In this scene, the disciples are at rock bottom. Their saviour had been killed on the cross, their association with him had made them potential targets of the religious leaders, and they were huddled together behind a locked door.
One striking aspect of this passage is that, in the verse immediately
before it, Mary Magdalene had already encountered the risen Lord and announced the news to the disciples. They had already heard about the resurrection. So what was preventing them from rejoicing?
On deeper reflection, perhaps their reaction is not so surprising. Fear is a profoundly human experience. Anxiety can take hold of us at levels deeper than we realise. Like the disciples, we may know the truths of our
faith intellectually, yet still struggle to let them penetrate our hearts.
The disciples needed more than the report of the resurrection. They needed an encounter with the risen Christ himself. And when Jesus comes among them, his first gift is peace.
The same is true for us. When we bring our fears before Christ and entrust our burdens
to him, we open ourselves to a peace that does not depend on circumstances, but on his presence.
A challenging question for the week after Pentecost might be:
What fears or anxieties am I still holding onto without bringing them to Christ?
Where in my life do I most need the gift of his peace?
