Shalom!
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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‘Peace be with you!’ After [Jesus] said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (John 20:19b,20).
Read John 20:19–31
Try to imagine the scene: The disciples of Jesus had followed him for three years, witnessing some very powerful events in his life. Like the rest of the Jewish population, the disciples would have had expectations that the Messiah would become a great leader.
Jesus’ frequent talk about his coming death would have been very confusing for them, and they definitely didn’t expect him to throw in the towel and let himself be crucified.
Three days later, all sorts of confusing stories are going around. Peter and John had visited the tomb and found it empty. Mary Magdalene claimed to have met a very alive Jesus. They were still scared that the Jewish authorities would be after them next, and so had securely locked all the doors. On top of all that, they would have had concerns about their future. All their securities had been destroyed. There was definitely a massive amount of turmoil going on inside them.
Then, suddenly, Jesus is standing right there among them (no locked doors could keep him out). His first action is to speak his shalom over them. We translate the Hebrew word shalom as ‘peace’, but it has a much deeper meaning than our word ‘peace’. Although regularly used as a greeting among Jews, equivalent words are used widely in the Middle East (‘salaam’ in Arabic). Jesus’ greeting implies a blessing for an inward sense of completeness or wholeness.
But Jesus didn’t just wish them peace; he also let the disciples see and touch him. This would have had even more impact on the disciples in bestowing shalom on them than just his words.
You might notice that Jesus didn’t send a message to the disciples to say he was alive, and wish them his shalom – he personally went to give his message and his shalom to the disciples. I take this as a big hint to myself (from the Holy Spirit) to be more ready to spend time with those who may be struggling with life’s issues.
Another message I take from Jesus’ actions in this passage is that when my life is in turmoil, I need to come to Jesus and spend time with him for him to bring his shalom into my turmoil.
Dear big brother Jesus, thank you for breaking down all the barriers that separated me from you. Thank you for always being with us (through your Holy Spirit living in us) so that we can know the deep peace and wholeness in your shalom to us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in retirement in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. They have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. He keeps himself busy looking after their pot plants and the community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
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