Many people in this stressful world live their lives hiding in their own locked doors by listening to and focusing on the footsteps of their own problems, and that includes believers. Psychologists say that this is the “inner prison” of anxiety and fear. It is a dark place somewhere inside us, where even our own breath feels like an enemy. The worse part is many of them even don’t know they themselves are the victims of their own “inner prison”.
Today’s story from John’s Gospel tells us that ‘the disciples, too, were hiding in the upper room. Imagine, for a moment, the silence in that upper room. They had locked the doors because now fear had become their reality. Outside, the world felt dangerous. The authorities were searching for them frantically, and their leader, Jesus, had been taken. In their minds, it was over. Their time with Christ felt like a summer dream. Everything was over.
Then, something miraculous happens. John tells us the doors were locked, but suddenly, Jesus stood among them. He didn’t wait for them to get their act together. He didn’t wait for them to find enough courage to unlock the door. He didn’t even knock. He simply arrived.
We may not be hiding from Roman soldiers today, but many of us live behind “locked doors” the spaces that we created inside us. We lock ourselves behind the door of Anxiety. We hide behind the door of Uncertainty. We retreat into the secret room of Loneliness, thinking no one understands our pain.
Just like the disciples, when we focus only on the “soldiers” outside—the problems, the news, the bills—our world becomes very small and very dark. Fear is a thief; it steals the joy of being a child of God and replaces it with a heavy heart.
Friends, there is no door you can lock that is thick enough to keep Jesus out. You might feel like you’ve shut everyone out, or that your heart is too hardened by worry to let God in, but the Risen Christ walks right through your walls of fear. He meets you exactly where you are—in your mess, in your panic, and in your doubt.
And what were the first words out of Jesus’ mouth? He didn’t say, “Why did you leave me?” or “Where was your faith?” He said: “Peace be with you.”
In our modern lives, we often look for “peace” by trying to fix our problems. we think, “I’ll have peace when the kids graduate,” or “I’ll have peace when this problem is over.” “I’ll have peace when we pay off the mortgage.”
But Jesus gives a different kind of peace. He gives a peace that exists while the soldiers are still outside. He showed them His hands and His side. Why? To show them that His scars were real, but His life was more real. He was saying, “I have been through the worst this world can do, and I am standing here. I am alive, and because I am alive, you don’t have to be afraid of the ‘outside’ anymore.”
The Bible says that after they saw Jesus’ hands and side, “the disciples were overjoyed.” Notice the order: Firstly, focusing on the world, they were Terrified. Secondly, hearing Jesus’ words, they were Comforted. Lastly, seeing His victory, they were Overjoyed.
When we realize that the Resurrected Jesus is with us, our perspective flips. The “Outside things” didn’t seem so scary anymore. The “locked door” didn’t seem so necessary anymore. Even while our problems or pains are still there, we’re not terrified anymore. We are overjoyed by the peace that only comes from our resurrected Lord, our Jesus Christ.
When you doubt God’s love, look at the scars of Jesus. They are the proof that He has already paid for your peace. You see, the presence is greater than the problem. Real peace isn’t the absence of trouble, it is the presence of Christ.
President Kim Dae-jung served as the President of South Korea about 30 years ago. When he was young, he fought bravely against military dictatorships, enduring multiple imprisonments.
Even while serving in the National Assembly, he survived assassination attempts. However, he never gave up on his fight for democracy, which eventually led to him being elected as the 15th President of South Korea in 1997.
During his presidency, he laid the foundation for globalizing Korean culture. He believed in diplomacy through culture and provided immense support to film, music, and the arts, planting the seeds for what we now call “K-Culture.”
Though he was a Catholic, his faith deepened profoundly while he was in prison awaiting a death sentence. As he read the Gospels, he had a life-changing realization: he understood that the only reason the fearful, timid disciples could transform into courageous witnesses—risking their lives for the Gospel—was because of the Resurrection.
Through the Risen Christ, he experienced his own rebirth. Later in his political life, he confessed to friends that the Resurrection was the singular event that completely transformed his political vision. He dedicated his life to creating a world where everyone could live with dignity, establishing national health insurance and innovative welfare policies for the elderly and the underprivileged.
The disciples had been hiding behind the locked door in fear and confusion. However, everything changed for the disciples the moment they were reunited with the risen Jesus. Even “Doubting Thomas” lived a completely different life after he touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord. Today’s Gospel concludes with these words:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
Please believe this: every word in the Bible was written specifically for you. The central theme of the whole Gospels is not just that the disciples changed; the theme is that your life can be radically transformed through the Risen Jesus.
If you live your life, your workplaces, your personal life, your family life, and even your leisure life based on the reality of the Jesus’ Resurrection, your very existence becomes a ministry for the Kingdom of God. This is the ultimate goal of our temporary time on earth. Because Jesus lives, everything is possible, and everything is secured.
Are you struggling with relationships? Remember that the Risen Jesus is standing right there with you. Are you facing family hardships? Look at those problems through the lens of the Resurrection. Is life feeling heavy or aimless? Remember that the Risen Christ is your life, your reason, and your goal.
Here is the powerful truth: You don’t have to wait for the “war” to end to find peace. You don’t have to wait for your problems to disappear to be in peace. Sometimes, you must simply trust that God is in control and that He is good always.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t wait for the soldiers to leave the street before He acts. He steps right through the “wallpaper” of our anxiety and says, “Peace be with you.” Our joy does not from the presence of the Savior who stands between us and our fears. Our job, our simple job is, to choose His presence over our fears and worries.
This world is a journey, but Heaven is home. The Risen Jesus makes that home accessible to you and your loved ones. Don’t act or live like visitors of God’s Kingdom. You are a permanent citizen of His Kingdom through the resurrected Christ.
Whatever is “outside” your door today—uncertainty, grief, or stress—Jesus is “inside” with you already. Please remember. He is your ultimate security and your eternal “insurance policy.”
He lives, works, and walks with you every single day until you reach your home in heaven. Stick with the truth for the rest of your life. Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed.
Jesus still says today: “Peace be with you.” It’s not just a wish; it is His gift to you today. Take it. Use it. Live it. Again, peace be with you.
