Jesus Himself Is Our Peace :: John 14:23-31
[Introduction]
Have you ever noticed how certain passages of Scripture seem to rise above the rest ... timeless verses that speak to every generation?
Seeing how we have reached the end of Easter, let’s start with John 3:16: For God loved the world in this way: He gave his only son. ... And let’s not forget Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd. Or the ending of Romans 8: Nothing ... will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or even my confirmation verse from 1 John, that on account of Jesus: God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I’m sure you can think of others that rise to the top of your list. Today’s Gospel reading most certainly offers us one of these timeless passages.
Jesus said: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you (v 27).
God knows we love the idea of peace.
Peace ... a state of calmness, or unity, or cooperation, or tranquility ... Peace ... a state of harmony, free from disturbance or conflict ... Peace ... an absence of war, hostility ... no stress. Peace ... that’s something we definitely want more of, right? We want it for ourselves. We want it for our families. We want it for the world. We want it for our very souls. ... Peace.
So today for this Feast of Pentecost, let’s talk about Peace ... or שָׁלוֹם in Hebrew ... εἰρήνη in Greek ... The peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Pp 4:8). The peace that Jesus leaves for you. The peace that Jesus gives to you (v 27).
4. What is this peace?
There is a clue in our Gospel reading that we should start with. Jesus says [he does] not give to [us peace] like the world gives (v 27). The peace that the world gives is different from the peace that Jesus gives. ... So, an obvious first question is: What peace does the world give? ... And how is it different from the peace that Jesus gives?
The peace the world gives is what I will call “If only” peace. You know ... If only there was no war. ... If only there was no money. ... If only I had MORE money. ... If only there was no death. ... If only I had a house on the lake or in the mountains. ... If only my family would get along. ... If only people were kind, and gentle, and humble, and quiet, and unselfish, AND full of love. ... If only you would invite peace and happiness into your life. If only you could imagine.
Yes, if only.
World peace is a beautiful ideal. But since the fall in the garden, there has never been a time when someone somewhere wasn’t fighting with someone else ... disturbing the peace. Adam cursed God and Eve (Gn 3:12). Eve cursed the devil (Gn 3:13). Cain killed Abel (Gn 4:8). The intention of man’s heart became evil from his youth (Gn 8:21). The whole earth sought to make a name for themselves (Gn 11:4). Then they hated that they couldn’t understand each other. War and rumor of war arose. Sarai hated Hagar (Gn 16:4). Sodom and Gomorrah hated marriage (Gn 19). Esau hated Jacob (gn 27:41). The sons of Israel hated Joseph (Gn 37:2). The world hated the Israelites. The Jews hated Jesus. Crucify him, they cried out.
3. Where do we find peace?
Well, we won’t find it on earth. As Jesus says in Matthew 10:34: He did not come to bring peace on earth. He came to bring peace between God and man.
We are captive to sin, which destroys peace. We don’t keep Jesus’ word of peace. We continually return to our immorality and rebellion. We suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rm 1:18-19). Malice, envy, strife, deceit lurks among us. All of us have ... as Paul reminds us ... turned aside (Rm 3:10-12). While [we] have the desire to do what is right, we don’t have the ability to carry it out. For [we] do not do the good [we] want to do, but the evil [we] do not want to do, that is what [we] do (Rm 7:19). We prefer doing our own thing, on our own time, in our own way, when we feel like it. We continually try to store up extra manna for ourselves, not trusting that God always provides.
Whereas Jesus tells us to keep his Word, we refuse to study it and hear it.
Whereas Jesus says love one another, we rebuff fellowship and secretly slander one another.
Whereas Jesus says take and eat, we say we will when we feel like it.
Whereas Jesus says remember him, we think of our feelings first.
Whereas Jesus says, come, we say I need to check on my farm.
And then you say you want peace?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us remember the word of our Lord today: If anyone loves me, he will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him, and We will make a dwelling with him. ... Then you will have peace. ... The one who does not love me does not keep my words. They destroy peace.
THAT ... is the hard truth at the heart of this passage from John’s Gospel.
Therefore, repent every one of you in the name of Jesus.
2. In repentance you will find peace.
Remember what repentance is, and where it comes from. Again, repentance has two parts: Contrition and Faith ... Contrition that you are a sinner who destroys peace by not keeping God’s Word. And Faith that Jesus ... the Word made Flesh ... has brought peace between God and man by his blood (Col 1:20).
As Saint Paul teaches us in Ephesians, Jesus himself is our peace. He has made us one with himself, true fellowship. He has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, true forgiveness. He has reconciled us both to God and to one another through the cross, thereby killing hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:14-18).
When our Lord spoke the word of our Gospel reading, our Lord was showing us the way to peace. He spoke these words on the night of his betrayal, the night we destroyed peace. He had already washed the disciples’ feet. He had already taken bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying take and eat, this is my body ... and the cup, saying, drink of it all of you: This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. This is peace. He had already promised that he will always remember you in this meal. Then he said, I have told you these things before it happens, so that when it does happen you will have faith (v 29).
And now you do.
Therefore, now you can repent. You can also do this because the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon you in baptism, giving you peace. The Helper, the Comforter, the Paraclete, the One who calls you alongside himself, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent, He has come ... to you, washing you, sanctifying you, giving you peace. He teaches you all things and reminds you of all things that [Jesus] said to you (v 26).
1. And that gives you peace.
Therefore, Jesus said, Let not your hearts be troubled or timid.
You have the Holy Spirit who confirms in your hearts the true faith that receives peace from God ... with God and therefore, with each other. Share that peace. Only the Holy Spirit will replace our false notions with divine peace. Without the Holy Spirit, we stumble around in spiritual darkness. But He calls us and enlightens us on the Way. He sanctifies and keeps us in the faith. He is God almighty, declaring through his word of absolution that your sins are indeed forgiven on account of Jesus, his life, his death, his resurrection, your new life in him. This is the peace Jesus leaves with you.
JESUS HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE
[Conclusion]
The most common error in the world is to imagine optimistically that genuine peace is within the realm of human possibilities ... that it can be achieved by political or psychological means. But genuine peace comes not from within ... but from above ... from God the Father through the Word of Jesus and the Spirit outpoured in baptism and celebrated in the Supper. It comes through Jesus himself who with the Father and the Spirit makes a home with us.
Even we Christians tend to believe that God should act powerfully and establish a peace which is apparent to every eye. But God the Father gives his gifts through our Lord Jesus, who was crucified but is now risen. The Spirit always reminds us of this peace and consolation as our Lord in the Supper. Those who love God will be granted access, which they enter even now ... in Jesus’ name.