Peace Game Changer
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. John 14:26–27
In yesterday’s blog entry from Isaiah, we saw the emphasis the prophet gave to his message when he wrote the most important words twice—shalom, shalom and YHWH, Yah (Peace, Peace and God, God). He knew Israel’s desire for peace and he taught how that desire is met in relationship with God. Today that remedy is confirmed by Jesus and made even more accessible to us who live in the New Testament age.
Jesus, in light of His disciples’ anxiety after learning of His soon departure (John 13:21–14:25), shared the words above (vv. 26–27). And similar to Isaiah, He repeated their greatest desire and need so that no one would miss the remedy: εἰρήνη, εἰρήνη — “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you…”
And the remedy that brings peace is still the same… God. Just as Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14), the Holy Spirit is God in spirit (John 4:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17).
The difference between Isaiah’s teaching and Jesus’ teaching is the fulfillment of a prophecy that did not come until more than one hundred years after Isaiah. In Jeremiah 31:33 the prophet wrote:
“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
Imagine the frustration of people unable to obey and not yet having the future hope in a prophecy that would come a century later. Because of our fallen nature, humanity’s ability to obey God consistently proved impossible before Jesus. One only needs to look at the Old Testament record of Israel and Judah to see that trying to live for God in one's own strength is hopeless. That’s why this prophecy would have been one everyone longed for.
Prior to Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, the people were waiting for the promised Messiah and the day when they would be “rewired” to live obediently for God and experience peace. I’ve often said that following God while disobeying Him is like living in a house with a spouse you have upset. For those not married, take it from those of us who are: it’s not a situation you look forward to coming home to. But when we are obeying God, there is a peace that settles in that is oh so sweet.
Jesus came to establish this sweet relationship. After He resurrected and returned to the Father, He left us peace — He gave us peace — in the person of God the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper, our Teacher, and our Reminder (see the infobox to the below for a more complete list of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us). When we listen to Him throughout our daily activity and respond obediently to what He is teaching and reminding us of, that sweet peace settles in.
We’re not perfect this side of heaven, but we have a Helper who teaches and reminds us of everything we need in order to experience that sweetness. The invitation today is to embrace the truth of God’s Spirit living within you, bringing you into a an ongoing peace with God.
If you’d like to understand how to live this peace by walking with God’s Spirit, you can read further here:
I am praying that your peace today — and throughout all of life’s seasons — is oh so sweet.