The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-15

IA III plSAtu uioNAP'N
W. had gathered to
talk over the won
derful events of that eventful Resur-
rection day. The empty tomb. the Wis
ion of angels and their story OF o risen
Lord. the appearance Of Jesus FIRST 10
Mary Masdalene. then TO the other
NJ then to Peter. and then to the
two disciples on their way TO Emmaus
all these strange things troubled
them. Within their hearts was a
strange mixture OF fear and hope. ol
guilty conscience and superstitious
dread. coupled with the terror OF the
Jewish rulers who had wrought such
bloody work IN the condemnation ana
CrucifXioa of Jesus. No wonder they
were ia Al ease and troubled in spirit.
One of them only a few hours before
had cursed and sworn and denied tEat
he knew Jesus. Two others had been
clamoring under the very shadow or
the cross as to which should have the
chief place in His kingdom. Three of
them had fallen asleep in the hour OF
His agony in the garden, when most
of all He needed their sympathy. Ana
all Of them had forsaken Him and
fed and left Him alone to endure the
indignities and fortunes of the trial
and The suffering and death on the
cross. And. with all this dark back
ground of memory. is it strange that,
as they gathered in that upper ROOF
after the surprising events of that day.
they should be fearful and troubled?
Realizing that their Lord was risen.
AID yet not understanding its form
and meaning. conscious that in the
darkest hours of Jesus need they had
proved faithless. is it TO be wondered
that as Luke tells us they were terri
fed and affrighted?" And 1t was to
such a group of disciples that Jesus
came and spoke His reassuring words
Of Peace"
A LMOST the last words which Jesus
n had spoken to His disciples on the
night before His crucifiXiOn had been
the sweet. reassuring message: Peace
| leave with you; My peace l give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give l
unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be fearful"
And now His first greeting to them is,
'i'eace be unto you" During those
terrible days when the power OF
darkness held sway, and like sheep
without a shepherd they had been scat
recalled Jesus words, Peace | leave
with you; my peace l give unto you,"
they must have wondered what He
could have meant. Surely they knew
no peace of heart or life. Instead of
peace were dread and awful fear and
crushing sorrow. But that Resurrec-
ton day was to bring its message and
lesson of peace. They were to begin
to know the full and blessed meaning
of Jesus words, Peace | leave with
you; My peace l give unto you" But
those disciples in that upper room at
Jerusalem were not the only les
who need to hear the message and
learn the meaning of those words,
Ever since that day there has been
need of the same message to Jesus dis
ciples and the same necessity of real
izing its significance. There are Chris
tan people everywhere to-day who are
troubled in spirit, who are utter stran-
gers to that peace which Jesus brings.
In the upper room with Jesus in the
midst they would be just as terrified
and affrighted" as were the disciples.
They need to hear Jesus say, Peace
be unto you," and they need to learn
what that peace means. Paul tells us
in Colossians, the first chapter and the
twentieth verse, that Jesus has made
peace through the blood of His cross"
And the realization of that peace
comes as the soul expands to the won
derful thought of the reality of the
resurrection. This is the first message
of the risen Lord. This is the lesson
of the resurrection.
UDEACE!" peace which passeth all
/ understanding" Peace which
makes the troubled sea a calm. Peace
which makes the soul Indifferent to en-
emies without; to trial, persecution,
hardship, danger. Peter who had cow
cred before a maiden and in fear de-
MED his Lord, learned what that peace
meant, and he could face Jewish mobs
and preach fearlessly; he could stand
boldly in the presence of the Jewish
rulers and charge them with the death
of Jesus. And so with all the other dis
ciples. AS the peace of the risen Lord
came to rule in their hearts they were
Indifferent alike to dangers, or trials,
or prosecutions. They always rode
above the storm, for they knew the
meaning and power of the resurrec-
ton, and that no peril, no difficulty,
no assault of the enemy could come to
them except it was the will OF their ris-
en- Lord and for His glory and the adj
yancement of His kingdom among
men. Peace! that wonderful peace
which comes from the conscious pres
ence of the living Lord. Surely, if
that message of peace marked the Res
direction day so long ago, it should
continue to be the message for all
time, for consider how He>who made
peace through The blood Of His cross"
and spake peace after His mighty vic
tory over death and the grave" is now
at the right heEa of the Father in Hea-
ven, and eveT liveth to make interces-
sion for the ss.!nts. Peace, the peace
which Jesus gives, is for you and me.
We cannot live VIGOROUSLY or joy
fully without it. Let us receive the
message of peace. Let us understand
its meaning.