1. The affectionate Christ spoke these divine words before His betrayal. This very betrayal would bring about the holy peace of God's people alone through the eternal shed blood of Jesus Christ at His Cross. He knew well that He would be crucified the next day. He knew all that would take place to see to it that His people would be redeemed through the precious blood of the divine Lamb of God. The discourse began after He partook of the passover. He instituted and established the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Judas Iscariot went out to betray Him and only His faithfully true disciples were left. Jesus faithful disciples were the only ones left and He addresses them as true disciples. This is the last discourse Jesus had with His people before His blessed and atoning death. We see His coming dying discourse where He takes upon Himself the absolute sin and damnation of God's people. He dies for them in their place. The resurrection verifies that Jesus' atonement is authentic. Therefore Christians really have true peace. I suggest to you that true peace is only through Jesus Christ our great Savior and divine King.
2. It is evident that this discourse is a profound statement of divine love, especially to beloved John whose heart was complete with love for the Savior. I think beloved John is a picture of every believer's love for Jesus and Jesus' love for us in Christ. Jesus said in this discourse that He was going away. Jesus' disciples were filled with heaviness and sorrow. Jesus provides them with comfort and relief of their sorrow. He says they will have peace when He is gone. The peace of the world is not the peace of Jesus and the peace of Jesus is not the peace of the world. There is a strange and foreign "peace" and "comfort" of the damned and this is not the peace and comfort of Jesus. It is a stranger to the Bible's peace through Jesus our Lord. For Spurgeon says, "The little world within us, like the great world without, is full of confusion and strife; but when Jesus enters it, and whispers “Peace be unto you,” there is a calm, yea, a rapture of bliss."
3. Jesus leaves His disciples in divine peace. Waves of tribulation approach the mind of Jesus' peace and all is calm because of His all-sustaining grace. Jesus says, "peace I leave with you." Jesus gives that which is His own; Jesus provides His sheep with divine peace. He bestowed heavenly peace on His blessed children. Many seek peace in all the wrong places. There is no peace with God in man-made religion or tradition. Peace is only something that Jesus provides in His person and work. Touching His human presence, Jesus had to leave this accursed world. Touching His divine presence, He is never apart from us and He is always with us. He is especially with us in spiritual fellowship in partaking of communion. Jesus had no earthly wealth but what He had He gave to them; He gave His very heart of peace to them in His humiliation. He lived for our peace; He died for our peace; He intercedes for our peace. There is no peace like the peace of Jesus Christ. Dr. MacArthur wrote, "He offers
peace from God (Romans 1:7) to all who are the recipients of His grace. He
makes peace with God (Romans 5:1) for those who surrender to Him in faith. And
He brings the peace of God (Philippians 4:7) to those who walk with Him. (God With Us, Zondervan, 1989, p. 22).
4. Jesus provides His sheep with the joy of peace. He enjoyed the same joy and peace that He gives to His people. I remember when I was miserable in man-centered religion and I had no true peace or joy. I suggest to you that the divine peace of Jesus Christ is through the perfect peace of His sinless life and the perfect peace of His sinless death through the spiritual application of God's Spirit and Word in Jesus' imputed merit alone by faith alone. He spoke that their joy may be full in themselves. He gave them His peace that He had before His death. Jesus suffered so greatly but He possessed the peace of God. He is able to see us live with this peace as He Himself did as He endured His Cross. Though men sought to destroy the living Savior, Calvin said, "the Cross was more powerful to save, than Adam's sin was to destroy." (Ref: J. Edwards, Sermon XII, "The Peace Which Christ Gives His True Followers").
Fierce was the wild billow,
Dark was the night;
Oars labored heavily,
Foam glimmered white;
Trembled the mariners,
Peril was nigh:
Then said the God of God,
"Peace! it is I."
Ridge of the mountain-wave,
Lower thy crest!
Wail of Euroclydon,
Be thou at rest!
Sorrow can never be,
Darkness must fly,
Where saith the Light of Light,
"Peace! it is I."
Jesus, Deliverer,
Come thou to me;
Soothe thou my voyaging
Over life's sea:
Thou, when the storm of death
Roars, sweeping by,
Whisper, O Truth of Truth,
"Peace! it is I."
Dark was the night;
Oars labored heavily,
Foam glimmered white;
Trembled the mariners,
Peril was nigh:
Then said the God of God,
"Peace! it is I."
Ridge of the mountain-wave,
Lower thy crest!
Wail of Euroclydon,
Be thou at rest!
Sorrow can never be,
Darkness must fly,
Where saith the Light of Light,
"Peace! it is I."
Jesus, Deliverer,
Come thou to me;
Soothe thou my voyaging
Over life's sea:
Thou, when the storm of death
Roars, sweeping by,
Whisper, O Truth of Truth,
"Peace! it is I."
