Give Me Peace
How can I have peace?
Peace comes from Christ
It is a parting word, but of richest import, the customary “peace” of a parting friend sublimed and transfigured.
As “the Prince of Peace” (
But Christ is the Executor of His own Testament; the peace He “leaves” He “gives”; Thus all is secure.
My peace (εἰρηνην την ἐμην [eirēnēn tēn emēn]). This is Christ’s bequest to the disciples before he goes, the shalom [šālôm; שַׁלוֹם] of the orient for greeting and parting, used by Jesus in his appearances after the resurrection (20:19, 21, 26) as in
14:27 Peace Refers to wholeness in their relationship with God. They now have a way (the Spirit) to reach God—unencumbered by rituals, sacrifices, or laws—and atonement for their sins (Jesus’ death and resurrection), so that they are free to communicate with God and be in His presence.
27. Peace. A frequent word in connection with farewells (cf.
14:27. In New Testament times the normal way to say good-bye was Peace (šālôm in Heb.). In His death Jesus provided a legacy for His disciples: My peace I give you. They would have “peace with God” (
14:27 Peace: The customary good-bye among the Jews was to say shalom, meaning “peace.” The Lord was about to depart, so He added to this farewell by saying, My peace. The word My is emphatic. This is no conventional wish; this is Jesus’ personal, special grant of peace. The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances.
The expression peace (Hb shalom) could serve as a greeting or announce blessing upon those who enjoyed a right relationship with God (
In saying, My peace I give to you, Jesus is not promising the absence of storms. He’s talking about peace in the midst of tribulation—at a time when you shouldn’t have any peace. This is the peace of God, “which surpasses all understanding, [and guards] your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (
Here Jesus speaks of inward peace of soul such as comes to him who is “justified by faith” (
LEXICON—a. εἰρήνη (LN 25.248) (BAGD 3. p. 227): ‘peace’ [BAGD, LN; all translations except NLT], ‘peace of mind and heart’ [NLT], ‘freedom from worry’ [LN]. This noun denotes a state of freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil [Gdt, LN].
This word does not indicate the absence of warfare or inner emotional tension [AB, NICNT1, TH].
It has a comprehensive meaning that includes the benefits of salvation that God has authored [AB, TH, WBC]. This peace includes a right relationship with God [BECNT, NICNT1]. It is a spiritual rather than an earthly peace [ICC].
The basic meaning of the Hebrew word shalom is ‘prosperity’. So Jesus is leaving behind the entire prosperity of his work of salvation, including the peace of reconciliation with God [My]. The fact that peace here implies the absence of a troubled and fearful feeling is shown by the commands that follow to not be troubled or fearful [Bar, NTC].
The words ‘Peace I leave to you, my peace I give to you’ are translated ‘Peace is my parting gift to you’ [REB], ‘Peace is my farewell gift to you. My peace is my gift to you’ [AB]. This verb means to permit something to continue in a place [LN]. It has the sense of ‘to leave behind, to leave as a bequest’
The adjective ‘my’ is emphasized [My, NICNT1, Rd; CEV, TEV]: ‘it is my own peace that I give you’ [TEV], ‘the kind of peace that only I can give’ [CEV], ‘my own peace I give to you’ [NJB, similarly Ph, REB].
Peace I leave with (or, to) you. Peace (εἰρήνη) answers to the (שָׁלום) shalom of ordinary converse and greeting, and signifies prosperity, health of soul, serenity, farewell.
So the peace Christ leaves is power to hold the wildest fear in pause, to still a clamour or hush a cry—it is the coming of mercy to a sense of sin, of life to the fear of death.
Peace from the World does not compare
not as the world giveth—in contrast with the world, He gives sincerely, substantially, eternally.
A distinctive brand of peace, different from that of the world, which would be panic-stricken at such an hour as this, with death so near.
The world is unable to give this kind of peace.
This, of course, doesn’t come from the world. It’s the peace of God, “which surpasses all understanding, [and guards] your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (
QUESTION—Does the clause ‘I do not give to you as the world gives’ focus on what the world gives, or the way it gives?
1. It focuses on what they give [Bar, BECNT, Car, HTC, IVP, NICNT1, NICNT2, NTC, TH, TRT, WBC; CEV, NLT, Ph]: ‘and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give’ [NLT], ‘my peace is nothing like the peace of this world’ [Ph].
The world is powerless to give peace. But Jesus gives his peace to people, a peace that is not dependent on outward circumstances [Car, NICNT1].
The world may offer peace in the sense of absence of conflict, but his peace was a quietness in their hearts despite persecution and outward circumstances [BECNT, NICNT2].
He is focusing on the manner of giving, not on the gift. Jesus actually gives peace, the world can only wish it and lacks the power to give it [Gdt, Lns].
The peace Jesus gives is not like the peace the world gives. In the OT false prophets proclaimed peace when there was no peace (
In NT times the Pax Romana, the Roman peace, was won and maintained by force. When people of the world say, ‘Peace be with you,’ it is an expression of hope and goodwill.
When Jesus said he would give his peace to his disciples, much more was involved. He bequeathed to them a peace of mind in the midst of trials and persecutions, a peace they would experience with the coming of the Counsellor (cf.
Not as the world giveth, give I to you, both as to manner and matter and power. The mode of giving is real, sincere, neither formal nor hypocritical. “I say it, and I mean it.”
The matter, substance, and value of the prosperity and peace I give stretches out into eternity; and I give it, I do not merely talk of it or wish it. “Christ’s farewell greeting is forerunner of the beatific salutation which shall accompany the eternal meeting” (Lange).
Peace from Christ protects my mind
The gift of his peace would make his followers unafraid, as he was (cf. 16:33).
Fear of death (
Next Jesus said, Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. In the coming hours, the disciples would have good reason to be troubled. Likewise, you will have experiences that prompt you to fear. But with a sovereign God ruling the world and “the peace of Christ” ruling in your heart (see
On these grounds Jesus could say, Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. He was repeating what he had said earlier (1). Then his exhortation was connected with faith in God, but now with his gift of peace.
