Truly our Lord Jesus Christ is full of grace. After his resurrection He comes where His disciples were assembled, and He says to them, "Peace be unto you." What a gracious salutation indeed!
All of these men had done Him great dishonor. Peter had denied Him, and the others had:forsaken Him. Did He demand an explanation of their conduct? Does He say, "Shame on you! I will have no more to do with you who treat me in such a way?" Not only does He not upbraid them, but He says, "Peace be unto you."
Is that the way we greet someone who has offended us? Oh, no, it's war not peace! Swelled up like an old toad frog, we begin to plan how we can retaliate for the injuries done to a person as good as we. The lesson is this: That which Christ has done to you, you must do to others (Eph. 4:32). Instead, we punish them by not speaking, or having no fellowship with them.
Think of all your miserable failures, all your sins of omission and commission, all your bitter controversies and divisions. Now think at how HE will greet you when you see Him face to face. He won't say, "Shame! Shame!" but instead "Peace! Peace!" Christ is the Prince of peace and almost the last words He spoke to His followers are found in John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.
Let us always be ashamed at our self-righteous attitudes. That's all ill-will toward someone is--selfrighteousness. May we always give a gracious salutation as our dear Savior did. It will do us More good than it will do them. At least we will not have ulcers of bitterness, and we might even be happy with life.
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