“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” ~ John 20:19-20

The Indian Prime Minister addressed the nation with a solemn face and a stern voice, a 21-day compulsory curfew, with extremely strict rules for everyone to stay indoors. The future and the welfare of the nation depends on this, he said, as this was the only way to curb the spread of this COVID-19 outbreak. As my ears received the news, my mind did some mental arithmetic, as my eyes glanced over at the wall calendar that hung near me. “Oh no! this is terrible!” I blurted aloud, “Does this mean that we would be behind closed doors for Easter?” This is the worst news I thought, but as I regained composure, I questioned myself on what was so bad about it? Was it the fact that we would not be able to attend church? or perhaps it was the thought of not being able to visit family and friends and enjoy a special meal. Suddenly my great appall seemed insignificant, as a verse from the Bible struck me, the verse that is quoted above. It occurred to me that the very first Easter was behind closed doors. The disciples had locked themselves in for fear of death, as have we, for fear of this deadly disease.

The passage above is something we are fairly familiar with, but I dare say we have hardly understood it. A motley crew of once-proud disciples hid behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus was dead they thought, but what was to become of them? Just that morning a group of unreliable women had brought them the most extraordinary news, Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb an angelic announcement – He has Risen. That was not all Mary Magdalene, who was not the most respected among them, claimed to have spoken and seen the risen Christ. What strange emotions should have filled their hearts, fear, and uncertainty coupled with incredulous anticipation and hope. Suddenly the most unexpected thing happens, a delirious joy shot through them as He stood in their midst – Jesus the once crucified Saviour was now alive.

The first words Jesus utters to them is ‘Peace be with you.’ The word for peace used here is Eirēnē which is the Greek equivalent of the well-known Hebrew word ‘Shalom.’ The kind of ‘Peace’ that Jesus proclaims to His disciples here, is wholeness and rest. He follows up this proclamation by showing His disciples the price he paid to bring them this wholesome peace- the nail marks in his hands and feet. Indeed, Jesus fulfilled the promise He made his followers in John 14:27, He said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

The disciples in Jesus’s time closed their doors for fear of death, but the open tomb of Christ gives us hope for liberation and peace.

This Easter is surely unlike any other before it, not because we have to stay behind closed doors, but because we now have the unique opportunity to experience like the early disciples, the power of the open tomb.