I have been pondering the impact of the risen Christ's appearance to the disciples squirreled away up in that locked room. The fear in the room prior to Jesus' appearance would surely have been palpable. I can almost see the disciples pacing up and down the length of the room, wringing their hands and wondering what would happen to them. Their skin was sweaty and damp in the stale air of the closed room. They could feel the pressure building in their necks and aching heads.
Would the authorities come and get them, just as they had come to get Jesus? Would there be a knock at the door? Would the door be broken down? Who knew they were there? Who might be betray them? What would happen to their wives and children? Who would keep the fishing businesses and tax collecting businesses going?
And then Jesus appears. Could they hear him come? Was there a whoosh, or was his appearance totally silent? What would his words "Peace Be With You" mean in the stale air of that room, among men who were sweaty with fear? Would the fear start to leak out of the room as Jesus' peace flowed in?
When he breathed on them, did it cool their clammy skin? Did their blood pressure drop? Did the tightness in their foreheads and scalps release?
Their friend, their teacher, was again with them. Did it mean that everything was going to be alright? Would things pick up where they left off? They couldn't know the answers to any of these things. But they could feel the breath of their living, risen friend blowing over them. At least for now, they could stop being afraid.
What does the breath of the living, risen Christ blowing over you and your community mean? What power does this give you? How does it change things in your life?
May the peace of the risen Christ be with you, and may his breath chase away your fears. Amen. Alleluia!
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