What is peace to you? Where do you find it? Is it a place? Is it a person? Do you find it in certain activities you participate in or perhaps in certain foods you consume?
The dictionary defines peace as freedom from disturbance; tranquility … a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended … The Biblical dictionary the concept of peace is larger than that and rests heavily on the Hebrew root slm, which means "to be complete" or "to be sound." The verb conveys both a dynamic and a static meaning" to be complete or whole" or "to live well." … The Hebrew word for peace, šālôm ... The most comprehensive description of shalom is a cosmic order ordained by God through creation (Genesis 1) and established with God's people in the covenant (Exodus 20–23). In this cosmic order each part finds its meaning and function as it conforms to God's purpose. Shalom describes the "realm where chaos is not allowed to enter" … chaos being understood as sickness, war, social strife, or the violation of the covenant.
As we approach Season of Lent … my mind cannot help but go to the long conversation and prayers that Jesus had with His disciples in His last days. Jesus loved His disciples … He had been with and taught His disciples for three years … eating with them … sleeping near them … traveling with them … He knew that His time with them was drawing to a close … His love and knowledge were spilling forth from His mouth to His beloved followers … He knew that His time was short … but His love was never ending … and He sincerely wanted them to know and be at peace with all that was about to happen… knowing that they were only human … and He being in human form… as were they … but also One with God His Father … He knew their hearts… He knew their fears … He knew they … as did He … faced difficult days ahead. They … as are we … would be charged with carrying the Good News to the world.
In John 14:27 we see Jesus tell them… “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.” This was said on the night before His crucifixion … “My peace” He said … “Let not your hearts be troubled” … Jesus was looking out on the faces of His beloved and saw their worry … felt their anxiety … their faces looked troubled … and He was telling them … “I love you… I don’t like it when you look that way … I don’t want to leave you feeling this way” … Simple … precious … and personal… He didn’t want their ‘heart’ to be troubled … As big as their job would be … Jesus wasn’t speaking to that right now … He was speaking to them personally… as does He us.
Peace … something everyone attempts to attain … but many fail in their trying … Some think that if they build up enough in their retirement account … they will find their peace … or if they get their house paid off … they will find peace … for some it may be purchasing that life insurance or health insurance policy… or seeing your kids get through college and start their dream job … But Jesus wasn’t talking about this kind of peace … oh sure … we all find some peace in some of these things … but that’s worldly peace … superficial peace … and Jesus explicitly said “not as the world gives you” … He knew and wanted everyone to grasp the peace that only He had to offer…
Christ’s peace is not like that which the world offers… The world offers a sort of counterfeit peace… it falsely promises that peace will come upon the completion or achievement of what one thinks they want or need… Christ is the source of the peace that all mankind seeks … weather one knows it or not … He is the source … it’s not something one can work out … or work for … it’s a gift … freely given to all who put their trust in Him … The world give peace through safety nets … insurance … police … bomb shelters … fire departments … hospitals … locks on your doors … and the list goes on and on … and I’m truly grateful for all of these things … but the world can never give me the kind of peace that lives in my heart … peace that can’t be taken away …
The world’s peace is offered in a wide selection … but the peace Christ offers comes from walking a narrow path … and it’s not without obstacles which can catch even the most alert and intentional traveler in its snare … These obstacles could be lustful thoughts … or guilt … or anger … bitterness or self-centeredness … they could be doubt … unbelief or jealously …
One of my favorite things to do … something I once did quite a lot of … is to hike trails in the mountains … and on these trails you must stay alert … wear the proper footwear … and carry adequate water and snacks for the journey … At the start of the trail it’s usually wide and quite well worn … but the further you walk … the narrower it gets … and you have to watch for loose rocks … large boulders and tree roots protruding out of the ground … just waiting to trip you up … hang your foot and throw you right down on your face … you must also watch for the uneven ground … and the false paths that can easily carry you into uncharted territory … all can be equated with the obstacles that world presents us with as we walk the narrow path of God’s desire for our lives … it’s not easy … but it is possible … and it’s definitely worth the effort … Much like hiking that mountain trail to the mountain top … the view at the end will be spectacular!
Between God and Jesus there are no obstacles … no sin … no loose rocks … no boulders … no protruding roots … The Son looks on the Father and sees infinite original righteousness… and the Father looks on the Son and sees infinite reflected righteousness … their love is infinite and delightful … and this is what Jesus purchased for us … forgiveness … He alone satisfied God’s wrath against all unrighteousness… ALL we have to do is rest in Him … follow Him … believe in Him … trust in Him … surrendering our lives … mind … emotions …and will to Him … and the gift is ours … for eternity … not only the peace that Jesus gives … freely … but the peace that exists between Him and His Father God…
The peace that Christ offers doesn’t mean we’ll not have trouble in this world … we will … but with Christ’s peace … we can respond in union with Christ … knowing that He will always carry us through … always … without fail…
“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; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“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.” John 14:27
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Originally published on Jan. 30, 2023
Written and submitted by Joan Paschal
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