“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
For the past three years, the disciples were constantly walking with Jesus, watching His every move and taking in everything He taught them. Up until this point, Jesus had been telling His disciples about the things that were about to come now that the hour was approaching when He would no longer be with them physically. Although they did not fully understand what He meant by this and as discouraging as that was for the disciples to hear, this was actually good news. He told them that He had to go so that the Spirit could come and remain with them always (John 14:16). The Spirit would be their helper, teaching them in all things and reminding them of everything that Jesus had said, done, and taught them (John 14:26) throughout the three years that they walked together. Again, they didn’t understand fully what He was saying, but soon it would make much more sense. Soon, they would be faced with trials, hardships, and difficult situations where the Holy Spirit would remind and encourage them so that they would continue in the faith and overcome difficult situations.
Jesus said to His disciples, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” Jesus already knew what His disciples were going to face so He encouraged them by telling them that He would always be with them through His Spirit. In the middle of their difficult situations, they could find peace in Him knowing that they didn’t have to go through it alone. This peace that Jesus spoke of did not mean that they would not have hard times or that they would no longer have any suffering. In fact, Jesus told them the exact opposite when He said, “you will have suffering in this world.” Jesus was not promising a worry-free life, but what He was promising was that in the middle of their storm, they could be worry-free.
This peace that Jesus promised was not a peace that the world could offer, but a peace that could only be found in Him.
In John 15:5, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the true vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.“ Notice what Jesus said in that verse. “He who abides in Me will bear much fruit; in Me.” Notice what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:33; “these things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace; in Me.” Remember, Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the Holy Spirit coming after He had departed from this world (John 14:26). The peace that they would receive would be found only in Him through the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit coming they would not be able to experience this peace that He spoke of. Why is that? Galatians 5:22-23 talks about the different fruits of the Spirit and one of the fruits of the Spirit is peace. It is an attribute of the Spirit. This peace that Jesus promised when He said, “in Me you may have peace,” would be found in Him by His Spirit.
Look at the rest of what Jesus had said to His disciples in John 16:33. “Be courageous.” Other translations read, “be brave; be of good cheer; be confident; take heart in knowing that He has already overcome the world.” There is a peace that comes from the Spirit when it reminds us of all that Christ had overcame. All that He has done and has done for us. There is a peace knowing that there is nothing outside of God’s control and there is nothing that has any more power than what God has allowed it to have. There is a peace in knowing that there is nothing that He has not overcome and that He gives us the same Spirit and power to overcome our storms (Romans 8:11).
It is through the Spirit, His Spirit, where we find the peace of God. A peace that is beyond understanding. Peace is a part of the Spirit and the Spirit brings peace by bringing to our remembrance all that Jesus has said in His word. Nevertheless, there is a correlation between the amount of peace we have and how much we are abiding in Christ. How close we are choosing to be and how much we are remaining in Him. If we are only abiding a little, then we shouldn’t be surprised when we have little peace in the midst of our storm(s). However, if we are abiding much, then we will have much peace in the middle of our storm(s). As we read and study His word, it is the Spirit that reminds us of all that He has said which produces in us a peace knowing that we can stand on His word (Matthew 5:18). A peace that can be found in knowing that God is sovereign and in complete control over all things. And a peace knowing that just as Christ spoke to the wind and the waves and said peace be still and it obeyed, at any moment He can speak peace over our situation(s) and it must also obey.