The Uncommon Peace of Jesus
In a world marked by chaos, wracked by disease, and filled with suffering, Jesus promises peace. What is that peace and how do we get it? This post kicks off the exploration of this complex topic.
At the end of a long day talking with people and sharing with them more about His mission and vision for the world, Jesus and His followers got into a boat to go to the next destination. Exhausted, Jesus fell asleep. Before long, a tempestuous storm arose. Water started filling the boat as it rocked back and forth, threatening to capsize. The followers, experienced sailors, were afraid and quickly woke up Jesus. They wanted Him to do something and do it immediately. How is it that Jesus was asleep in the middle of this storm, they wondered? Why was Jesus not frazzled by this storm? These questions are as relevant for us today as we seek to navigate our own storms. One big promise Jesus gave was that in following Him, we would have peace. What does this peace look like and how do we get it? When we begin to understand the peace that Jesus offers, it becomes irresistibly attractive, even medicinal, in a world wracked with turmoil and anguish.
What Jesus’s Uncommon Peace Is NOT
When I think of peace, I picture several different images. I think of the still waters of a lake or a beautiful ocean with clear blue waters as the wind blows a gentle breeze while enjoying a good book. Or I think of world peace, which always feels elusive, desirable though it may be. In essence, I think of peace as the absence of conflict and freedom from strife. In some ways, this image is accurate but when Jesus talks about peace, I am not sure that this is entirely the picture He has in mind. Before He left earth, Jesus gave His followers this promise:
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.1
Jesus said these words on the night He was going to be arrested by the religious leaders of His day. He knew His followers would be disoriented yet He did not equip them with clever rhetoric, or weapons for a fight, or give them a strategy to escape. He gave them these cryptic words. Jesus was not giving them a recipe for the absence of conflict or freedom from strife. In fact, Jesus seemed to have promised the exact opposite. He told His followers earlier that if they followed Him, they would suffer. He even told them at that very same dinner that they would face hardship and persecution on account of following Him. So what exactly was Jesus promising?
Jesus’s Uncommon Peace: Strength for Life
Jesus said that he was giving them “my peace”. He was promising them the same power from which He derived His own peace. He was giving them the strength and power to navigate life’s most difficult situations with courage, grace, and the confidence that God was in control.
These life situations span the breadth and depth of human experience from economic uncertainty to social injustice to the suffering borne out of deep anxiety and ruinous grief. Peace in each of these situations is complex yet comforting, enigmatic but empowering. In each of these situations, peace is a little different and deserves a deeper look.
Eventually, the picture that emerges when we understand the uncommon peace of Jesus is the creativity and magnificence of the divine, and the unexplainable mysteries of God, mercy, and forgiveness, and the unfathomable invitation to partner with God to bring peace on earth. More practically, we also derive the strength we need to navigate the toughest storms we face in life. Because what Jesus ultimately promises is that His peace will see us through the conflict, through the strife, through the storms.
Interestingly, when Jesus woke from the storm, he pointed out His followers’ lack of faith. For us to experience the peace of God, faith is a critical ingredient. Faith that God is good. Faith that He is in control. Faith that we can rise to the occasion, even when it might be the hardest thing we ever face. Admittedly, drawing on this faith to experience peace in the middle of a storm is hard. Sometimes, our faith is shipwrecked by the storm. Yet, if we persevere, we find that faith and peace mix to form the antidote to worry and fear. In the coming weeks and months, we will see how these dynamics play out, practically across different life situations.
But for now, we take solace in these words, penned by Paul (who uncovered the peace of Jesus) from a Roman jail:
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.2
John 14:27
Philippians 4:6-7