Parting Last Gift – “Peace I Leave With You”

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            Has the “Peace I leave with you” left us?

I hate to confess, my heart is troubled.  Not to worry, I love my private life – so much so, when asked, “How are you doing?” my preferred response is, “Better than I deserve.”  I haven’t earned the joy, the wonder, the peace and love I live with.  They’re gifts.  And I’m profoundly grateful.  Yet, my heart is troubled.
Jesus conferred upon us peace with the challenge to not let our hearts be troubled.  Two notes:  First, peace – in scripture – is never abstract.  Peace (שָׁלוֹם) is relational.  To a Galilean Jew, peace is about social welfare.  It’s as much political as religious.
            Second, the word heart, in our time, centres on the inner raw emotional experience of connecting, feelings.  However, for the folks following Jesus, the heart involved your mind – thinking, reflecting:  those wordy words and noisy voices bouncing around in your head and stirring in your gut are also your heart. 
             My heart is troubled.  I’m worried about where our money mad world is heading.  The grave injustices, inequities, before the pandemic – what will happen after?  The weak?  The working poor?  The healthy and wealthy powerful?  What about future generations?  What about those dying without family at their side?  I am deeply disturbed in heart with suspicions of how the aristocrats of our day will consolidate their rule at the expense of the humble.
             I have to remind myself that when the Gospel According to John was first being rehashed among the fledgling flock, followers of Jesus were blood sport in the Circus Maximus,   considered atheistic cannibals, to the Roman civility.  As for the Judeans, families were sitting Shiva (a 7-day mourning period) for those heretical members of their household, considered dead to them, having left the faith for the heretical radical Way. The social disincentives for living into the Shalom/Peace of Christ can hardly be over-state
One of our friends at QHP
The peace Jesus confers is given in turmoil, amidst profound social, cultural, and maybe even religious changes.  So upon what do I centre my mind that my heart not be troubled?  Joy, is the answer, says Jesus.  Joy that Jesus is returning to the Father.  I’m glad I have 7 more chapters in John to discover what that means.  I imagine it has something to do with the cross and resurrection – oh, and peace (see John 20:19ff).  The story of New Life has much in store. 





  ~~ Prepared by Tim, QHP Core Community, Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter, John 14 ~~

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