v 27. I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
The future often troubles us. Questions like What will happen if …? loom pretty large in our minds at times. As I read this section of John’s Gospel I have a picture of the disciples as a deeply worried group of people. They had been following Jesus for the best part of three years, and now things were coming to a head. Palm Sunday had been something of a triumph, but the mood was a-changing as the antagonism of the Jewish leaders became more apparent. And then there was all this talk of Jesus leaving them, which was fearfully unsettling.
So Jesus makes one of His most memorable promises to them – and it is a promise that Jesus-followers have hung on to down the ages. It is the promise of inexplicable peace in desperate times.
So what is it that is worrying you today?
Is it a biggie, like climate change? Or more simply that there might not be milk in the Coop today? Or are you concerned for the welfare of your children, or grandchildren, and the kind of world they will inhabit? Or the slightly worrying lump in your groin? What on earth would life be like without something to worry about!
Actually, life would be like Jesus wants it to be – and promises it to be!
Jesus says to each one of us ‘Don’t be afraid, trust Me. I will give you peace even in your fast-changing and chaotic world.’
You can trust Him for that today.
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