John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Remember living through 2020? Then and now it many of us view it as a “dumpster fire” in many ways. In fact, I saw a Christmas ornament to that effect the other day! It was a miniature green dumpster with flames rising out of it and the number “2020” on the side in graffiti-style writing. What a nice addition to your Christmas tree, right? Covid-19 was first, followed by George Floyd, riots, protests, looting, “14-days to flatten the curve,” shutdowns, closures, unemployment, business closings, school closings, masking, social distancing…and then the presidential election.
If there is one word that we are NOT using to describe 2020…it’s PEACEFUL.
Protesters like to chant, “No Justice—No Peace”, but the reality is, “No Jesus—No Peace.” From a worldly perspective, “peace” simply means the absence of conflict and/or trouble. Do you want some peace? Go on vacation. Take a walk in the woods. Stay off social media for a few days. Stop watching television and/or cable news. In short, you need to change your circumstances. You need to get away from conflict, strife, trouble, and difficulty. Get away from it all! That’s obviously not what Jesus was referring to. The word he used is Shalom, and in the Jewish context it meant a lot more than the absence of trouble. Shalom meant flourishing. It meant everything you need for your highest good. But Jesus didn’t stop there…
“…my peace I give to you.”
Jesus spoke these words just hours before the humiliation…the beatings…the scourging…the crucifixion. The peace he had—the peace He Gives—was present and accounted for, even in the midst of that impending nightmare. If you knew you were going to be tortured and executed tomorrow, would you be at peace today? How is that even possible? Well, that exact same scenario happened to Peter in Acts 12. He had been arrested and bound with chains between two guards. He was sleeping so soundly that night that his rescuing angel had to kick him to wake him up! That’s the kind of peace Jesus had…and the kind that He gives to His Children. Therefore…
“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
The peace Jesus gives us is not based on good circumstances. It is given, and it holds sway, in spite of bad circumstances. Jesus said in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart in that tribulation; I have overcome the world.” In other words, our peace will make no sense to the world. That is why Paul calls it, “…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Human understanding cannot produce it or grasp it. It’s perfect peace…supernatural peace…and in Christ, it’s your peace as well.
