"Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:32-33
Part 3
Yesterday: Jesus Will Die “Alone,” but He is “Not Alone”
“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come.”
“That ye shall be scattered.”
“Every man to his own.”
“And shall leave me alone.”
“And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.”
Neither Jesus nor His child will ever die alone! The Father will always be there with us!
Today: Peace for Believers in this Troubled World
Most everyone, deep down in their souls, wants peace. But sadly, only the child of God can have it. But even in the believer’s life, peace is not a guarantee. Keep reading.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.”
Why did Jesus say all those difficult things to His men? “That in Me, ye might have peace!” He wanted them to be sure that they were seeking peace in the right place.
Jesus had just said this to the men in the upper room,
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
“That in Me ye might have peace.”
On His way to the cross, He tells them, “In me, ye may have peace.” Literally, “‘that ye may keep on having peace in me,’ even when I am put to death, peace to be found nowhere save in me (John 14:27)”[1] (Robertson). This is interesting because Jesus’ life at that moment was anything but “peaceful.” Think about it,
Judas has just left the table to finish his betrayal of Jesus.
In just a couple of hours, Jesus will be arrested.
He will then face these biased trials and torture through the night.[2]
At the house of Annas, the former High Priest, Jesus was taken first after His arrest.
At the palace of Caiaphas, the “inquisitor” the current High Priest.[3]
At Pilate’s praetorium, Herod’s palace (or perhaps at the Fortress Antonia).
At Herod Antipas’ Hasmonean palace. Antipas, who put John the Baptist to death, was glad to see Jesus. This is where the soldiers mocked Jesus.
And back to Pilate again, for His sentencing.
He will be scourged and physically beaten in many ways through the night and then crucified the following day.
How can Jesus offer them peace at a time like this?
“We think that the disciples should comfort Him – yet Jesus has peace, and enough to give to others”[4] (Guzik).
Jesus is the source of peace.
“Jesus did not promise peace, but He offered it. He said, ‘you may have peace.’ A person can follow Jesus, yet deny themselves that peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. Jesus said, “that in Me you may have peace.” We won’t find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus”[5] (Guzik).
Jesus became the way to peace.
“Jesus made the way to peace with God”[6] (Guzik).
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
“Jesus made the way to peace with others.”
“For He [Jesus] is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14).
In one sense, we can see Jesus’ life on earth ending in the same way it began, with the hope of peace!
At Jesus’ birth, the angels announced peace because of Him.
“Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying, “Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please Him” (Luke 2:13-14, HSB).[7]
And now, in the end, before and after His crucifixion, He offered them peace. As Jesus appeared to the disciples in the room after His resurrection…
“Then the same day [the day of His resurrection] at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (John 20:19).
Jesus brought peace to His child wherever He went. Today, believers can know of His perfect peace as they walk with Him. Tomorrow we will see that Jesus has “overcome” the world. What does that mean for us? See you tomorrow.
Quote: “If God be our God, He will give us peace in trouble. When there is a storm without, He will make peace within. The world can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble”[8] (Thomas Watson).
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword. John 16:33.
[2] This information was gleaned from Bill Petro’s site. He has several articles on “the history of…” Downloaded: Wednesday, March 17, 2021. From: https://billpetro.com/history-of-the-trial.
[3] Caiaphas’ name means “inquisitor.” Ibid.
[4] David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. John 16:33.
[5] Guzik, ibid. The emphasis is his.
[6] Guzik, ibid. The emphasis is his.
[7] HSB, the Harvest Study Bible, from Harvest Ministries in Guam.
[8] Watson’s quote Downloaded: Thursday, March 18, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/19-beautiful-quotes-about-gods-peace/.