John 20:19-20 (NIV), “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

The disciples were behind closed doors and afraid like many of us right now. When Jesus said “peace be with you,” the Aramaic word means “I offer you peace.”

It’s the same word used by the angel Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1 at the Annunciation.

The Hebrew and Greek words mean peace OVER you, imposed upon you, from a superior to an inferior. While Jesus OFFERS us peace, human to human, giving us a choice.