Steven A. Bush - January 20, 2013
Shalom
During the Last Supper, while one disciple was betraying Him, one was about to deny Him, and all were about to desert Him, Jesus spoke a word of peace to these beloved followers. Peace (Shalom in Hebrew and Eirene in Greek) is a far more weighty and potent term than what we mean in English. When Jesus promises Shalom and when He greets His disciples after the resurrection with the phrase, "Peace be with you," more than speaking mere gracious sentiments, He is pronouncing a change of status between us and God, a substantive peace that has been wrought for us by His sacrifice on the cross. To the degree that our minds and hearts can contemplate the awesomeness of our new Shalom status, the better we can embrace the sweetness of His Shalom assurance, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves going through. Locking arms with God's love and joy, peace is a priceless gift which comes to us through Christ alone.