The place must have been a little chaotic. People were rushing in and out, sharing incredible stories, and yet, everyone was also afraid. That was the situation in the house in Jerusalem where the followers of Jesus had gathered after the crucifixion. The stories they heard were borderline hysteria and the disciples had trouble believing all they heard. First, it was the women with their tales of seeing Jesus alive. Then, Peter and the Beloved Disciple went to see for themselves, but came back not understanding what they had seen. Cleopas and his companion arrived later in the afternoon with the story that Jesus had walked with them on the road home to Emmaus, though they did not recognize Him until He broke bread with them. With all of this chaos, who could possibly make sense of the events of the day?
Into the midst of this, Jesus appears and said, “Peace.” If anyone needed a little peace in their lives, it was the gathered disciples. Of course they were startled and terrified. The last thing any one of them expected was Jesus. Weren’t the doors locked and the windows secured? How could anyone just appear among them? No wonder they thought they were seeing a ghost. No person could just show up in the locked room.
