(Luke 24:36~48)

In today’s text, one person who had made the way of the great promise of the gospel and the hope of the gospel appeared. He was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ who had confidently and accurately worked his works with omnipotence and omniscience at the time and place he appointed. In this scene, resurrected Jesus Christ had been working in the situation which seemed most frustrating. Today, we are to appreciate what peace Jesus gave us, how Jesus gave us the peace, and why Jesus gave us the peace.

First, the peace is the one proclaimed by Jesus. For this peace, He visits us first and prevails on us to believe. In verse 36, ‘As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them’. Here, ‘these things’ means the fact that Jesus Christ showed himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and appeared to Simon. And in the same verse, Jesus told “Peace to you” He declared “The Peace” among the disciples who were filled with misgivings. This declaration is divine, which was exercised through His Resurrection and the forgiveness of sins. Unbelievers also occasionally taste a so called peace without believing Jesus too. They may feel kinds of peace through a training of the mind, and they taste a secret joy by a worthwhile cause and good deeds and so on. A catharsis from great books or excellent films. A kind of peace through mind control, getting some great enlightenment, attaining a highest enlightenment so-called ‘Nirvana’ as Buddhism insist and so on. These are all examples of the kinds of peace said by unbelievers.

However, here, the peace which Jesus declares for his disciples and is given to believers only through the conviction about forgiveness of sins and resurrection faith is totally different from those kinds of peace which unbelievers argue. This does not mean that believers’ peace is superior to unbelievers’ peace or the best one among all the feelings humans could feel, but means that the peace of true Christianity is completely different one. This is a spiritual peace by Holy Spirit, which comes through an awareness of forgiveness of sins and a confidence of resurrection and a new identity as a Christian. At last, a man has found the right place. An arrow hits a target. This is the peace of Christianity the Bible says.

In verse 37, ‘they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.’ The disciples were frightened at the appearance of Jesus and His ‘peace declaration’ that were happened in the midst of them. Because he showed himself to them without opening any doors or windows, they thought him a ghost. In verse 38, ‘he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”’. Jesus felt so sorry for their spiritual ignorance. The reason why Jesus felt sorry for them is that he already had taught everything written about himself in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms. Nevertheless, his persuading them began again with his unilateral, ardent love toward his disciples. This was because he wanted to instill a confidence of salvation in the disciples so that he started “the church movement” on the earth in earnest. All of these are caused by his love.

In verse 39~40, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have”. He began to teach them. He explained that he was not a ghost, but Jesus who rose from the dead with a real flesh and real bone, that is to say a real body. Then Jesus asked them to see and touch him. In the history of Christianity, even today, many so-called Christians argue and believe “a mental resurrection”. Their argument is that the resurrection of Christianity is not “a bodily resurrection”, but the idea that Christ’s teaching, love, and spirit of self-sacrifice toward humankind about two thousand years ago have remained in our mind and had an effect on our lives through the countless generations to current day. Now here in today’s text, Jesus is saying that ‘the resurrection of Christianity’ is not ‘the aesthetic and mental resurrection’ at all. In addition, he is saying that ‘the resurrection of Christianity’ is not ‘the significant symbol of Christianity’. ‘The resurrection of Christianity’ which the Bible instructs us is the resurrection which involves not only spiritual resurrection but also bodily resurrection. This concept of resurrection is not the result of theologians’ debates, but the testimony of the Bible. ‘The resurrection of the body’ (of course including spirit) is the very crucial Christian doctrine.

In verse 41~43, ‘while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate before them.’ Jesus even used a physical method to argue his resurrection. He asked for something to eat. And he ate a fillet of fish. He proved ‘the resurrection of the body’ conclusively. In verse 44~45, ‘Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures’ Jesus was doing the work that no other one but Jesus could have done. He was working the work so hard because of his love towards them. He finally opened their hearts and made them recognize the truth about him. Jesus rushes upon us with almightiness, the ardent love, the perfect scheme that doesn’t need any consultations or advices at all, and the irresistible grace. The same thing happened to the disciples. The very thing that has happened to us. The Lord who rose from the dead has appeared, in the midst our lives, to us who used to live with ‘a reason malfunctioned’ from the original sins and being in a muddle. The Lord shook us awake, and opened our eyes and ears, and restored our perceptual capabilities. And then He finally made us aware of the fact that we are His own chosen people, and He already acquitted us of our all sins including the original sins, and we have to live with new values and new identities on this road to the Kingdom of Heaven. This thing happened to the disciples then.

As stated above, the peace declared for Christians or the people who follow Jesus is not the one which we first try to seek, but the one which our Lord Jesus first visits us and gave us. It is divine declaration and a unique present only from God of Christianity. I long for you to experience this peace.

This peace is for the performance of our faith as Christians.

In verse 46~47, ‘and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” With the written records and prophecy on the Bible, Jesus explained his virgin birth, his sufferings, the Atonement, and the Resurrection to the disciples. These things actually happened in history. The Bible Jesus said then is Old Testament. Jesus told them that what should be proclaimed in His name to all nations is the repentance and forgiveness of sins or the Gospel. It indicates ‘the spreading of God’s word’ in the name of Jesus Christ all over the world. This repentance movement’s meaning is not only on just making men repent through indicating sins, but also on being perfectly prepared for the repenter’s future.

That is to say, the final purpose of the repentance is to make men live as a new existence by being set free from all sins and responsibility of sins. This characteristic of this movement is ‘the spreading all over the world’. So, Jesus had explained The Atonement and The Resurrection, a historical fact, based on the Bible and accomplished those entire things in person. And now based on the Bible and the historical facts like them, he gave an outline of the event which would happen in the future. Then the Lord gave mission to the disciples who were the beneficiaries of ‘the peace declaration’.

In verse 48, he said “You are witnesses of these things” This verse means that we must serve as witnesses to all these things that already happened and will happen in the history. This is our mission. One reason the Lord has declared the peace for us is because of this mission. Living with a bright expression on our face and having a good influence on our neighbors, overcoming the difficulties with the peace from believing Christianity, living with a higher sense of ethics owing to the peace. True, these things are valuable, but it is a pity if you satisfied with these kinds of things as Christians or consider these things the main value of living as Christians.

You and I are already standing in the midst of the dynamic of Christianity that is encompassing the past, the present, and the future. We are the people who are on the mission to be witnesses to these things which Christ has been achieving. And this mission of ours must be performed with a church as the center. So ‘the visible church’ including a church building and church organizations such as a church conference is very important as much as ‘the invisible church’ That is to say, the peace declared for us is meaningful only when ‘The Great Mission’ is performed by us properly. Therefore, we have to behave and think as the witnesses to these things. We must say these things in our own words at every chance. Whenever we must indicate our stance on such matters while living in this world, It must be centered this mission.

When planning and performing household matters or job matters, when making a lot of money or being pinched for money, when being in high places or at the bottom of the pile, when watching TV on the sofa or performing very important things in our lives, we have to perform all these things from the perspective of the mission, or the witness at all hours in any circumstance. This is the one reason why the peace has been given to us. I long for you to enjoy the peace of the performance of trusts.

Everyone, this peace is what someone else can’t give us at all as Jesus said. Let’s enjoy the peace, not forgetting the reason why Jesus gave us the peace and what kinds of peace Jesus gave us.