In John 14:2727Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27), there are two characters of peace presented to us: “Peace I leave with you” and “My peace I give unto you.” We need peace, first of all, for the conscience, and this was the main object of our Lord’s coming here — specially of His death. As we are told elsewhere, He “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)). And so, when He rises from the dead, He says to His disciples, “Peace be unto you” — a peace that so overflows that our Lord repeats it when He was sending them out. “Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you” (John 20:19,2119Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19)
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21)).
The first blessed peace is between God and our souls, peace as regards the question of our sins. But this is not everything. When we have found it, it is absolutely necessary for the well-being of our souls that we should know Christ’s peace. This at once shows the difference. Christ never needed the peace which we did as having been at enmity with God, yet it was His to enjoy peace which had never been before. Therefore, He adds, “My peace I give unto you” — the peace which reigned within Him and lit up all around Him.
The Peace of Christ
In Colossians 3:1515And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15) (JND), we have the expression, “Let the peace of Christ preside in your hearts, to which also ye have been called in one body.” He, the head of the body, was always in the perfect and unbroken enjoyment of this peace, as One whom nothing ever agitated. He might suffer, sorrow, groan, weep — all these He knew — but yet in all these His peace abode.
No doubt at the cross there was a wholly different experience. We cannot speak of peace there. But that which He tasted there, we are never called to know in the slightest degree. There was a suffering there which was altogether peculiar to itself, and that hour abides alone forever. But in His ordinary dealings with God, there was one thing which never changed. All was in its just place, because our blessed Master waited upon God and drew on the infinite resources of God for each moment.
Thus, while He might occasionally burn with indignation, show tender compassion over sorrow, rebuke the disciples for their unbelief, or display righteous displeasure at the pride and hypocrisy of men, there was one thing that never failed, and this was His peace. What a thought that such is the peace which He gives to us! Jesus leaves with us, as a last legacy that comes to us from His death, peace — the righteously won portion for the soul that believes in His name.
“My Peace”
But “My peace” seems to be a deeper and more personal blessing, fresh from His own heart which was ever filled with it to overflowing. It assumes the peace that He has made for us by the blood of His cross and left to us, but it also puts us wondrously in communion with Himself, enjoying now the peace He Himself enjoyed. He gives to us His peace — He, the Lord of peace, who walked in it as none else ever did. Oh, may we treasure His peace!
The Lord of Peace
There is another scripture to which I would briefly refer — 2 Thessalonians 3:1616Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16): “Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means.” We hear repeatedly of God’s giving Himself the title of the God of peace, but “the Lord of peace” is a much more unusual expression. I do not think they mean exactly the same thing, however closely connected. “The God of peace” points to Him as the source of it, for He alone could be. Peace is what a sinful creature does not know, for he is afraid to look at things as they are. He shrinks back from the God that he has despised and for whose presence he is unfit. What a change when God is known to that soul as the God of peace! He is delivered from his former self and hence is placed in Christ — the One who has banished all his evil and brought him into His own good.
But “the Lord of peace” is another phase of the truth which has its own blessed importance, for it directs us to Christ Himself. It is not only that “He is our peace,” which is very true, but He is “the Lord of peace” also. By that I understand that He is the One who knows how to bring about peace — the One who is above all the circumstances that tend to disturb.
In this chapter, then, the Lord Jesus has left us peace as the fruit of His death — the peace that we receive by faith in Him. But then He gives us the same character of peace which He enjoyed Himself. The peace that Christ gives is peace in communion with Him after we have received peace through His death. It is a wonderful thing that such hearts as ours should be capable of such communion with Him, in that which is naturally so contrasted with our own condition. The reason is this, that we know that God now has replaced the first man by the second, and the more simply we apply this to our own souls, the more calm we are amid things that tend to trouble. We can count upon Him.
The God of Peace
If there are things quite outside our control, in whose hands are they? We know that they are in the hands of God, and our God is the God of peace. What we have to guard against is our own will, our own nature being acted upon, for we ought not to be governed by circumstances. We are brought into the light of the presence of God; it is there that we walk, and believing this and resting upon it is precisely the point of faith for us day by day. What a deliverance from everything like deceit or unchristian-like ways, which we shall be sure to fall into if we lose sight of Him. If we are not consciously walking with Him, then self is sure to show itself in the various forms of fallen Adam.
We have the Lord of peace to look to, who is at the helm, and not only preserves the ship but controls the elements. We do not count upon circumstances, nor upon people, for we often have the deepest sorrow from those whom we count upon most. God will not allow us to make an idol of anything or anyone. We have God above everything, and not only that, we have a Man above everything — a Man glorified and set over all the works of God’s hands. That Man is our Lord, and our Lord is the Lord of peace. What a blessing! Surely it is in His power, and “faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:2424Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)).
Bible Treasury, Vol. 8 (adapted)