Peace Be With You!
Most of you know I’m a grammar nerd. I try my best to make sure punctuation is in the right places, my words are spelled correctly, and that they are cohesive, flowing and understandable to the reader. When I read something that someone else has written and it has no punctuation, it’s hard to tell what the writer actually meant, or it is unclear where sentences start and stop. A very short example is the sentence, “let’s eat, Grandma!” Without the comma it could mean that a family has turned to cannibalism and they’re about to eat Grandma!
I love exclamation points and maybe I overuse them, but they are a very useful way to draw a reader in, to allow them to “hear” your emphasis of a particular emotion. Recently in reading a devotional, the writer mentioned that in John 20, when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, He said, “Peace be with you!” ending the statement with an exclamation point. That is probably something I would have never noticed, although it intrigued me enough to look at the other gospels to see how it was recorded. Only Luke also recorded that Jesus said, “Peace be with you,” but he finished the sentence with a period. Matthew and Mark didn’t record it at all.
So, what’s the big deal about that? Nothing really…but John must have wanted his readers to understand that Jesus didn’t come and whisper softly, “Peace be with you.” Maybe He said it loudly, or with great enthusiasm; either way, John’s interpretation was emphasized when he added the exclamation point. Picture the disciples gathered in a room, all distraught over the death of their Jesus when all of a sudden, He appears to them and says, “Peace be with you.” That’s pretty amazing, no wonder John added the exclamation point!
Here, I see the punctuation used to portray a good or happy emotion, but exclamation points can also be used to emphasize anger or an extreme negative emotion. For example, when a parent is tripping in the hallway, they may scream out to their child, “How many times have I told you not to bring your skateboard in the house!” I’ve heard the saying “when are you gonna get it through your thick skull!” Someone asking this question would be obviously frustrated with the other person for being shown or told something over and over but they still aren’t getting it. I don’t think God operates this way, but do you ever wonder if He is frustrated with us, when we’re struggling, and He’s shouting out to us, “How many times do I have to tell you, ‘Peace be with you!’”
As believers we claim to have faith; we claim to know God loves us, that He’s with us, etc. But do we REALLY believe it? The peace that Jesus offered to the disciples is the same peace offered to me and you; so why are we so conflicted and wound up when we’re facing our giants? When we can fully grasp that His peace is ours for the asking, we can find joy and comfort through the hardest times, those times when others are watching us to see how we will respond. When we exhibit peace in difficult times, we are helping those who need calm in their own lives but have yet to discover the origin of true peace.