“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.” (ESV)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV)

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (NLT)

Dive Deeper:

My Shalom, I Give You 

Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. It was often used as a simple greeting or farewell, much like the word we use: goodbye, which I just found out actually originates from a short form of “God be with you.” 

We often take these profound things and make them ordinary, but when we read scripture, the opposite tends to happen. You don’t have to turn many pages in the New Testament before you find Jesus flipping things upside down and giving profound meaning to the ordinary. Whether it’s water (John 4), bread and wine (Luke 22), love (Matthew 5), work, or humility, Jesus gives us a new way to live, time and time again. In John 14:27, it’s no different, as Jesus gives us a new shalom. A shalom that the world cannot give.

The Gift

Throughout human history and even the Old Testament, we see a model of passing on blessings and possessions from generation to generation. Just as a dying Father leaves a portion to his children, Jesus gives a blessing and possession to His disciples as he departs. He gives peace. When Jesus sent His disciples into the world on a great mission, He knew they would require two things: the Holy Spirit as their guide, healer, and helper (v26) and peace as their comfort and strength. True disciples are called to be in the world and not of it; we do this by walking in peace that comes through Jesus alone and can’t be found in the world. (John 16:33) 

Peace that Endures

When I think about the peace of Jesus, I’m directed to Hebrews 12:2, which says, “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross.” We see here that the peace Jesus has is enduring–unwavering in its efforts. His heart was untroubled by the suffering and trial ahead of Him because the peace He had was rooted in a promise. 

Likewise, the peace we are given comes with a promise: “Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.” (v28) We know our peace will endure and withstand any trial because it’s planted in the reality that Jesus will one day rescue us from our temporary troubles and take us to himself. This shalom doesn’t end when this life does. It will last forever.

The greatest gift is not anything that the world can give; it’s the peace that those of us who are in Christ already possess. A peace rooted in the promise and work of Jesus that gives us the boldness and confidence to share it with the world. 

Written by Blake Stanley

Challenge:

As you study the word this week, keep your eyes and ears open to receive the call of the upside-down kingdom. Remembering that the kingdom of God is countercultural and turns the ordinary into profound.