The Lord Jesus said the above to his disciples the night before he was betrayed. Shortly after saying these words, the sequence of happenings that the Lord had prophesized – his betrayal, arrest by the officials, crucifixion and death – took place. Jesus knew that his enemies were conspiring a set up to kill him and also well aware of the brutality of crucifixion that awaited him but his mind was not preoccupied with his own safety. In his heart, he only wanted to carry out the will of His Father and to care for His disciples. As John 13:1 so said: It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. During the Passover dinner, the Lord Jesus earnestly reiterated his instructions, teachings and prayers for his disciples (John 13-18) so as to prepare and comfort them to face their suffering forthcoming.
These disciples would be facing persecution and even torture from people around them because of their faith and their relationship with the Lord. Despite of their precarious situation and the possible death, the Lord Jesus promised His disciples that they would have peace because He had overcome the world. The forces of the world, having no impact on the peace of the Lord, had no hold on them. Although the disciples lived in fear initially after the Lord Jesus was caught, but after the Lord’s resurrection and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were no longer afraid, but boldly evangelized the truth that the Lord Jesus is the Savior. In face of the imminent danger, they still can have peace. The peace from the Lord in the early and turbulent times of Christianity is very evident and real.
We Christians today may not encounter the sufferings faced by the early Christians; nevertheless, we still live in a world where trials and tribulations is still a part of life. Sometimes, because of the prejudice against Christianity and the gospel, we do face censure. Sufferings can manifest in many different forms, such as illness, accident, financial difficulties, unemployment, marital problems, children problems, difficult relationships, business failure, loss of friends and relatives and so on. These sufferings can make us lose peace. Even before going through the actual suffering, we begin to worry and have no peace.
But the Lord is compassionate to us, just as he is sympathetic with the weakness of his disciples. He knew we would be afraid during difficult times and also knew we will not be with peace in face with uncertainty. The Lord already knew what future has in store for us and has prepared us with the counter measures, like what he said to his disciples: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. The Lord has prophesized what will take place to His disciples and told them that His Heavenly Father has prepared for them a good countermeasure that can safely maneuver them through the danger. John 16:33 promises that we can be assured without fear of suffering, not because we are capable, very smart, not because we can predict the future or we have a lot of confidence; but it is because of our Lord who has seen through the future and love us with His ways above the world to care for us.
Facing life and its crises, we need not seek solace and protection from elsewhere. The Lord has already put in place real protection for his sons and daughters. What we need to do is to pray and be close to the Lord, be obedient to abide by his commandments in the Bible, love fellow Christian brothers and sisters. Try with the best of our ability to deal with our issues and in accordance to the guiding principles of the Bible issues, leave the rest to the Lord. In this way, we will be able to have peace in the Lord!
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)