Not as the World Gives

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(John 14:27)

In the Gospel of John, the Lord's logic often appears to be just beyond us. We're not always sure why one thought follows another. The basic messages are clear. But we are often left with the feeling that there is much more to His statements than we understand!

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night and says to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." And Jesus answers him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (3:2-3). What? How does this 'answer' Nicodemus? Well, it must on some deeper level. But this kind of 'disconnect' gives us a sense of the Lord's transcendent wisdom, and of our own short-sightedness.

Another way John's Gospel conveys this is by highlighting incidents of misunderstanding, in which people don't grasp what the Lord is saying, or understand it in a superficial way.

The Lord spoke of 'raising up the temple'. He was speaking of the temple of His body. His listeners understood the literal temple (2).

He told people that to have 'life' they must 'eat His flesh and drink His blood' (6). His listeners couldn't get beyond the literal words to His meaning.

A few times He told people that He was 'going to Him who sent Him'. People questioned: "Does He intend to go… among the Greeks?" (7). Or they wondered: "Will He kill Himself?" (8).

In chapter 11, Jesus waited for his sick friend Lazarus to die before making the journey to visit the family. His intent was to bring Lazarus back to life. He told the disciples "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." The disciples responded, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."

Later, when He arrived and saw Lazarus’ sister Mary and others weeping, He 'groaned in His spirit and was troubled' and He wept. Clearly He was not disturbed by the death itself. He was not sad for Lazarus or Mary or Martha (Lazarus would soon be raised). The people around Jesus, absorbed in their 'present' could only observe: "See how He loved him!" But Jesus’ pain lay much deeper! His grief was about the human condition. How ignorant and faithless we are! How susceptible we are to hell's power to hold us in doubt, sin and hopelessness! Lazarus was not just a personal friend to Jesus! Lazarus represented the human race that was in darkest ignorance, in a state of spiritual death! (Arcana Caelestia 9231.3) Jesus’ grief was for the human race! And His plan was to bring us back to life.

These incidents in John remind us that, '"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord' (Isaiah 55:8-9). His love for us, and His plan, are beyond our wildest imagination! His foresight in providing for us is so far-ranging that we cannot begin to grasp a thousandth part of it! He is not just speaking to our present state (as we understand it) He is providing for our eternal wellbeing! The Heavenly Doctrine reminds us:

The Divine providence differs from all other leading and guidance in the fact that providence continually regards what is eternal, and continually leads to salvation, and this through various states, sometimes glad, sometimes sorrowful, which a person cannot possibly comprehend. But still they are all profitable to his eternal life. (Arcana Caelestia 8560)

It is important to remember this, especially when we are in our 'sorrowful' states. We 'cannot possibly comprehend' how the Lord can bring peace out of our distress, or bring good from the troubles that we are facing. We cannot possibly comprehend this from our present state.

In our haste and faithlessness we may turn to what is at hand. The 'world' offers 'quick-fix' solutions that bring a pseudo peace. But this 'peace' can come at the expense of our deeper values and principles. It is a kind of 'peace' whose aftertaste leaves us feeling cheap, because we tried to bring it upon ourselves rather than receiving it as a blessing. But we don't have to stay in that place!

The Lord says to us:

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(John 14:27)

"If you continue in My word
then you are My disciples indeed
. And you shall know the truth
and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

"Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

"Trust, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Rev. Grant Odhner