When the risen Jesus first appeared to His disciples, His opening words were: “Peace be with you.” This was no empty greeting.
After their failure, fear, and confusion, Jesus did not meet them with blame or rebuke. His first word from beyond the tomb was peace—peace grounded in His finished work, His shed blood, and His victory over death. This was entirely consistent with His life and ministry: the angels announced peace at His birth, He preached peace throughout His earthly ministry, and He promised His peace the night before He died.
Now, on the other side of the cross and empty tomb, Jesus commissions His disciples with that same peace. The gospel they will carry is a message of peace with God through His atoning blood, and peace among people through His Spirit’s transforming grace. Any ministry that advances through coercion or violence betrays the character of the Prince of Peace.
For Meditation
Jesus Christ—crucified, risen, and reigning—is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
He comes not to condemn trembling sinners, but to breathe His peace into their lives and send them out as peacemakers in His name.
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