When Jesus says “Peace I leave with you” in John 14:27, He is referring to the inner peace and comfort He wants to give His followers through the Holy Spirit. This verse comes within the context of Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. He knows He is about to leave them physically, so He promises them a supernatural peace that the world cannot give or take away.
There are a few key things to understand about the peace Jesus is promising:
1. It’s a gift from Him
Jesus says “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” He is the giver and source of this peace. It’s not something we can find or create on our own, but rather a gift He graciously bestows upon those who belong to Him. He has perfect peace in Himself (Isaiah 26:3) and He shares it with His followers.
2. It’s inner and spiritual
The peace Jesus gives is first and foremost an inner, spiritual peace. It’s not dependent on external circumstances being peaceful, but rather resides within our hearts and minds. That’s why Jesus can say “my peace I give to you” even though He’s about to be crucified! This inner peace comes from being reconciled to God, having assurance of salvation, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. It’s permanent and unshakable
Since Jesus’ peace is spiritual rather than circumstantial, it’s not dependent on changing life events. He doesn’t say “I’ll leave you with peace for now” but rather “I leave with you my peace” – present tense! It’s an ongoing gift for believers rather than a temporary emotional state. That’s why Jesus immediately follows up by saying “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” His peace guards our hearts against fear and anxiety.
4. It’s linked to the Holy Spirit
Jesus is able to give lasting peace because He is sending the Holy Spirit to indwell believers. Just a few verses earlier He promised, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16). The peace Jesus gives is tied to the continuous indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who is our Comforter and Helper.
5. It requires trust in Jesus
This peace is a special blessing for those who place their complete trust in Jesus and rely fully on Him. In the same passage Jesus says, “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced…because I am going to the Father” (John 14:28-29). We can only delight in His peace when we find our satisfaction in Jesus alone.
Jesus doesn’t just wish peace upon His followers; He imparts His own perfect peace to them and in them. This happens when we surrender our lives to His control, rest confidently in His promises, obey His commands, and trust in His power and presence with us through all circumstances. As we walk closely with Jesus, allowing His very peace to “rule in [our] hearts” (Colossians 3:15), we will experience His supernatural peace on a daily basis.
6. It brings comfort in the face of trouble
Jesus gave this promise of peace to comfort His disciples in light of His imminent death and departure from them (John 14:1-4). Though they would face trouble, rejection, persecution, and martyrdom for their faith in Christ, His abiding peace would help sustain them. Jesus does not promise us a life free of tribulation after placing our faith in Him, but rather peace and courage to endure all trials for His sake (John 16:33).
By bequeathing His peace to believers amidst foretelling His death, Jesus was communicating that this peace could help comfort them even in the darkest of circumstances, including their own martyrdoms. This unfathomable peace guards our hearts and minds even during life’s most difficult moments and enables us to trust God’s purpose and plan.
7. It dispels fear and anxiety
After promising His peace to the disciples, Jesus immediately instructs them, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). The peace He gives is directly tied to alleviating fear and anxiety. When our hearts and minds are steadied on Christ, trusting in His purposes and plans for our lives, we can be free from debilitating worry, dread, and fear.
Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), and Jesus demonstrated His perfect love by laying down His life for us. As we abide in Christ’s love, the peace He gives banishes our anxieties. Our fears are replaced with faith in the One who holds our present and our future.
8. It surpasses human understanding
The peace Jesus gives is far beyond human comprehension. In Philippians 4:7, Paul connects Jesus’ peace with the peace of God which “surpasses all understanding.” No matter what situation we face, this powerful peace can guard our hearts and minds if we trust in Christ alone. It does not make sense logically, but is nonetheless deeply and ubiquitously experienced by believers as evidence of God’s infinite wisdom.
Many searching for peace try to find it by changing circumstances or gaining wisdom. But Jesus’ peace reaches places in our soul that human knowledge cannot fathom. It stabilizes us from within as we yield control to Him, for He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
9. It comes through prayer and supplication
The promise of Jesus’ peace is also tied to bringing our requests and petitions to God in prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 instructs believers, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
As we turn to God in dependent prayer, entrusting Jesus with our circumstances, we will find His supernatural peace and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer aligns our hearts with His and reminds us of our place as recipients of His peace.
10. It leads to unity in Christian community
When believers walk in the peace of Christ, it promotes unity and concord within His church. In Ephesians 4, Paul exhorts Christians to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (v.3). As we allow Jesus’ peace to reign in our hearts, it will naturally overflow into our relationships and unify us with other believers. Peace is a hallmark of those abiding in Jesus (Colossians 3:15).
Jesus prayed that His followers would be perfectly one, just as He and the Father are one (John 17:20-23). God intends for the church to demonstrate Christ’s peace through harmonious relationships that witness to the watching world.
11. It testifies to the world
Jesus knew that His peace in believers would testify to the reality of the Gospel before a watching world. In John 14:27 He tells His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” The peace He imparts is so vastly different than what the world can offer that it serves as clear evidence of His lordship and the truth of His promises.
When Christians exhibit confidence, hope, and steadiness amidst life’s uncertainties, it points to the surpassing peace only Jesus provides. As we embody Christ’s peace through the Spirit’s filling, we bear witness to God’s ability to guard hearts and lift burdens.
12. It accompanies salvation
The peace Jesus gives is not present just in times of physical comfort or ease. It is an abiding gift for all who belong to Him through salvation. In Romans 5:1, Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The peace He promises flows directly from reconciliation with God.
None can have true peace apart from salvation in Jesus, for sin separates us from God and makes us enemies of Him (Colossians 1:21-22). Only through forgiveness and new life in Christ can permanent peace be attained as we are made right with God.
13. It will prevail until Jesus returns
The peace Jesus pronounced over His disciples was intended to endure throughout the entire church age. Despite persecution, his peace would prevail until He returned again. In closing his farewell discourse Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Though tribulation is guaranteed in this age as Jesus tarries, so is His overcoming peace. This peace will sustain believers in Jesus until He comes again to make all things new and establish everlasting peace on the earth. What an incredible, enduring gift Jesus has given all who place their trust in Him!
14. It will characterize Jesus’ millennial reign
The peace which Jesus bequeathed to His followers will ultimately find its fullest expression and fulfillment during the Millennial reign of Christ described in Revelation 20. When Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth, peace will finally prevail in full measure under His perfect rule and reign (Isaiah 2:1-4).
The Prince of Peace will sit on the throne of David and politically rule the nations in righteousness. His peace will flow outward to bring harmony and wholeness to all aspects of life on earth. The peace He originally bestowed spiritually on believers will blossom into a worldwide environment of reconciliation, restoration, and tranquility.
15. It will inhabit eternity
The peace Jesus promises reaches even beyond the Millennial kingdom into the eternal state. The prophet Isaiah looked forward to a time when God would “create new heavens and a new earth,” when there would no longer be weeping or crying (Isaiah 65:17-19). God promises to “rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more” (Isaiah 65:19).
The peace Jesus ushered in continues progressing until all longing hearts are finally still; all strife perfectly resolved. This eternal peace flows directly from the throne and uninterrupted presence of God, for “He will dwell with them as their God; and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Revelation 21:3-4). What endless peace awaits!
Jesus’ profound yet puzzling words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” prove even more meaningful when we understand the breadth and scope of the peace He promises. Not only does it comfort and sustain believers through life’s trials, it will ultimately envelope the earth and then the new creation for eternity. This peace is one of Jesus’ supreme parting gifts, blessing all who place their faith in Him.
