“PEACE BE UNTO YOU.”

NO. 3456

PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, APRIL 29TH, 1915.

DELIVERED BY C H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERMACLE, NEWINGTON.

ON LORDS-DAY EVENING, OCTOBER 2ND, 1878.

“And as they thus spoke . . . Peace be unto you.” — Luke 24:36.

WE like to know how a person used to act, for we think we own infer from that how be will act. That is not always correct, however, for men change. But in our Savior’s case, if we study his life, we may very well infer from what he did, what he will do, because he never changes. And this is a comfortable reflection for us at this time, that in the days of his flesh, while he was yet on earth, he loved the company of his people. If he changes not, then he loves the company of this people still. He did reveal himself, then, to one. He will still speak comfortable words to his people when they are alone. One by one will he reveal himself to them. He did speak graciously to two. Where Christians converse on holy things, they may still expect that Jesus will himself draw near. But more frequently he lingered longest and revealed himself most in the assembly of his people. Where the eleven were met, where many were gathered together, there the Savior came, not once, but twice and often. Learn, then, that we may expect him here to-night. Peter, and James, and John are representatively here. Here, too, we have some of the goodly women — the Marys and Marthas are here; they are waiting for him; their hearts are longing for him. He is the same now as ever. Brethren, we may expect him. He will come to his old haunts. He will come and deal with his people as he did aforetime. Twice, at least, we have it on record that our Savior came to his disciples when they were met on the first day of the week: from which I gather another comfortable thought, that as this is the first day of the week we may for another reason expect him to be here, to put honor on what now is the Lord’s Day. He, at least twice, for so it is on record, came to his disciples, and, standing in their midst, said, “Peace be unto you.” On this first day of the week, this Lord’s Day, at eventide I trust — I hope, nay, I expect, that you will feel him here, and I pray that to each one of his people that soft word may come with power divine, “Peace be unto you.”

Without preface further than these words, let us draw your attention first, to what he said; secondly, when he appeared to say it; and thirdly, of what came of his appearance at the saying of it.

I. Our Lord’s Gracious Speech.

What did he say? He said, “Peace be unto you” — four words, each full of meaning. May I not view those words in four lights? Was it not first a salvation, a salutation and benediction? Thus he introduced himself, “Peace be unto you.” It was his good wish; more, it was his fervent prayer. He breathed peace upon them expressive of his goodwill, his love, his intense desire for their highest good. Peace is the highest gift he can impart. Saith the apostle, “Grace, mercy, and peace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ.” He had given them grace and mercy; he now gives them the highest benediction, peace. Did he not mean more than that? In a second light it was a benediction. “Peace be unto you.” He had been into the invisible world, and he had returned from it, and he tells them that there was peace reserved for them. He had passed the veil with his own blood; he had offered up his sacrifice; he triad said, “It is finished.” He had received the token that it was finished by his being raised from the dead. And now he comes to them with the marks of his crucifixion still upon him, and he tells them there is peace — it is done — “The war is over, the conflict is concluded; my bloody sacrifice and glorious resurrection have made peace between you and God.” “Peace be unto you.” It is the declaration of what he had seen and heard of the Father an the result of his death. at benediction and a declaration.

Was it not also a fiat? By a fiat I mean that kind of word which God spoke to the darkness when he said, “Light be,” and light was. Here they were in trouble, and Jesus said, “ Peace be,” and ere long peace was. It is always with Jesus to speak the word of power, for he is himself the Word of power. He is God’s Word — the word that built the heavens, the word that establishes the pillars of the universe, and when he speaketh thus, it is not a mere wish, it is not a mere prayer, it is not a mere declaration, even, of a fact. It is the fulfillment of wish and prayer, and the application of the fact. “Peace be to you.” Ere long they did receive the peace which he thus authoritatively gave them.

But may I not view it in another light, namely, as an absolution? Think a minute, and you will see it is so. These were they who had forsaken him; there was one who had denied him. Out of them all, there was no faithful spirit there at all, proved to be faithful in the hour of danger. Like cowards, one had one for himself, and discarded his Lord; they had slept while he agonised; they had retreated while he advanced; they had left every man their Master to seek each man his own. And now what saith he to them? Stand they as culprits? Is he about to accuse them? Stand they as deserters? Is he as a captain, about to condemn them? Nay, that one word seems to say, “It is forgotten; it is forgiven.” My only word to you is peace, peace, peace; I know your weaknesses; I know your deep regret. I know how you lament that you served me thus — regret no more; at least, be not depressed with such regrets, for lo! my only return to you is this, I give you my “Salem,” my salutation — my word of goodwill, my sweet word of love. I have not revoked my legacy, though I might well have destroyed my last will and testament. I said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you.” I confirm that will now, risen from the dead. You shall see I have not out you off from my affectionate regard. I, risen from the dead, declare what I declared when your love was warm, and your resolution was rather to die with me than to desert me. I give you the same as I gave you then, “Peace be unto you.”

Now I think there are some sweat things rolled up in those brief thoughts which I have given you. The text itself has richness in it. Now, my brethren, the second thing, and briefly, is: —

II. When Did Jesus Stand To The Midst Of His Disciples, and say thus,

“Peace be unto you”? When? Perhaps in considering the time, we may get some comfort, and be led to hope that he will say the same tonight. Well, when did he come? Well, first, he came when they were quite unworthy of his coming. We have already told you how they had served him. Cowardly, they had deserted him. But though there was no one there that could have even thought, much less said, “I deserve the Master’s company,” yet he came. Oh! I think we are, many of us, in the same plight. Looking back upon the past, we cannot feel that we deserve any love visits from the Savior. We dare not put up a plea on that ground. We are very unworthy — we are very unworthy — but that is no reason why he should not come. They cur were unworthy, but he stood in their midst and said, “Peace.”

Now note, next, that they were very unprepared. They were not looking for him; they had not come together that night with the expectation; I am sure they had not, for when he did come they were afraid, and thought they saw a spirit. They were least of all expecting him to come. Well, and my sister, you came in here unprepared; do not excuse yourself, but yet do not despair about seeing your Lord. Brother, you came here perturbed, troubled. Your soul is not like the lake when it is still, which, like a molten looking-glass, reflects the stars above. But Jesus Christ can come and mirror himself in your heart, first smoothing it with the word! of peace. Yes, yes; it is wrong to be unprepared for Christ’s manifestation, but it is a thousand blessings that our unpreparedness does not keep him away. I may expect to see him, though unfit and unworthy. Come Savior, come, I beseech thee; pass me not by. I might have feared thou wouldest if I had not seen that, in the case of the eleven, their unpreparedness did not bar the door. Oh! let not mine unpreparedness keep thee away.

Note, further, that our Lord came to them when they greatly needed him. They had got into a disorganised, demoralised state as a band; and they were, every one of them, ready almost to give up their faith. The third day had passed, and they had not yet believed in his resurrection, though it had been witnessed to them. They were foolish, and slow of heart, and I do not know what they might have done next day, far he that is slow of heart and unbelieving to-day may go to something worse, if worse may be, to-morrow. But they needed him — they needed him, and there he was in the midst of them. Courage, then, my brother; you need him; you may expect him. Sister, you want him — oh! how much! How much do I want him! How would a visit from his love kill many of my sins, and quicken all my graces! The physician comes not only when he is sent for, but when he knows he is wanted. The Good Physician does so especially. It is not so much our sense of want as our want itself, that often brings him. We frequently do not know our want until he comes, and we see our want in contrast with the supply. Well, then, unworthy and unprepared, yet needing him, we may expect him. He will came if we cry out for him. In our very midst will he stand to-night, and himself reveal himself.

Moreover, it was a time when they were exercising what spiritual light they had — let that be recollected. They were in a low state, but they had met together, they had loved together, they were showing that, like a flock of frightened sheep, they were running together, hardly knowing what else to do. They did at last get near one another. There is something that Christ loves in that. That was good; there was something hopeful there. Well, we, at least, have got together in the same way. I know you said “Well, I don’t know that I can do much in praising Christ, but I will go where his people are; perhaps, if I cannot praise, I shall get a blessing, for all that.” I know you often do so on the Sabbath. You say on the Saturday, “I am glad it is the last day of the week, that I may go where my brethren are, and while I come to get a blessing. I feel when I come especially to prayer-meetings:”

“There my best friends, my kinsmen, dwell;
There God, my Savior, reigns.”

Well, the Lord Jesus loves to come where ore love to be in his name. That helps to bring him. So I have another good hope, that as we have come together, come together with no other end but that of stirring up what life we have, and of pouring out before what grace he has given, together, and of seeking more, that we may expect to see him.

More than that: on that occasion when he came, there were some of them who were testifying of what they knew. Two of them were telling how they saw him in the breaking of bread at Emmaus, and while the two spoke, Jesus come. Now here stands one witness who can bear testimony that there is a living Savior, and a real one, and that his love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, and as you hear that testimony, and many of you are recording in your souls your “Amen” to it, I hope he will stand in our midst, and again say in spiritual language, “Peace be unto you.”

Once more, though, I say they were in a low state, they were all lamenting their Master’s absence, I do not think, of all that company, there was one but what had a heavy heart and was sad, because Jesus was not there. If you had turned to Peter and said, “Peter, would you like to see him?” he would have said, “Oh! for another look on those dear eyes, oven though it broke my heart again.” And John would have said, “Oh! for another leaning of my head upon that bosom, if I might be permitted such a favor. And everyone, by dear remembrances of the past, would have said, “Alas! we have lost everything in losing him: take away the sun out of the skies, rather than take Christ out of the circle of our fellowship.” Now, dear friends, have you, you lovers of the Savior, have you missed him, and are you now saying, “Oh! that I knew where I might find him”? Well, our mingled notes shall reach him, and he will come and; stand to-night in bye midst of us, and we, again, shall rejoicingly honor and worship while the King sits at his table with his people.

But time flies, and, therefore, I give you but the bare outline of he rest of my sermon.

III. What Came Of It?

What came of his appearance, and of his peace speaking, If you will look at the chapter when you are at home, you will see that, first of all, when Jesus came he banished all their doubts — he said to them, “Why are ye troubled; why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” Now, if he comes here to-night, in the midst at this assembly, that is just what he will do to you troubled ones. He will say, “Why are ye troubled?” You, perhaps, might answer, “Perhaps there is cause enough for it,” but he will reply to it, “All things work together for your good.” “When thou passest through the river, I will be with thee; the floods shall not overflow thee.” “Cast your care upon me.” “Why are ye troubled?”; and he would then ask you the very question, “Why do thee thoughts arise in your hearts? “You would have, perhaps, guiltily to confess what those thoughts were. You thought he was too hard; you thought he had forgotten you; you thought he was not true, after all; that he did not love you; you thought he would fail you. I will not tell you all your thoughts, tint they have been naughty thoughts, and if he is here to-night the blush will mantle on your cheek, while you will say, “I will never have such thoughts again, but I will henceforth say, ’Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.’” There is no cure for evil thoughts like this, the vanished Savior manifest to the eyes of faith.

Then our Lord next proceeded to reveal himself. Being present — which he might have been, you know, and yet they might not have known him — he now went to reveal himself and make them see him. This is what he did. “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have.” Then he proves his kinship with earth, his real manhood; for he took a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb, and did eat before them all. Now even so will he do tonight. If he were here to-night, it were no use to you if these scales were upon your eyes; but he will take them off. Those harder scales on an earth-bound heart, he will take them off. Oh! I have wondered, my brethren, I bear witness I have wondered sometimes, when the Lord has taken away the stone out of my heart, to feel my own sudden tenderness; I have even sat at that table sometimes, and dealt out the bread and wine to you, and longed to be but a dog beneath the table, to eat but a crumb that fell from it, and on a sudden I have felt his nearness and rejoiced with joy unspeakable. And oftentimes in preaching, when my spirit has felt like a frozen brook, his grace has thawed my heart. Is not this what the Spouse meant when she said, “Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib”? Now it is the presence of Christ that quickens us. Let the prayer be put by each one, “Quicken thou me, O Lord, according to thy word. Thyself, the Word, draw near to me, and I shall be quick to perceive thee, to embrace thee, to rejoice in thee this night.”

Then the next act of our Savior was to proceed to inform their understanding. You observe he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. Nearness to Christ is an education. Get near to Jesus, and you will find that the Corpus Christi is the true college. He that knows the body of Christ has got the body of theology, the body of divinity — the true theologue to the Word of God. He that knows him has understanding. With all thy gettings, get understanding. And from him thou shall get it, for he is wisdom. And is he not the truth! and is he not the incarnate wisdom? With him God took counsel before ever the earth was. There is no studying the Scriptures that becomes so useful as when we study them with Christ to turn over the leaves for us.

Then the next thing was he refreshed their memories. Perhaps I ought to have mentioned this before, because it occurs first. He said to them, “These are the words I spake to you.” To-night, perhaps, if Jesus is here, you will remember these other times when you have seen him.

“His former visits we recount,
When with him in the holy mount.”

Yes, you will say as Jesus is here, “I do remember thee, and the love of thine espousals: I do remember other sweet seasons when I was with his people, and my heart glowed at his love.” You will look back, some of you grey-headed brethren in Christ; you will look back, perhaps, fifty years, and remember when Jesus first looked in at your soul: dear memories! perish all else but the relics of Christ, the traditions of his presence in my spirit — these will I hand down from year to year, and record them evermore. Nothing like this to set the memory right, the immediate, actual presence of Christ, even at this moment.

And then, beloved, in addition to all this, the Savior’s thus appearing showed them their true position, for he told them that they were his witness of these things. When they saw him they felt they were something more than mere lookers on, they were to be tellers and testifiers to others. I hope we shall feel this to-night, that we shall go out from our seats and from the communion table, saying, “I have seen the Lord, and I will be a witness in my own family — I will be his witness in the court, or the street, or the city where I dwell. I have seen him, and shall I close my mouth concerning him? No! his presence has opened my mouth, that I may show forth his praise. I will go in the strength of the Lord,. making mention of his righteousness, even of his only.”

And last of all, that blessed presence created intense joy, though there was a wonderment about the joy that mingled it with unbelief, and we read, “While they yet believed not for joy.” They were very, very glad; if you had seen them go into that house, and seen them come out, you would not have known they were the same men. Yet they were no richer, no healthier, no more favored, but they had seen the Lord, and they were glad. It is especially recorded by John, “Then were the disciples glad when they had seen the Lord.” Oh! there will be singing here; there will be music in your hearts; you will trip home with merry foot, if Jesus Christ do come. Come, then, dear Master; thou hast bled for us; thou host loved us with an everlasting love; ’tis but a little thing comparatively that we ask; thy relationship to us binds thee to grant it; thou will not be strange to shine own flesh; thou will not hide thyself from those who are members of thy body, of thy flesh, and of thy bones. Thy delights were with the sons of men, and thou hast not changed. Oh! if ever thou didst reveal thyself, reveal thyself to us to-night. Melt us down under the glory of thy presence; dissolve us with the superlative majesty of thy love, and we will worship and bless thee for ever and ever.

Now I have said nothing to those of you who know him not; but I will say these words and have done. His worth: —

“His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure all the world would love him too.”

God bless you. Amen.