“REJOICE” CHAIRETE Χαιρετε
“PEACE!” EIRENE Ειρηνη
When our Lord Jesus took the disciples with Him into the Garden of Gethsemane, just before the cross, He said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." (Matt. 26:38). The word used in the Greek New Testament for 'exceeding sorrowful' is one word, peri-lupos. Peri, the first half of the word, means 'around'. We get our word 'perimeter' from it. The last half of the word, lupos, means sorrow. The whole word literally means, `surrounded with sorrow'. Whichever way our Lord looked, there was sorrow: unutterable sorrow, on every side. Then He, the Man of Sorrows, turned to His Father in prayer. Then, only, do we hear Him say, "Abba, Father." It was then, being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44).
It was at this time that Judas came to betray the Lord. He had given those with him a sign, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; hold Him fast." (Matt. 26:48). The fact that the traitor came just at that time, and with such a sign, seems to add greatly to the sorrow and anguish of our Savior; and at the same time makes the awful hardness and cruelty of Judas' act more terrible than ever.
In our English Bible we read, "And forthwith came he to Jesus and said, 'Hail, Master'; and kissed Him." (Matt. 26:49). The word translated 'Hail' is Chaire, and literally means 'Rejoice!' though it is true it was also commonly used for a greeting or farewell. But the true, literal meaning of the word is 'Rejoice!' "Rejoice, Master!" he said, "and kissed Him.”
As we gaze with bowed heads, and unshod feet on our Lord and Master, in such agony of soul; at His sweat as great drops of blood; as we hear His words, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," and then as we hear that heartless traitor saying: "Rejoice, Master!" how it makes our hearts recoil with horror at such cruel and awful conduct. And the word for 'kissed Him' is changed from the word that Judas used when he gave them this sign. Then he had used the word phileo—'I love', or 'I kiss'. But in his eagerness to make sure they seized the One whom once he had followed, he 'covered Him with kisses' —kataphileo, a much stronger word. It is difficult for us to conceive of anything more horrible than Judas' method of betraying his Master; and we know from the Psalms how keenly our Lord felt it. See, for example, Psa. 41:9. "Yea, Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me." And Psa. 55:12-14 says, "For it was not an enemy that reproached Me; then I could have borne it; neither was it he that hated Me that did magnify himself against Me; then I would have hid Myself from him; but it was thou, a man Mine equal, My guide, and Mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.”
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The next time we find this word Ch a i r e, 'Rejoice!' in the Greek New Testament is when the Roman soldiers put the crown of thorns on His holy brow, and smote Him on the head with the reed, driving those thorns into that beloved brow; they spat upon Him, they abused Him till His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; and then they said to Him, "Ch a i r e! Rejoice, King of the Jews!" The cruelty, the heartlessness, the wickedness of such mockery is beyond words. "Rejoice!" at such a moment! See Matt. 27:29.
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But, wonder of wonders, we find the same word again in the very next chapter of Matthew, Chapter 28, the Resurrection Chapter. Perhaps the very first word that our Savior spoke after His resurrection was this very word, Ch a i r e: 'Rejoice!' Twice over during that terrible time before He was put to death, He had listened to that word in mockery; and now it is the first, or almost the first word that He uses when He meets His own, alive from among the dead. In Matt. 28:9, we read, "As they (Mary Magdalene and the other Mary) went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice!" 'Ch a i r e t e' (the plural of `Ch a i r e'.)
The sorrow, the unutterable sorrow on every side, was all His own. The joy, the unspeakable joy, He immediately shares with those He loves. The Chief Priests and Captains rejoiced (the same word) at the prospect of His death. (Luke 22:5). The disciples rejoiced (John 20:20 is the same word) when they saw the Lord, their own beloved, living Lord. Listen again to His own sweet word: "REJOICE!" Yes, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice!”
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It is worthy of note that the salutation 'Rejoice' is really the Greek salutation. The Hebrew salutation is `Peace!' "The clear, cheerful, world-enjoying temper of the Greek embodies itself in the first; he could desire nothing better or higher for himself, nor wish it for his friend, than to have joy in his life. But the Hebrew had a deeper longing within him, and one which finds utterance in his word, 'Peace'. It is not hard to perceive why this latter people should have been chosen as the first bearers of that truth which indeed enables men truly to rejoice, but only through first bringing peace; nor why from them the word of life should first go forth." (From 'On the Study of Words', Archbishop Trench).
It is possible that the lightness with which Judas performed his dark deed of betrayal, and the thought of the thirty pieces of silver that he had gained, caused him to use the lighter Greek salutation rather than his own native, and deeper, salutation, 'Peace!' But our Lord, having made peace through the blood of His cross, and having won true joy for His own, He can greet them first of all by saying, "Ch a i r e t e: Rejoice!" But the same day at even Jesus Himself stood in the midst of His disciples, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you." And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they had seen the Lord. Then saith Jesus to them again, "Peace be unto you.”
And so, Beloved, through that mighty victory, our Lord has won both salutations for us: both Greek and Hebrew:
“Chairete... Rejoice Ye!”
“Eirene humin... Peace be unto you!”