“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
“You’ve got troubles…”
The night before Jesus was crucified the disciples were troubled – lots of troubles.
1) They are feeling guilty and ashamed.
They know their Master is facing a crisis, they sense something terrible is about to happen.
But they haven’t been supporting Him. Instead, they have been arguing about which of them is the greatest.
Never has Jesus needed them more. But all Jesus hears is: “I am the greatest.” “No you’re not, I am.” “No, I am”.
They were stung by Jesus’ rebuke: “Whoever would be greatest, let him be a servant”
Jesus takes a towel, tucks up His robe, and stoops down to wash each of the disciples’ feet.
They are rebuked; they are ashamed.
They are even more ashamed when Jesus kindly says: “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.”
2) But now, Jesus has just told them:
“Most assuredly I say to you [this is absolutely certain] one of you will betray Me.” (John 13:21)
Once again, the disciples are reeling; they are confused: “Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.”
They are wondering, “Could one of us commit such a monstrous crime?”“Lord, is it I?”
They are troubled, not just by the sins they have done, but by what sins they could be about to do.
3) Then Jesus identifies the traitor:
“It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.”
And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
The disciples are stunned.
Could Judas really be a traitor? He is one of the leaders!
Betrayed by one of their own leaders.
4) Even that isn’t the end of their troubles:
They are still catching their breath, perhaps relieved that one of them isn’t the traitor.
Then Jesus tells them: “Tonight everyone of you will desert me.”
5) Peter can take it no more:
“Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
Really, Peter? “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
6) Then, Jesus drops the bombshell: He is about to leave them!
Throughout John chs 13,14, He keeps telling them: “I am going to leave you.”
Betrayed by one leader. Abandoned by another.
This is the Leader they have committed their lives to for the last three years. This has been their life for the last three years.
This is now all their life! This is what their life is all about.
To lose Jesus, is to lose their life.
This is the Messiah, the One who would deliver Israel.
And now – it’s all over. No more life. No more Messiah. No deliverance for their nation.
Doubts begin to creep in: Was He even really the Messiah?
Like the two disciples felt a few days later: “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”
And now – He has gone.
Was He the Messiah they were looking for?
7) Now, without Him, they face the daunting task of going into all the world, preaching the kingdom of God.
What does that even mean – without Jesus?
What kingdom is there left to preach – without Jesus?
How can we even do that, face a hostile world with an unwelcome message – without Jesus?
What about you and me?
1) Perhaps, like the disciples, you are troubled with guilt and shame for past sins.
Maybe, like the disciples: selfish, self-centred – not caring for friend or family as you ought to have who was really struggling at the time.
2) Perhaps, like the disciples, you deserted Christ when you should’ve stood firm in your faith.
Or, denied Him.
Or worse: betrayed Him.
3) Perhaps it is not only past sins that trouble you.
But, knowing your weakness, you are fearful of what you will do in the future.
4) Or, you yourself have been betrayed.
Maybe by someone you looked up to, a leader.
Or a friend, you thought would never let you down.
5) Maybe it’s not so much that you were betrayed; it’s that you feel abandoned.
That friend, that leader, you thought would always be there.
But now he, or she, isn’t. They have gone.
You wonder if you can go on.
6) Maybe as a church, you wonder if you can go on.
How big is the task!
How few we are!
How big and hostile is the world we face!
7) Perhaps, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus doubt is beginning to flicker in your mind.
“Is it all true? Am I just having myself on?”
We all face troubles. We are all troubled:
– because of our own sin
– because of other people’s sins
– or, simply because we live in a fallen world.
Are you troubled?
You are in good company. The disciples were troubled – these who lived with Jesus, walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus.
They were troubled.
Being troubled is not, in itself, a sin. It is part of the fallen world we live in.
When it comes to troubles (in the words of the song): “You’ve got troubles…” Jesus says:
“I’ve got them too”
Jesus had troubles too.
Jesus, like you, was troubled.
Just before Jesus says: “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1), it says “He was troubled in spirit…” (13:21)
1) Jesus was troubled because someone was going to betray Him.
His close friend and protégé of the last three years would betray Him. (see Psalm 55:12-14)
2) Jesus was troubled that all would desert Him.
Even more He was troubled that one would deny Him – one who was so sure of himself, so full of bravado, that he wouldn’t deny Him.
But, he would. He did.
3) Before this, Jesus had been troubled by the loss of a loved one.
“He groaned in the spirit and was troubled” (John 11:33)
4) And doubts… was Jesus ever troubled by doubts?
Certainly He was tempted!
“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?” (John 12:27) “Is that what I should pray for? Is this the way I have to go? Do I really have to go to the cross?”
“But, no, for this purpose I came to this hour.”
Jesus struggled with facing up to His purpose. Did He really have to go through with it?
5) But sin…? Surely, Jesus didn’t struggle with the guilt of past sins.
Surely He didn’t fear He might sin in the future.
But He did have to struggle with the guilt of sin – more than any of us.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, He was “troubled and deeply distressed” and cried out “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”
Why? Because of sin!
Greater than the physical pain of the cross – infinitely greater than that – was the thought of the shame of bearing all the guilt of your sins and my sins.
Christ struggled with the guilt and shame of sin.
Jesus was troubled more than you and I ever will be.
“You’ve got troubles, and I’ve got ‘em too.”
Or, at least, Jesus had them too.
He was “tempted – tested, tried – in all points as we are.”
What would you be doing, if you were troubled like that?
I know what I would do: I would clam up, curl up (in the foetal position), and shut down.
What did Jesus do?
He turns to His disciples for help. But He gets no help from them – instead they are adding to His troubles.
He turns to these disciples who are adding to His troubles. He looks tenderly upon them.
And says: “Let not your heart be troubled.”
That is the kind of Saviour we have.
That is the Saviour we do have: One who, though overwhelmed by trouble, whose first thought is to comfort the same disciples who are giving Him trouble, but who are themselves troubled.
Think about that.
If this Saviour will do that for His children when He Himself is overwhelmed by trouble, what will He do for you and me now, now that He is trouble-free and reigning in glory.
You need a felt peace
There are two types of peace the Saviour gives.
– One is peace with God.
– The other is peace from God.
For us, who are at war with God, peace is declared when we come to believe in Jesus Christ.
That is a peace with God: the war between us and God is over; peace has been declared.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1)
But, there is more.
There is, not only a peace that has been declared.
We also need to feel that peace in our hearts – even in the midst of all our troubles in life.
That is the peace that Jesus offers: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.”
That is the peace that results in “your heart not troubled, neither afraid.”
This is a peace “not as the world gives.”
The peace the world gives could be termed “happiness”. Steven Lawson puts it well, when he says: “Happiness depends upon happenings”.
The peace the world gives depends on what is happening in your life.
If what is happening in your life is not happy, this type of peace disappears.
Happiness like that is not necessarily wrong.
If the “happenings” aren’t wrong, there is nothing wrong with the happiness you feel.
Eg. A performer feels happiness when he performs well on stage. The person watching feels happiness if she sees a good performance. Players feel happiness when their team wins.
This is not wrong.
But happiness like that depends upon what is happening in your life.
Of course, if what is happening in your life is wrong or immoral, then the peace you derive from that is also wrong.
If your happiness derives from cheating, or abuse of drugs and alcohol, or engaging in immoral sex – or any other activity that is wrong – then your happiness is wrong.
But, even if what gives you happiness is not wrong, it is still nothing like the peace that Jesus gives. It is not a peace that will sustain you. It can’t be.
Peace like that is conditional: it depends upon the conditions you find yourself in.
Whereas, the peace that Jesus gives is unconditional. It doesn’t depend upon what is happening to you.
The world’s happiness, being conditional, will pass. One day you won’t give a good performance. One day, others will overtake you in the field you at present shine in. One day your team will lose.
All the happy happenings in your life will pass. None can last forever.
And with it, the peace the world gives will pass.
This means the peace the world gives is shallow.
What makes you happy today, will no longer be there tomorrow – or next week, or next year.
It is conditional; it is passing… and therefore shallow.
The peace that this world gives you cannot last.
Jesus gives a felt peace
Jesus calls it “My peace”.
Yes, He too was sometimes troubled.
But He also continually had peace restored in His heart:
– In John 13 He was “troubled in spirit”. But His peace was restored, so that He could offer to share His peace with the disciples.
– In the Garden of Gethsemane He was assaulted and troubled in His spirit. But before He left “an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him”.
– On the cross, He cried out: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” But His peace returned when “He saw the labour of His soul, and was satisfied” (Isa 53:11).
This is the peace Christ offers you and me.
Jesus says: “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in Me.”
The peace Jesus gives comes from putting your trust wholly in God, the only way it is possible to put one’s trust wholly in God, i.e. through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Father and the Son come and dwell with you:
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.” (John 14:23)
The Spirit comes and dwells in you:
“The Father will give you another Helper, that He may dwell with you forever… you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
This is the source of our felt peace: God with us, dwelling with us.
The believer already knows peace with God. That cannot be taken away from the believer. Never.
But the believer also knows a peace from God. Not always – sometimes more, sometimes less. But always returning as we are renewed in our faith in God through the Lord, Jesus Christ.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
- from a sermon "Christ’s Peace"