reflect on the fact that Jesus, the bringer of peace takes away our fear or anxiety and restores our faith and hope.

Beloved in the Lord, the peace that Jesus brings us overcomes our fear, and frustrations and rekindles our faith and hope amid the storms of life. After Jesus’ resurrection, we are told “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” (Luke 24:36-39). Dear friend in Christ, fear is caused by several factors or occurrences in our lives. In the case of the disciples, they were afraid they would be captured by the Jewish authorities and would also suffer the fate of their Master Jesus. In our case, many believers are often afflicted with fear and uncertainty because of poverty, sickness, unemployment, disappointment, failure, and retrogression in life. My prayer is that the peace of the Lord will take away your fear and ignite your faith with a hope of smile and joy, for Jesus assures us that “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27) It means that even in our troubles and tribulations, Jesus is with us, therefore, we shall experience His peace. It is for this reason that Paul assured the Philippian church when he wrote, “… the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Again, we remember when Jesus was in the boat with His disciples, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40) Dear friend in the Lord, to experience the peace of the Lord, all we need is faith. It was for this reason, that Jesus said to Thomas, “…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Let us have faith in Jesus regardless of the challenging moments of our lives. Faith means “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9) Yes, the Lord is always with us in both good and bad times and His peace shall continue to abide with us through faith. To guarantee His presence in our lives, He has given us the Holy Spirit to sustain our peace. “Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21-22) Apart from having faith in Jesus, we also need the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to remain faithful, resilient and courageous to overcome fear and experience the peace of the Lord. Peter who was hitherto filled with fear was now full of the Holy Spirit when He said “ God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. (Acts 2:32-33) Truly, we now have victory over fear and experience the peace of the Lord through faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In summary, we have discovered that Jesus, the bringer of peace, has taken away our fear and frustrations and rekindled our faith and hope. Shalom.

PRAYER

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ that surpasses all understanding and turbulent situations rest and abide with us always. Amen.