Sent

John 20:21 says, "So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.'"

This verse seems like one of those that is fairly short but can be dissected down deeply and would produce much more meat than might be initially expected. Here is my take on it. Feel free to add or argue with my views. When iron sharpens iron, there is friction, but the end result is a keen edge. I definitely don't mind alternate viewpoints being expressed to challenge my view and cause me to see things in a different light. So, feel free to disagree with any opinions I put out there (I just thought I would throw a little disclaimer in here). 

The first thing that gets my attention in this verse is that Jesus is bidding peace to be with them "again." Clearly, this isn't the first time He has told them to remain calm, don't be scared, and trust in Him. How often, I have to ask myself, does God teach me the same thing over and over again. Surely if He wasn't a perfect God then He would want to yell at us, "Don't you get it yet?! It's not rocket science! How many times do I have to tell you?" Fortunately for me, God has a lot of patience, mercy, and forgiveness. So He tells me again and again in His still, small voice, "Trust me." 

Why does Jesus say "Peace be with you"? In the context of the verse I believe it's because He probably scared the disciples a little bit when He suddenly appeared before them. It reminds me of what the Angel of The Lord usually says to people when he appears to them. Seeing an angel pop up right before your eyes is probably pretty startling, and I think it was the same way for the disciples in this instance when Jesus showed up again. But in the broader sense, God is always telling us to have peace in our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus because we have assurance that our lives are not our own, that He takes care of our every need, and that He knows the future and what is in store down the road. There is nothing that should make us fearful, cause us to question God, or make us worry about the future. He truly does have the whole world in His hands. His peace is with is.

"As the Father has sent me..." How did the Father send Him? It wasn't as a rich ruler or power-mongering leader. Jesus came down humbly as a little helpless baby. But, He was also sent purposefully. God sent Jesus to earth with a mission to accomplish - a mission that no one else could complete or fulfill. I believe God also has specific purposes and missions that He wants us to complete. He gave us life for a reason. "As the Father has sent me...I also send you" means that we are sent out to the world helplessly, relying completely on God and His power to be able to survive, let alone accomplish anything useful to His kingdom. Yet, we are sent with all of the power, ability, fortitude, resources, and knowledge that we need, if we just go to our provider for them. 

I am being sent. All of us who belong to Christ are sent to the world in some capacity. Jesus says so! I can have peace about going to Africa for a lot of different reasons. God is in control of my life, and He is absolutely trustworthy. Since He told me to go and He is the one who gives me all of the strength I need, then it is clear that it is all going to be okay. He has given me peace. We can all have peace in The Lord!