A Different Kind of Peace
August 30, 2026. John 14:27. Rev. Harold Wiest
Over the past month the news has reported the "on again" "off again" peace talks between Iran and the U.S. The convoluted peace negotiations with their opposing claims and counterclaims is enough to make anyone doubt that warfare will come to an early end in that part of the world.
But I found out that they aren't the only peace talks that are taking place at the present time. Peace talks are taking place to end the bloody civil war in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) that has left over 100,000 dead since 2021. Then there are peace talks taking place in Vienna between Britain, France, and Germany on one side and Russia on the other side "to explore paths to peace" in Ukraine.
And despite the completion of the 7th round of peace talks in Rome, Israel struck back at south Lebanon after 2 of their soldiers were killed by Hezbollah forces. And these peace talks are only dealing with four of the armed conflicts on planet earth. According to one account there are at the present time 130 active armed conflicts in about 60 countries. While you have to give credit to those who are pursuing peace, their plans seem to be little more than a pipe dream, an almost impossible reality. One study has shown that nearly 40 percent of signed peace treaties collapse within 5 years.
Turmoil dominates our fallen world. There is an absence of peace not only on the international scene, (look at what is happening at the present time between Canada and the U.S.) but on the national and local scenes. And for many, this lack of peace extends to family dynamics and to a lack of personal peace.
Turn the calendar back about 2000 years as we listen in on a conversation Jesus is having with his disciples. The circumstances Jesus is facing aren't conducive to peace. He is facing the most dramatic, potentially disturbing, distressing moment in His life. It's the night before Jesus will face execution on a Roman cross, and He knows that. He will be facing both religious and secular courts that will trample justice underfoot. There's betrayal by one of his disciples. There's the worry of the other disciples. "Lord, we don't know where you are going .." But above all these realities, He will be separated from His Father and punished for all the sins of all the people throughout human history who will ever believe. He knows what He is facing. And then He speaks these words found in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John, beginning with verse 1. If you are able, please stand for the Gospel lesson. Hear God's unchanging Word.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me ... (and then down to verse 25).
All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you. 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 14:1,25-27 NIV). This is the Gospel of our Lord.
What is this thing called "peace"? A quick look at dictionary definitions of peace will tell you it is freedom from or stopping a war; a treaty to end war or the threat of war; freedom from public disturbance or disorder; freedom from disagreement or quarrels. It is defined mostly in negative terms: to be free from conflict, the absence of hostilities, to have no troubles or to have no stress.
As one writer has stated, peace in the world is the lull in the battle when everybody stops to reload.
When the word "peace" is used by people today in their own circumstances, it usually means a sense of calm and tranquility, quietness and bliss, contentment and well-being that you feel when you believe that everything is well and everything is the way you would like it to be. Now there is nothing wrong with that, but frankly, a lot of those feelings can be produced by a pill or a drink. They can be produced by a lie that you believe to be true. They can sometimes be produced by an afternoon nap or a good night's sleep. This sense of well-being can be produced when your Aunt Martha dies and leaves her substantial estate to you. They can also be produced by the reassurances of a friend, or by someone you love whispering sweet somethings in your ear and confirming how much they love you.
But this kind of peace is very fleeting and can be easily destroyed. We know that from personal experience. Doubt, fear, failure, the fear of failure, difficulties, anxiety, mistreatment, being victimized by someone - these and many other human experiences make this kind of peace as fragile as the latest peace treaty in the Middle East.
So what is this peace that Jesus gives? To understand this peace, we need to look in the Old Testament at the familiar Hebrew word for peace - shalom, a word that is still used today by the Jewish people as a greeting - whether you are coming or going.
(It's like the Hawaiians using the word "aloha" as a greeting when you are both coming and going.) This biblical sense of peace is not the negative "absence or end of war or conflict," but the positive concept of "shalom." "Shalom" is the peace that expresses itself in the ideal state of life ... of well-being, and living in harmonious community with one another. It is a peace which manifests itself in every kind of good - in bodily health, security, abundance and prosperity. This "shalom" is an all-encompassing word - containing within it the meaning of "well-being" and "wholeness" affecting the totality of life.
When we get to the New Testament, the Greek word used to translate "shalom" is "eiranan" from which we get the feminine name "Irene."
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you" says Jesus. "This peace is my gift to you." "You don't have to find it. You don't have to work for it. I'm depositing this peace with you and all who will follow me in love and service."
This peace which is a gift of God has a different quality about it than the peace this world offers. It is a peace based not on circumstances, but upon the very character of God himself. Now we don't usually think of peace as being an attribute of God. A God being characterized by the attributes of grace, mercy, justice, righteousness, wisdom, truth, and omnipotence is what normally comes to mind. But He is also peace. He has no lack of perfect peace within his being. God is at all times at perfect peace. God never gets stressed. God never has an anxious thought. God never worries or fears. Stress, anxious thoughts, worries and fears are just some of the things that affect our peace. But since God never experiences them, his peace is never threatened. In this way the peace of God is a peace that transcends the understanding of this world.
Don, who was a fellow student at the college I attended, later went on to become a Presbyterian minister. He told the story of one of his parishioners named Al. Al was a hero for Don. Don said, "Whenever I ran, [Al] came to mind; by God's grace I wanted to be like him. Running 18 miles at age 65! The very thought of it lightened my feet and enlarged my lungs."
But one day the church receptionist buzzed Pastor Don, saying that Al had stopped by, and was wondering whether the pastor had a few minutes to chat. As Don recounted the story, "A man always has time for his hero, so I told her to send him up right away."
"Well, uh ..." she stammered. "Perhaps you had better come downstairs."
When Pastor Don saw Al, he knew something was wrong. Al didn't look right, and then Al reached out to take Don's arm, saying, "Pastor, can you help me up? My legs aren't working very well."
Don was devastated. As they hobbled down the hall, some of his own dreams were being crippled with each halting step. When they got to Don's office, Al said, "Pastor, about a month ago I noticed myself slowing down on my run. Things have happened rapidly since then. The neurologist says that I have ALS - Lou Gehrig's disease. I don't know how much longer I have to live!"
And then, with words that Don says have lifted him up and held him since then, Al continued, "But you know, Pastor, God is good. I feel such peace. It's incredible. I've never felt closer to God. I know that my life is in my Saviour's hands, and I'm ready for whatever He has for me."
The peace that Al experienced was Jesus' gift to him. And in this heaven-sent peace there is an unflinching sense of God's divine presence that will not flee in the middle of crisis or chaos, in the middle of violence or disease, or in the middle of national and personal narratives of fear and threat. This peace camps out in us. It makes a home in us. It is a peace that says, "I've got you and I am not letting you go." It is an Easter peace, a peace that remembers that God does some of His best work in the darkness of a tomb and in the chaos of our world.
This shalom - this peace - comes about because of what the living God has done and is doing, not because of the efforts of humanity. In Isaiah chapter 2, we see that it is God who "will teach us his ways." It is God's Word that will go forth to the nations. It is God alone who "will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples." It is only because of what God has done that "nation will no longer take up sword against nation or train for war anymore." It is only because of what God does that humanity will ever have peace. There is no need "to explore the paths to peace," for there is only one path, and that path goes through the cross. Humanity yearns for peace, but will not acknowledge the hopelessness of their own efforts to achieve it.
This shalom - this peace of God - however, is not available to everyone, but only to those who are at peace with God. The peace of God is available only to those who are at peace with God. Ever since the rebellion of our first parents, all of humanity has been born alienated from God. As scripture tells us, before we were made right with God ... before we were declared righteous based upon our faith in Jesus Christ "we were God's enemies" (Romans 5:10). But the Good News is that God has taken the initiative to offer us his peace.
The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 5, tells us how this takes place. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." The essence of salvation is peace ... peace with God. It is reconciliation with God that takes place through the work of Jesus Christ. When sins are forgiven you have a peace with God that leads to peace within yourself.
In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul states: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." And then Paul adds these words: "For he [that is, Christ Jesus] is our peace." Our peace is more than a state of being. Our peace is ultimately a person, Jesus Christ.
So those without Christ can have no peace nor can they find peace. They might find a degree of contentment, but never true lasting peace in their lives. Within is confusion and dissatisfaction, for people were made to be in communion with God. In being separated from God by their sin, there is a frustration of always seeking contentment and peace in one thing after another and still never being able to find it.
This peace the Bible speaks of has been found by people such as Paul and Silas as they sang praises to God in jail at midnight with bleeding backs; by Paul as he is worked over by the boys from Antioch and Iconium (Acts 14:19); by a dying Stephen as he is stoned to death for his faith in Jesus; and by Al as he dealt with his diagnosis of ALS. It is a peace that not even death can destroy. It is a peace that "transcends all understanding" (Phil. 4:7).
Every year, the southern and southeastern coasts of the U.S. face the effects of terribly devastating storms called hurricanes. We have a summer wildfire season, while they have a fall hurricane season. Weather satellites and reconnaissance aircraft search for these dreadful storms. When winds reach 120 kilometres an hour, the storm is officially designated as a hurricane. Heavy rains, thunder, lightning, and an occasional tornado accompany the pounding winds. These fierce storms can pound the shores and the cities on them for hours at a time.
My youngest brother Paul and his family were living in Florida in 2004 when Hurricane Charlie hit with wind gusts up to 170 kilometres an hour. Patio furniture was flying to the next state. Branches were snapping off trees and landing on roadways making escape nearly impossible. The aluminum framework and its covering over their swimming pool became a ball of crunched up metal and fabric.
And then it happened. The center - the "eye" of the hurricane passed over them, and they experienced an amazing calm. Though the winds blow and rage around it, there is peace in the "eye."
And so it is with us in life. With Jesus Christ as our center, the One who is "the Prince of Peace," there is calm and peace, even in the middle of life's darkest storms.
And Jesus said, "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).
Amen and Amen.
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