We have taken several weeks in John 14. This week we are going to step back to see the tapestry Jesus was revealing to His disciples. For the sake of completion, read John 14:18-31. In those verses, Jesus continues to expound and expand the threads He spoke to His disciples.
While it doesn’t have the succinctness of Jesus’ last words in Matthew28:18-20, John chapter 14 has a similar purpose. There are four threads seen throughout the chapter. Those threads are – The reality of abiding. The coming Helper. Love means keeping His commandments and word. The fourth thread is Jesus’ soon departure.
Taken together, they provide a magnificent source of peace and surety. Something the disciples desperately needed at that moment. They revealed a picture of interconnectedness. And that interconnectedness answers one gigantic question we all struggle with – how. How do we, does anyone, follow Jesus?
The disciples had it easy; Jesus was present, and following Him was as easy as walking to the market with someone. But now Jesus is leaving them, and yet they are still expected to follow. How? It is all about connection.
Jesus’ secret was his fully connected abiding with the Father and the Father in Him. His disciples and followers are invited into that same relationship and connectedness. Another thread is the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit teaches, comforts, convicts, guides, and empowers Christ’s followers. The third thread reveals our own hearts. How do we know if we are following Christ and loving Him? By keeping His commandments and words.
What is revealed to you in those threads? Jesus’ preparing the disciples for His departure is the dark thread against which everything else is woven. There is fear, doubt, and concern in their questions. That is not very different than most of our experiences. Over that is woven the three threads mentioned above. By stepping back, a picture is revealed.
What I see Jesus leading His followers to is a cross-shaped life. The vertical beam is represented in the threads of our interconnectedness with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The horizontal beam our love and works for others. Implicit in Jesus’ words is a laying down of our own lives by allowing Christ in, inviting the work of the Holy Spirit, loving God with everything we are, and loving others.
There is one bright thread yet to consider. We may still have fear, doubt, and concern. We may perhaps feel a bit abandoned or orphaned. But Jesus gave us one more color to add to our tapestry. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27, NASB95)
There is a great move in the world to find peace through eastern-style meditation and mindfulness called Zen. Peace is a good thing no matter its source. But Jesus’ peace far exceeds anything that meditation, breathing, and mindfulness can achieve. Jesus doesn’t give us a formula to peace; He gives us His very own peace. “My peace I give you.” Unlike Zen, which, when boiled down, is self-focused, Christ’s peace requires that we look outside of ourselves. It is a received peace instead of a self-generated peace. Christ’s peace doesn’t shut out the chaos of the world but sees God’s hand at work in all things. In Christ’s peace, we don’t gain control of ourselves; we give control to Jesus. As the rest of John’s Gospel unfolds, the disciples are going to need that peace, but it doesn’t come easily.
So what is today’s takeaway? We all strive for so many things. There is trouble in every corner. Fear and doubt are in abundance. And sometimes, we simply feel alone. The way forward is to abide in Christ and He in you. Invite the work of the Holy Spirit. Strive to love God with everything and to love others. And receive His peace. More than that, take His peace to the chaos of the world around you. Freely receive; freely give all that God has for you.
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