4. Trying times ahead

Life in the risen Lord

9 May 2010

John 14:23-29

In the period between Easter and Pentecost, we have been considering ‘Life in the Risen Lord’ and today’s theme comes from John 14:23-29, which is part of a much longer section from John 13 to 17 – the most exhaustive insight into the intimate ministry of Jesus and his conversation with the disciples. He was preparing his disciples for what lay ahead.

When Jesus ascended to the Father, the disciples would have to continue with the mission that God had given to them – however, they would not be alone, but would be empowered by the Holy Spirit. After the resurrection, some of these words would make clearer sense. This was especially true, as these words grew out of the resurrection community.

Jesus did not want his disciples to feel bereft.
Jesus knew that they would face great challenges.
Jesus sought to equip them with words of promise.

Let us put the chapter into its original context … the disciples had shared their ministry with Jesus and that would have already had its cost for them. Their return to fishing at the close of the gospel would indicate there were no interim safeguards; they really had taken seriously the call to follow (see John 1:35-50). The gospels remind us that the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head (Luke 9:58). The disciples lived close to him and so it was no picnic for them either.

The discourse centres around the question: ‘Where is Jesus going and, when he has left, what would be the consequences for the disciples who remain?’ Jesus did not hide the fact that he would leave them, but it was only as the cross drew near that they would begin to understand.

We remind ourselves that:-

Jesus was at the height of his public ministry.
Jesus was good – how could he be rejected?
After resurrection, Jesus’ disciples would find it hard to contemplate his departure once again.

In view of this impending departure, Jesus looks to the disciples’ needs.

What was true for the disciples is true for all of us who seek to follow him. When a person gives a farewell speech, it is customary to bequeath to the audience something by which they will be remembered. In a comparatively short space, this section deals with the benefits of his departure for the disciples.

We are faced with the same challenge as the gospel writer: how to understand the story of the first frightened disciples and apply it to the wider context of a people who had to live the Christian life without Jesus’ physical presence.

Text: John 14:27 -
    ‘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.’

What will this gift of peace mean for the disciples? How will they face the future? This may have implications for us, as we consider such moments in our own lives.

They will be intricately linked to His ministry... My peace I leave with you

It is of practical necessity that Jesus Christ leaves this world – to gift his Spirit to us. These promises take on fresh meaning in a community that still knew what it was to lock themselves behind doors. It would only be when the full gift of Pentecost was released amongst them that they would feel the inspiration of being truly free.

The continuing gift of Jesus is ‘Shalom’ – which is a more holistic understanding of the word and concept of peace than we often recognise. It is far more than the removal of conflict or anxiety. It is a gift which sets free!

Jesus had no material possessions to bequeath

Nobody ever remembers Jesus as One who gathered the world’s material possessions – and so his gift to his friends was not in any way a material gift. However, what he offered was far more valuable to them – the gift of peace.

The Hebrew concept of peace embraced health and wellbeing. It quite naturally became the word of regular greeting or leave-taking. There could be no kinder thought for the troubled disciples as they considered the future.

Many who lack nothing in this world … lack peace

I am sure we have all known what it is to meet people who have been fortunate enough to have much in terms of this world’s goods – and yet lack peace. Having said all that, I have met people who had both.

You cannot generate peace in the human heart, any more than you can create it by physical or intellectual exercises. Peace is something far more! Jesus has spoken about the gift of peace in the Spirit which will come alongside his people (14:16, 17) and provide help. The Spirit would continue to do what Jesus had already done.

Jesus did not just talk peace … he gave it. Jesus Christ did not enter into superficial talk … he gave his presence to his followers. One writer put it, ‘Where this peace dwells, there can be no foolish regrets and misgivings – not even sorrow at the words of farewell and promise.’

This would become a great motivation

This gift of peace will be a sign of the church’s best story. It is so easy to become dismissive of the church … and some people are critical to a dangerous level. Allowing for the negative aspects, which are real, we can still look back and see disciples of Jesus in each and every generation, speaking out so wonderfully for what is right and engaging in the struggle for righteousness and justice.

As the community of faith, we must be willing to take risks, to adventure in hope … what makes this possible is the gift of God’s presence which is peace.

Many New Testament documents were written by the Apostle Paul, often in the form of letters written to his fellow-Christians, giving them instruction and encouragement. There is one sentence which appears in each of Paul’s epistles: "Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

Paul always used this salutation in greeting the people he loved and cared about … and it is altogether appropriate for us as we meet and greet one another. I suppose each of us has some hope for the well-being of others and, of all the desires we may have for one another, perhaps none is more fitting than this one - the blessing of the grace and peace of God.

They will be empowered with something more than the material... I do not give as the world gives

Jesus offers something supremely important, over and beyond whatever the world gives. In the context of our modern obsession to gain, in Christ we discover the ability to give! Jesus always came alongside the disciples – his pattern was one of selflessness and he asked disciples to follow … but in his power and in his way. One of the themes of John 14 is the assurance that disciples would not be like orphans, but awakened in a spiritual perception, which distinguishes them from the pervading culture of the day.

We must be a people who continually see the clear lines of difference between ourselves and the popular and dominant cultures which surround us. The way Jesus would face death was so unique.

He laid his life down with a will and purpose: not ‘struggling, clamouring, cursing, as others did, but a voluntary sacrifice for a lost world.’ Likewise, we are empowered with far more than the material. It is:-

The radical differentiation of Christianity

The early Christian community would reflect on the ministry of Jesus and see that Jesus Christ achieved on the cross the work of God in reconciling the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18). The empowerment of the Spirit would mean that Christians would be the salt and light Jesus spoke of (Matthew 5:13-16) in the practical reality of the world’s conflict. ‘Shalom’ – embraces the whole realm of life. It includes wholeness, health, security and even prosperity (in the best sense of that word). It is a spiritual power let loose in the life of a radical community.

The realistic distinction from contemporary values

This gift of peace is the distinctive marker of our values when placed in the cauldron of contemporary values. It is true that the Christian community has not always been the best example of good values, but it ought to be! Christian leaders have even fought, but those who will be remembered beyond their lives are those who bring the influence of peace. Jesus honoured as ‘blessed’ those who are ‘peacemakers’ (Matthew 5:9)

The reasoned definition of our work

At Wesley Mission, we can look at our work and define it by peace. There have been times when we have clearly spoken out for peace at times of futile conflict.

I think particularly of the Vietnam War … when we stood at the head of the line to argue for a peaceable, not a military solution. But seeking peace is even more widely applicable in terms of:-

Conflict in family and the greater community life.
Hurt between people, when deciding about priorities.
Bitterness against people of different ethnic backgrounds from our own.

You could define our witness in terms of the desire to bring peace into the world, into community and into individual lives.

If you visit Leichardt, a suburb of Sydney, and journey to the piazza in the Forum, by a fountain you will find a splendid statue of the Italian poet, Dante, who was born in Florence in the second half of the thirteenth century. He wrote The Divine Comedy, a spiritual testament which tells of a journey from hell to paradise.

One day, he is reported to have knocked on the door of the Franciscan monastery at Lunigiana. He was asked, ‘What do you want?’ He replied, ‘Peace.’

Frederick Buechner once said: ‘When somebody you have wronged forgives you, you are spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience. When you forgive someone who has wronged you, you are spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride for both parties. Forgiveness means the freedom again to be at peace inside your own skin and to be glad in each other's presence.’

They will be released from fear... Do not be afraid

Is there any greater concern for individuals and communities than fear? Jesus knew his disciples would need to confront this in their own lives and wanted to steer them on a pathway which only peace could decide. He was concerned that they should not be afraid or troubled.

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. In one sense, it is a basic survival mechanism, but it has to be faced. One of the most reassuring facts of our faith is that God will not abandon us. God pursues us and never relents in his compassionate concern for every one of us. Jesus unlocked the handcuffs of fear which shackled those early disciples as they faced the future.

Fear will be their present experience

Clearly after the resurrection, they would wonder what was to happen. As they returned to the Galilee, they would turn over in their minds what would be before them, but even more troubling: ‘How will we manage on our own?’ They recalled his instructions, which is why they left for Galilee in the first place, and by sticking close together in challenging circumstances. By Pentecost, they were as one in the temple courts (Acts 2:1). They had already replaced Judas and were ready for the future.

It is interesting that Jesus spent time with his disciples as they prepared for the oncoming events surrounding the cross. He wanted to encourage them not to be overcome by worry and fear.

Fear would confront them as they faced the future

You only have to turn over the pages of the New Testament to realise that they would be confronted by unthinkable circumstances. Physical horrors, imprisonment and rejection were a far cry from walking the streets of the Galilee and listening to his teaching. But from the moment Jesus set his face to the city of Jerusalem, he spelled out the practical realities of what all this might mean.

‘Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Those who would be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul? If any of you are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

‘And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”’ (Mark 8:34 – 9:1)

There is a true story told about a church, who much like us, has a time during the service for passing the peace of Christ … a time when they greet one another and their guests with handshakes and kind words of welcome. Nobody thought much about the ritual until the minister received a letter from a man who had recently joined the congregation. The new member was a promising young lawyer from a prestigious law firm.

He drafted a brief but pointed letter on his firm's letterhead. ‘I am writing to complain about the congregational ritual known as “passing the peace,”’ he wrote. ‘I disagree with it, both personally and professionally, and I am prepared to take legal action to cause this practice to cease.’ When the minister phoned to talk with the lawyer about the letter, he asked why he was so disturbed about sharing the peace of Christ. The lawyer said, ‘The passing of the peace is an invasion of my privacy.’

The moment we join the fellowship of Christ and believe, we give up our right to complete privacy, and we know that God will never leave us alone. In response to this claim of invasion of privacy, the minister said, ‘You never know when Jesus Christ will intrude on us with a word of peace.’

Fear remains the dominant issue for many

In the last week, we have launched our seventh ‘Wesley Report and picked up the theme of Keeping minds well: Mental Health is everybody’s business. Professor Patrick McGorry, 2010 Australian of the Year, has helped to push the issue up the agenda of social issues that demand urgent attention. Fear and anxiety are certainly aspects of our struggles which are still tainted by stigma.

The presence of fear is still the dominant feature of life in many communities. Far too many in our world go to bed at night not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

Fear which poverty generates.
Fear which war accentuates.
Fear which unhealthy power depends upon.

I have spoken about the tip of Africa and how it became The Cape of Good Hope. In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan battled for a whole year to find a passage around the tip of South America. In the southern waters, there is an icy chill and it embraces some of the worst weather of the earth. He faced raging seas, towering ice floes and, most challenging of all, in the midst of all this a mutinous crew plagued his efforts.

When he finally made his way through those straits, known today as The Straits of Magellan, he guided his ship and entered into a great body of water that lay beyond … and as he and his crew lifted their faces to heaven and gave thanks to God, he named the new ocean The Peaceful One – The Pacific Ocean.

Jesus leads us to a place of peace and this is his greatest gift … the power that enables us to face the trying times ahead.

Without fear of the future.
Without fear of lacking resources.
Without the fear of the obstacles that will appear.

A farmer was being questioned by a lawyer during a trial concerning an accident on a highway. The lawyer asked the farmer, "Is it true, Mr. Jones, that when the highway patrol officer came over to you after the accident, you said, 'I feel fine'?"

Farmer Jones began to answer by saying, "Well, now, me and my cow Bessie were driving down the highway in my pickup truck when..." At this point the attorney interrupted, saying, "Please just answer my question with a yes or a no; did you say to the officer, 'I feel fine'?" Farmer Jones then tried to answer the question again. He said, "Well, now, me and my cow Bessie were driving down the highway in my pickup truck when..."

The attorney stopped him again and this time asked the judge to intervene. He said, "Your honour, would you please instruct the witness to simply answer my question with a yes or a no." The judge said, "Why don't we just let him tell his story?"

So, Farmer Jones told his story. "Me and my cow Bessie were driving down the highway in my pickup truck. Bessie, of course, was in the bed of the truck. I heard a loud bang and knew that I had blown out a tyre. The truck went flying off the road and landed in a ditch. I went flying out of the truck on one side of the highway and Bessie landed on the other side. When I woke up, the highway patrol officer came over to me and said that Bessie was in awful shape. He then went back over to Bessie, pulled out his gun and shot her dead. Then he came over to me and asked me how I felt and I said, "'I feel fine, just fine!'"

Fear causes us to do things and say things that we might not in other circumstances. Fear can be a powerful motivator in our lives. Too often fear is a destructive force with little redeeming value. The Apostle Paul encourages us to "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...." He even goes on to say that we have been called to this experience of peace in Jesus Christ. We were built and designed by God to be a people of faith, not fear. Faith in the One who redeems us will lead to peace.

Whatever the trying times ahead, his presence infused by peace will make it possible to face the consequences with genuine confidence in the Risen Lord.

Christian Life