John:14 verse27

By J. Edwards

John:14 verse 27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.”

For me, these words are some of the most encouraging and powerful in the Scriptures. I’ll explain why I think so in a moment, but first, let us took at when they were spoken. Jesus was in the upper room on the night when he was betrayed, with the eleven disciples, Judas having already departed to contact the religious leaders. Jesus knew he did not have long to live and these words were among the last he spoke to his followers. Soon they would be in Gethsemane, where Jesus would be confronted with a choice; should he walk away from betrayal, torture and death, away over the Mount of Olives, the way to freedom illuminated by the Passover moon? Or should he remain, in an agony of prayer, to await his betrayer and his captors? We all know the outcome.

All the more incredible, therefore, that just a short while beforehand he had said these words to his disciples. ‘Peace I leave with you.’ He knew they were troubled and confused and would soon be scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Now, he was giving them his last will and testament. He had no material possession. But he gave them something far more precious: his peace. This was the peace that during the at times challenging ministry in Galilee and Jerusalem, had kept him calm. No matter what threats from religious leaders, no matter what pressure from the crowds, always, he possessed his peace. Perhaps it was this that, when he warned the disciples time and again that he would be arrested, tortured and killed, they could not believe it. ‘How can it be true; he is too calm!’ was perhaps their response. Always, there was his peace.

Now, they would need that same peace to stay with them, the peace that could only come from the Father and the Son through their Spirit. And we can see them witness to it in the book of Acts, that when they stand before the same Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus, they were at peace with themselves, entirely without fear.

By now you’ll have gathered why, for me, these words of Jesus are so powerful. Time and again I have experienced their real power in my own life, ensuring that in trouble and sorrow I was not overwhelmed, but enabled, by the peace of God, to stand firm. 

​​​Jesus says, ‘My peace I give to you.’ Yes, this promise is for you. I hope you have already experienced it. If not, then I trust that you will be encouraged to turn to God in prayer and so be enabled to receive His peace as His gift to you; that you may know that His Peace is beyond understanding and will keep you and yours safe in the love of God in Jesus Christ, now and always.