Summary: John the Evangelist, the writer of the gospel, begins the story today with these words...It was on that day. You know, THAT day. Do you have a THAT day? The day that comes to mind when you think of the day that changed the course of your life. Maybe it's your wedding day. Your graduation day. The day you saw the love of your life across the room. The day you realized you were miserable in your job and decided to make a change. You know, THAT day. The day that changed everything. It was THAT day. And the disciples were hiding. They were scared. They thought that the Jews were after them. They were huddled together like a bunch of wounded animals, talking quietly and just stalling from life. Nothing was eventful about THAT day at all until Jesus came. And then everything changed. Jesus just showed up. He appeared from out of nowhere. There he was, changing everything. He was alive and their world was turned upside down. And Jesus said something really important when he appeared in the gospel of John. In fact, he repeats the same phrase three times. And if Jesus repeats something three times, you know it must be important because he didn't repeat himself much at all. Most of the time, he says things only once and you have to hang onto his every word. But this time, Jesus says that same greeting three times. Twice in this one appearance and again when he appears to the group with Thomas present. He says, "Peace be with you."
