Jn.14:26,27 – But the Helper (Paracletos), the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.
Three major challenges are facing the disciples as Jesus prepares them for His departure. First, they have no idea how they will continue ministry without Jesus there. He was bigger than life and was the center of everything that happened. How could they ever do what He did? Secondly, He was asking them to go into all the world and introduce a world wide Christian movement. The odds of them being successful was nil; they had no formal training and absolutely no resources. The only thing they would have was the Holy Spirit. They had no idea the significance of that yet, only after they were baptized in the Spirit did they begin to understand. The final and most daunting challenge was persecution and death. It seemed more and more likely by now that their death was pretty much a sure thing. Jesus would die tomorrow and their death seemed more and more imminent. Here is how Barclay describes the solution.
“He speaks of his gift, and his gift is peace. In the Bible, the word for peace, shalōm, never means simply the absence of trouble. It means everything which makes for our highest good. The peace which the world offers us is the peace of escape, the peace which comes from the avoidance of trouble and from refusing to face things. The peace which Jesus offers us is the peace of conquest. No experience of life can ever take it from us, and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less. It is independent of external circumstances.”
The solution to all three problems was the peace that emanates from the Holy Spirit. Jesus had promised them peace that would keep them and lead them into victory. He would clothe them in power to do the things Jesus did, He would empower them again and again to go into all the world. He would protect them from their enemies until their role was complete. Martyrdom would come for most but they were given peace that was even bigger than their death.
We live in distinctly different times and it is easy to lose our peace. What is our solution? Remember this – Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is peace.