Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Peace as a gift! This is what the Teacher gives His students.
My peace – He says.
Not the kind of peace the world can give, but His peace.
The very peace Jesus had in His life.
The world offers a kind of peace, but it is always circumstance dependent. Peace if everything is going well. Peace if there is no trouble.
But this kind of peace vanishes with the wind when there isn’t enough money, when enemies surround or sickness comes.
The peace of Jesus allowed Him to be content in heart and restful in every circumstance, both good and bad.
He could sleep in the boat in the middle of a storm. Keep His head when violently opposed. Radiate peace even as He was beaten and crucified!
The peace Jesus gives is not dependent on what is going on around us, but what is going on inside of us. It is the very real and felt presence of a powerful and loving God.
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
At home with God! That’s unshakable peace. Undisturbed by even the severest of life’s trials! This is the presence of the Holy Spirit!
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
There are things written in our Bibles that we sometimes pass over too easily as not being all that significant. I've done that with vs. 31 of this reading. That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do. From Judas' question you get the idea that either they can't know Jesus or Jesus isn't revealing himself to the world. I see from vs. 31 that the thing Jesus wants the world to know is that He loves the Father and always obeys Him. That doesn't seem such a big thing unless you consider that everything else about Jesus is a result of that love for the Father. So how can the world know this today since Jesus is not here demonstrating His love through His obedience? Maybe that's our job now. Remember He said, he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. He also said, by this all men will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Remember that this whole discussion began with the news of Jesus going back to the Father and two responces to this; Lord how can we we know where your going and how can we know the way?; Lord show us the Father and that is enough. The way: obedience from love! Show us the Father: GOD IS LOVE. Vs.28 If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said "I am going to the Father",for My Father is greater than I am. Maybe we should rejoice a little more too.
ReplyDeleteHe has said this before: If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.
ReplyDeleteJesus says there is a connection between love and obedience.
Like Peace, that's easy when obeying is rewarded earthly and there it goes along with our fleshly desires.
But how well do we do at showing our love through obedience when our desires are in a different direction?
Jesus shows us that obedience is equated with love even when headed toward a firestorm - or crucifixion.
"but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me."
The plan from before the beginning of the world was for the crucifixion - Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. He says he will go through this also to teach the world a lesson - a lesson of love and obedience.
Jesus teaching, even in death.
How often do we equate obedience with loving the Father?
The everlasting peace of God is a miracle. Thanks for a great blog.
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