Verse: 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.”
Devotion
Beginning with the end of chapter 13, Jesus is explaining to the apostles that he won’t be with them much longer. That culminates here in verse 27 with what reads a little like a Last Will and Testament. “I Jesus, being of sound mind, hereby leave to the 12 , scratch that, 11 apostles, my peace.”
In the modern-day, Western world, we generally think of peace as being an absence of war or conflict. But history shows that Jesus couldn’t have meant he was leaving the apostles an end to these things. So, he must have meant something else, right? In the Hebrew culture, the word “shalom” (peace) carries a deeper meaning, one of wholeness, completeness, contentment. But he didn’t just promise peace. He reiterated with ‘MY peace’. In verse 26, Jesus has just promised that the Holy Spirit would soon come. He even referred to him as “the Helper”, both here and in subsequent chapters. The Holy Spirit would embolden, empower, complete the apostles as they prepared to be witnesses for Christ.
“Not as the world gives…” There are two key differences between what the world gives us and what Jesus gives. First, the world surely does not give us peace. Or, have you been sleeping through all of 2020? The world gives discouragement, discontentment, grief, strife, sorrow, etc. And it’s to be expected, as the world is not our home. C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” Jesus, on the other hand, gives wholeness, completeness, contentment, which we will enjoy for eternity, in our heavenly home.
Second, the world gives, expecting something in return. You’ve heard the old adage, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” But what is free are the gifts of Jesus: peace, joy, love, salvation. Jesus knows we have nothing to offer him in return, but he gives nonetheless.
The verse closes with a gentle, yet oft repeated (variations of it appear more than 70 times in Scripture) command to not be afraid. This had practical application at the time he said it, since Jesus was telling the apostles he’d be leaving them. It served as reassurance, but was an instruction at the same time. ‘Do not allow this to happen.’ The implication being that the peace Jesus provides gives the power to control our hearts, to fill them so full of his hope that there is no room for fear. And it applies equally to us today. What a blessing!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit and your peace. Thank you that you require nothing of us, but give them freely. Help us to remember that though the world can be a scary place, there is nothing we need to truly fear. Amen.
Author: Dave MacDonald
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