Waiting in Peace

John 14:27–31 ESV

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. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

Everyone and everything in this world is broken in some way. How and in what ways we’re broken varies, but we all want to be whole, even if we cannot really fully describe what wholeness is.

In John 14:27-31 Jesus comes makes a promise of peace to his people. We read the promise and begin to think of an absence of strife or war or hardship. Those things are included, but Jesus is talking about more. He’s talking about restoration, wholeness, renewal; the kind of renewal we would all like to have, but could not afford to buy even if health insurance covered it. These words don’t come at the manger in Bethlehem, at the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth. They come in the Upper Room, at the end of his earthly life, right before his crucifixion and death. But they are fitting for Advent because they so clearly show us how to wait in peace.

Promised Peace

As he prepares his disciples for his death, Jesus offers this promise. Jn14.27

John 14:27 ESV

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.

“Peace I leave with you,” is a word of farewell. We say ‘peace’ as a goodbye all the time. We end emails with ‘peace.’ Jesus is saying, “I’m leaving. Peace.” Here’s the difference, though, when he says it. We might wish peace on people, but have no power to make it happen. Jesus is saying, "In my departing, I am bequeathing peace on you. As I go up, I’m passing down peace. As I return to my Father, I’m granting you peace. And it’s not a wish, it’s a promise.”

He makes this promise specific and emphatic. It’s my peace. This is God’s peace. This is why he can say to them, “I don’t give peace the way the world gives peace.”

What we need to appreciate is that Jesus is giving these words during a period of history known as the Pax Romana; The Roman Peace. It was a promise and a declaration of imperial peace; the peace brought to the world by the empire, and the emperor.

Roman emperors declaring themselves to be the authors of and the hope of peace for the people. Jesus says to, “No. No. No. Do not look to Caesar for peace. You need my peace, and mine is incomparable.”

The world only know how to secure peace by force or violence.If we are stronger than you are, and can conquer you, then there will be peace. That is, until you grow strong enough to conquer me. Or, we try to achieve peace by ignoring the reasons for strife; sweeping the problems under the rug and call that peace.

What makes Jesus’ promise here such good news? Because, without Jesus’ promise of peace, the best we can hope for is a temporary absence of strife. Without him, the best we can hope for is a temporary cease fire. And that’s not peace.

I know that you might just want a little quiet time away from others. Let me sit here on the the couch with a cup of tea, reading a good book with no children calling my name or nipping at my heels. That may be an image of tranquility, but it’s not the complete picture of the peace Jesus promises to give us. His peace includes unity and harmony. It’s relational. It’s not solitary. His peace secures our peace with God first, and then with one another.

Present Peace

What’s even better is that Jesus promises a present peace.

“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

He gives them this command, “let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27b). He’s already told them in John 14:1, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Why the repetition? Don’t be troubled or afraid. I’m going away, but I’m not staying away. I’m coming back to you. If you love me, this is what you’ll do. The repetition is necessary because they are troubled! And in his grace, Jesus wants to drive home the point that his promise is present. His disciples don’t need to have troubled hearts or be ruled by fear. They can love him and rejoice that he has gone back to the Father because he’s not really gone. He didn’t leave them as orphans. He sent the Holy Spirit to his people. Jesus’ promised peace is present because the Holy Spirit has come.

Let me ask you this question. What is unsettling you? Who is disturbing you? What are you unsettling? Who are you disturbing? People disturb our peace, and we disturb the peace of others. But the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian means the presence of peace. So, here’s the Advent challenge for those who belong to Jesus Christ. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit we can do what the Bible says in Psalm 34:14 and what Peter quotes in 1 Peter 3:11, “turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Advent is a reminder that the promise of peace has been realized, it is present in the life of the Christian because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are tempted towards peace-faking, but the Holy Spirit transforms us into peacemakers as we wait for full restoration. Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Waiting in peace looks like pursuing the things that make for restoration and renewal, knowing that it is coming in full.