Over a billion people worldwide are living with a mental health disorder. 32% of US adults report anxiety or depression. Anti-depressants among 12 to 24 year olds are up 66% since 2016. People are paying $1,600 to go to digital detox camps just to get a moment's quiet.
And into all of that, Jesus says something staggering.
Scripture Focus: John 14:27; Judges 6:24; Ephesians 2:14
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
"The LORD is peace."
"For He Himself is our peace."
It's Thursday night of Passion Week. Jesus is hours from His arrest, trial, beating, and crucifixion. The disciple's hopes are scraping the ground. They're despairing. They're afraid. And in the middle of His own great trouble and turmoil, Jesus begins to lob their way precious promises—promises intended to lift up their countenance and give them not just comfort but courage as well.
And He saves one final gift for last.
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you."
Circle that word: My. This is not the world's peace. He says so Himself. "Not as the world gives do I give to you." The world's peace is empty, hollow, fleeting, fickle, fading. It's transient. It's not real.
But Jesus doesn't just provide peace. He doesn't just distribute peace like a vending machine. Look at Judges 6:24—God's name there is Yahweh Shalom. The Lord is peace. God's names are not arbitrary labels. They are representative of His nature, His identity. And God wants you to know something about Himself. He reveals His name as Yahweh Shalom. He is peace. He can give it because He is it.
And Ephesians 2:14 says of Jesus, "For He Himself is our peace."
After the resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples twice and says the same thing both times: "Peace be with you." Then He appears to Thomas and says it again. This is why Paul refers to God as the God of peace. Twelve out of thirteen letters Paul writes, he says, "Peace be with you." This isn't a pleasantry. It's a profound theological reality.
This peace is free to you. But listen—it was very costly to Jesus.
You will never have subjective peace until you are at objective peace with God. People are spending thousands on calm retreats, looking for a moment's serenity. And God says, "You need peace with God." Because by nature we are enemies of God. Romans 3 says there is none righteous, not even one. Ephesians 2 says we were by nature children of wrath. The terminus of sin is eternal punishment.
But Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
He is our peace. He secured it. He gives it. He is it.
1. Have you been looking for peace in retreats, routines, or relationships that can never truly provide it?
2. Do you understand that subjective peace—the kind you feel—is only available when you are at objective peace with God through Christ?
3. When you are anxious or fearful, are you turning to the God who is peace—or to the world's counterfeit?
Stay dialed in