I’ll Leave You With This: The Power of a Final Word

In my work across the church, hospital chaplaincy, and the diocese, I do a lot of public speaking. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tools to keep people’s attention, but there is one phrase in particular that is guaranteed to make a room go quiet.

If you watch a great orator or a TED talk, you’ll hear these five words: "I’ll leave you with this."

Those words cue the hearer in for the big finish, the grand finale, the cherry on top. They create a space to leave a lasting impression and go out with a bang. In John chapter 20, we find Jesus doing exactly that. On the day of his resurrection, he grabs his followers' attention one final time with a line that packs a punch.

Behind Locked Doors

To understand the weight of Jesus’ words, we have to look at the room he entered. The disciples were huddled together, harbouring a "queasy" feeling and sharing one overriding emotion: fear.

The doors were locked. They were terrified of the authorities, but they were also living on anecdotal, flimsy evidence. Two people saw some linen in an empty tomb; one woman met a "gardener" who claimed to be the Lord. Behind those locked doors, the community was staring at the walls, trying to make sense of a world that had fallen apart.

The Ultimate "Mic Drop"

Then, Jesus stands among them. The fear dissolves into joy as they recognise the wounds in his hands and side.

Now, if it were me, I might have been tempted to lead with an "I told you so." But Jesus, undeterred by crucifixion and unobstructed by locked doors, chooses a different "big finish." He offers a parting gift that changes everything:

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Then, he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

A Different Kind of Peace

The peace Jesus offers is nothing like the peace the world sells us.

• It isn't the Pax Romana, won through domination and sustained by threat.

• It isn't a compromised peace, brokered by playing politics.

• It isn't the kind of peace that requires us to stay in our lane or silence the cry for justice.

The peace of Christ was won through love, submission, and non-violence. It is a peace that "blows off the cobwebs," refuses to sweep things under the carpet, and speaks directly to those who are troubled.

Today, our world feels like it is careering from one crisis to another. When the world’s peace ebbs, Jesus’ peace flows. When the world’s peace feels suffocating, Jesus’ peace is breath itself.

Carriers of the Spirit

Jesus doesn't just give us peace to keep us comfortable; he gives it to us so we can carry it. As Spirit-filled people, we are called to be the witnesses. How we share that peace—and how we wield it through the forgiveness of sins—is the mission of the church.

Later in the story, Thomas arrives and asks, "So, did I miss anything?" A week later, Jesus returns to include him, too. It’s a reminder that this peace flourishes through the presence of Jesus and extends even to those who weren't in the room the first time.

Jesus doesn’t say, "I’ll leave you be." He doesn’t say, "I’ll leave you to it."

He says: "I’ll leave you with this. Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

Amen.

Fr Martin