Not As the World Gives Do I Give to You.

Tuesday 21^th May, 2019. Read Acts 14:19-28, Psalm 145 and John 14:27-31

 _*“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)*_ 

Going through today’s readings, one would find it difficult to reconcile the promise of peace Jesus talks about in our Gospel passage with the painful experience of Paul who was stoned and left for dead in our first reading. Since the early days of Christianity, the Christian has always been an endangered species, hated and persecuted from all sides yet Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you…”

What type of peace is Jesus talking about when he categorically stated that those who follow him must first deny themselves, carry their cross and come after him. Can we be peaceful under the weight of the cross? Can we be at peace when we have to suffer all kinds of humiliations, attacks, betrayal, back-stabbing even from our fellow Christian brothers and sisters?

What kind of peace can we possibly get that would silence the pain of a heart troubled from all sides by economic hardship, insecurity, bad governance and less hope for the future? Can a father or a mother prevent himself or herself from being troubled when they do not know where their next meal would come from to feed their children? Can we prevent ourselves from being afraid when there is so much injustice in the land; the guilty walk free and the innocent are silenced?

Dear friends in Christ, if we interpret the peace of Christ with the same understanding of peace as the world defines it, we run the risk of getting disappointed with God very quickly. No wonder Jesus added that important phrase: “not as the world gives do I give you.”

The peace of Christ is not one that prevents us from troubles, rather it is a peace that gives us the confidence to walk through the “valley of the shadow of death fearing no evil.” it is not a peace that takes away the pains, hurts and persecutions of others but one that enables us to forgive readily and completely like Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary. It is the peace that would ginger Paul to continue the same mission for which he was stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead.

The Peace Jesus give is not the peace of material comfort or physical security but a peace that makes us happy even in our poverty and lack as Jesus would say: “Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58.) This peace is not the peace we get when we have soldiers guarding our gate or sophisticated guns beside our bed even while we sleep, it is the peace of turning the other cheek when one has been slapped; a peace of surrendering our security to God alone.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may your peace remain with us always. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 5^th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 14:19-28, Psalm 145 and John 14:27-31).