These verses present the risen Jesus appearing to ten of His disciples on resurrection night. The disciples were together, but they were in fear. Their Jesus had died, but now some said, He is alive!

Suddenly, into the midst of their anxiety and fears, the Lord Himself appeared. He was there! And with what tenderness He greeted them: “Peace be unto you.” In one sense this was a standard greeting. And yet, coming as it did from the lips of Jesus, and in view of all that had happened in the last few days, it was no ordinary greeting. Instead, it was loaded with divine love and gospel truth. “Peace be unto you.” Jesus repeated it to reinforce the blessing of peace He had secured for them and for all His people. And what a peace! This peace was and is nothing less than peace with the great Creator God­ peace with the God we have offended by our sin, whose wrath we so justly deserve. The Lord Jesus bought peace for His people by the sacrifice of His blood, and now He came to proclaim that peace to the souls of His anxious disciples. Could there be any greater way for the Lord Jesus to greet them? And what a gospel for us sinful people! What a gospel for a restless, peaceless world! Jesus says, “Peace to you.”

But that’s not all He said. John tells us about the commission Jesus gave His disciples and, ultimately, to His church. He gave not only the commission but the power to carry out that commission as well. On this night they get the short version. Jesus will develop it later, especially when He goes to glory. The full equipping would not happen until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Even now, however, the Lord Jesus was eager to implement the plan. He would prepare His disciples. His death and resurrection had opened the way; the gospel must go forth to the ends of the earth. The disciples will have authority to proclaim remission to everyone who believes in Jesus, and they will be obligated to declare to all unbelievers that they are still in their sins.

When you think of it, what a staggering task! How could they do it? Who is sufficient? But Jesus anticipated those questions with His gift of the Spirit. John tells us that Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” This was a foretaste of Pentecost, an anticipation of the rich blessing and power to come.

What an experience for the disciples, and what a challenge to us! Have we heard the peace of the gospel? And have we come to embrace it through submission to the Lord Jesus and trust in Him? Shouldn’t that be our practice every day? And what about the calling to mission? If we know the peace of Christ for ourselves, are we not called with the church of Christ to proclaim that peace to sinners near and far? And do we aim to do that in total dependence on the Holy Spirit?

The key to all of this is conscious and con­tinuing communion with the Lord Jesus. In that connection, we can learn much from Thomas, specifically from his absence. Thomas missed out on this appearance of Jesus. For whatever reason – we are not told, but it seems to be related to his grief and his unbelief – Thomas was not with the others on resurrection night. He missed out on the comfort Christ brought with His message of peace. He missed out on the word of commission as well as the gift and promise of divine help and blessing. Thomas missed out because he stayed away. Of course, he did not expect the risen Jesus to appear; none of the disciples did. And yet He came! And He still comes, even to us. He comes to us clothed in His Word and by His Spirit. Let us eagerly and diligently look for Him. Let us go to pub­lic worship. Let us be into our Bibles at home and with others. Let us not stay away from the Scriptures, for, with God’s blessing, we shall be comforted and directed.