“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. (…) John 14.27
Peace is something that most everyone wants. There are exceptions. It seems like there is always someone who likes to stir up trouble for others. Peace in the world is a lack of conflict. However, this is not the peace that Jesus gives to his disciples.
Jesus told his disciples that he would give them peace. As he was about to be arrested and taken prisoner, it would appear to be anything other than a peaceful time for his followers. Their faith was about to be severely tested. When the multitude came to get Jesus, his followers scattered. Some followed him from afar and accompanied the crowd as Jesus was carried to the house of the high priest. Peter denied his Lord three times while there, just as Jesus had told him it would happen. The next few days would be difficult for the disciples as they watched Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion. Where was the peace?
The peace of which Jesus spoke is not an absence of conflict. It comes from a knowledge of the one who is in control of all things, a dependence on him for peace. Paul told the Philippians not to be anxious or to worry, but to make their requests known to God through prayer so that the peace of God would guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4.6-7. This peace cannot be understood, but that does not make it less real. Jesus gives a peace that exists in the midst of conflict, not in its absence.
Do you have his peace?