In John 14:27 Jesus says to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” With these words, Jesus was making a distinction between the peace he offers, and what the world offers.
When people talk about peace, they’re often thinking about (1) feeling a certain way. (2) Escaping tension/pain. (3) Becoming more tolerant. (4) Solving the world’s maladies with political policies, social activism, technology, or some other thing.
But Jesus’ invitation is for us to find peace “within” a relationship. In John 16:33 he says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus encountered person after person lacking peace. He would answer questions (Nicodemus), restore their dignity (woman as the well), cure diseases, heal infirmities. He stood alongside the woman caught in adultery. Instead of saying, “#MeTo” he confronted her accusers and said, “#YouToo… You have all sinned. You all need mercy as much as she does!” Jesus was a ferocious advocate for women, for the poor, the downtrodden, the sick, the disadvantaged... [name the category].
But Jesus was never confused about the nature of true peace. For Jesus, peace isn’t a commodity to be given apart from Himself. It isn’t an emotional high or adrenaline rush. Peace isn’t escaping the world and it’s pressures. Peace isn’t trying to fix the world’s woes. Peace isn’t a psychological trick. It isn’t blind tolerance, a social program, or merely social action. No, peace is a right relationship with the Father. If after all our efforts, we haven’t left people in a right relationship with the Father, we haven’t given them peace with a capital “P”.
So let’s press deeper. What is this peace Jesus offers? Why should we think of peace as a relationship? And how is Jesus necessary for such peace? Jesus’ chosen metaphor for helping us understand our condition outside a relationship with God is “darkness.” Instead of walking in the light of a relationship with God, we’re living/walking in darkness.
Several years ago Lara and I adopted Rock-E, from an animal shelter in Missouri. We didn’t know much about Him. He was rescued from a farm, where he had been neglected. A farmer was going to put him down because he had an underbite. When we met him he was a quite skittish. He only trusted women and other dogs, but had a deep fear of men. Whenever I’d wear a hat (like a farmer), he would freak out. He would bark extra loud, run away, and crash into things. [Okay the hat didn’t matter!]
When scared, Rock-E would run into things full speed. He’d jump unto end tables, knocking off lamps. He’d run into furniture and get a black eye. He was a front door flight risk. I just couldn’t get him to trust me.
But then a few years ago, Rock-E lost his vision. The darkness forced Rock-E to reevaluate his relationship with me. He’s discovered that in the darkness there is no place for him to run. Instead, he’s learning to trust me, and listen to my voice, and follow me. And as he’s trusted me, he’s learned that I give far him far more love, and tenderness, and dog treats, than “that woman” living in our house ever did! When I come home, he will do everything in his power, to come to me.
Though missing his sight, Rock-E is learning to have a relationship with someone he can no longer see. And this is what the Bible says of our relationship with God. We don’t relate to God by sight. We can’t see God. We’re in darkness. But we need not be afraid or troubled because Jesus has overcome the darkness.
In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Our only choice is to relate to God, and find peace with God, not by sight, but by faith. If we’re to find peace, we must learn to trust Jesus, and listen to his voice, and follow Him.
Four words describe what it means to walk in darkness: ignorance, doubt, captivity and fear.
First, there is ignorance.
This word isn't intended to be an observation. You don’t have to a theologian to know there is wide spread confusion about God. When you survey all the world religions and belief systems, past and present, the history of God is quite perplexing. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? How do we account for the vast disparity between beliefs? John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God.”
Second, there is doubt.
In John 1 we read about a man named Nathaniel, who spent long days contemplating God beneath a certain fig tree. We don’t know what prayers or doubts he uttered, we just know he wanted to find peace with God. Maybe you can relate to Nathaniel, and have your own fig tree… a place you go to seek God. Maybe you question is how, in such a vast universe, on a planet with billions of people… God could possibly know you much less love you? Maybe you imagine that if God does indeed know you, perhaps he doesn’t like you that much, or is angry with you, or is ready to be done with you. People don’t so much doubt God’s existence so much as his love. Other than guessing, how would you know where you stood with God?
Third, there is captivity.
The captivity of sin and shame. First comes the sin. In John 8:34 Jesus says, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” But second comes the shame. In John 3:19-20 were told how “people love darkness because their deeds are evil…” and “everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so their deeds may not be exposed.” So not only is there the precipitating sin, there is this ensuing shame. When we sin we have this vested interest in hiding. We don’t want to be found out by God, or especially others. The result is a kind of double bondage. The sin controls us, and the shame controls us.
Fourth, there is fear.
A few weeks back, Lara and I were having fried tacos out of town, at restaurant/and bar. Okay, it was more of a bar than a restaurant. No worries we were there for the tacos. They had ice tea on tap. Why are you judging me, stay focused [joke]! An older man came for carry out, but suddenly lost control of his body. He couldn’t stand, his knees kept buckling. His speech was slurred. Someone gave him some water and pills. But he almost choked on the pills and he spewed the water all over himself. We found out later he was having a massive stroke. A huge blood clot was moving up his neck. He’s lucky to be alive.
As I was helping this man, I was very aware that this was the exact same scenario that took my dad’s life. My dad had a blood clot, and began collapsing. And mom, all by herself, managed to get a chair under dad, as he clung to life. And so there I was, trying to get a chair under this stranger, hoping he would live. Thankfully the emergency squad arrived and they raced him to the hospital.
What I remember most was the men standing around the bar. They were rattled, their confidence shaken. None of us had any power in that moment to do anything for the man. Several of the guys deflected their anxiety by making jokes. One guy said, “The slide down the back of the hill sure is fast and miserable!”
In the darkness, there is ignorance, doubt, captivity, and fear. We don’t know God. We don’t know his love. We’re held captive to sin/shame. Death haunts us. But along comes Jesus. John 1:9 says, “The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
Remember how we walked in ignorance?
John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God” But that isn’t the whole verse! It actually says, “No one has ever seen God except the One is at the Father’s side—He has revealed Him.” The only way we could ever know an invisible God is if he took the initiative to make himself known. This is exactly why Jesus is necessary for peace. The Bible says, “The Father knows the Son, and the Son knows the Father.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son sent from the Father full of grace and truth.”
In John 14:8, one of Jesus’ disciples Philip says, “Lord, show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” And how does Jesus respond? John 14:9, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.” John 14:7, “If you know Me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
Remember how we walked in doubt?
Does God know me? Does God love me? When Nathaniel is introduced to Jesus by a friend, Jesus simply says, “Hey Nathaniel, when you were under that tree, I knew you… I saw you… I heard you!” (John 1:50). That’s all it took to convert Nathaniel! John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world he sent His One and Only Son into the world that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. He didn’t send his son to condemn the world but to save the world through him.” Who could have ever dreamt up the self-giving, self-sacrificing, all-knowing, all-loving God presented in Scripture? Jesus assures us of God’s love.
Remember we were held captive?
But what does Jesus do? He takes our shame upon himself. He takes our punishment upon himself. He forgives us our sin. He has mercy upon us all, that we might receive grace after grace, and be born again, and become children of God. In John 8:34-36 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”
Remember we were fearful of death.
Jesus says, “The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world… I am the bread of life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die—ever! Do you believe?”
How could we ever claim to have found peace, if that peace doesn’t involve overcoming ignorance, doubt, captivity, and fear? John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have overcome the world.” John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
You might think the disciples were exempt from walking by faith, not by sight. In John 12:35-36 Jesus tells his disciples something that I think is really important for us to hear as well. He says, “‘The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.’ Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.”
Did you catch that last part? Jesus went away and hid! Why? The disciples needed to learn to live/walk/relate to God by faith not by sight. They needed to learn to find peace by listening and following Jesus’ voice. If they would trust Jesus, their peace would never be taken. They’d never need to be troubled/fearful again.
Ever since Rock-E lost his sight an interesting transformation has occurred. Whereas in the light, Rock-E feared me, and ran and hid and cowered… now, in the darkness he’s learning to trust me and follow my voice. When he could see, he hated me. But now in darkness, he’s becoming this sweet little dog! Peace begins by following Jesus. What’s the next step for you?