The Peace of Christ: Why Calm Isn’t the Same as Trust

Colossians 3:15

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (NIV)

Jesus said He was leaving us His peace. His peace is not the same peace the world seeks. The world seeks peace by eliminating all sources of discord, fear, and anxiety. This is an impossible task that will eventually lead us to self-destructive behavior of escape. Once we realize the continual barrage of peace-killing issues, we turn to those things that temporarily anesthetize our pain. We do this until we are addicted or on the verge of being addicted. The world’s attempt to create peace by shutting down anything and everything that disturbs our peace is futile and never ends well. But this is not the peace Christ has left to us who believe.

His peace was in the midst of great turmoil. The nation of Israel was in turmoil under the thumb of the Roman Empire. The Jewish culture was pregnant with rampant racism, classism, and religiosity.

The prejudice and hatred created a system where some Jews took advantage of the position allowed by the Roman government. Tax collectors were Jewish but worked for the Roman government, which allowed them to keep all the taxes they collected above the required quota. This legalized them to steal from their own people.

The Jewish religious leaders were allowed to stay in position, and Israel was allowed to continue their system of worship. The Romans guarded against any kind of civil unrest, so any complaints or rebellion against corrupt religious leaders would have been squashed. So the religious leaders operated in legal extortion.

This system gave the religious leaders an umbrella of protection to persecute Christ and seek the death penalty from the Roman governor. They stirred the people into a frenzy, and to shut down the unrest of the people, Pilate consented to crucifying Jesus.

Through all of this, Jesus never loses His temper. He never lashes out. He hangs on the cross, experiencing excruciating pain, and His peace remains. In that peace, He looks out upon the people He came to save as they celebrate His death and says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He knew the Father would rescue Him from death and establish His throne, no matter how things looked at the moment.

Our peace is not the absence of hardship. It is knowing God will see us through if we only hold on to Him. He is our peace.

Prayer: Lord, let me stop trying to escape the challenging moments of life, but let me tighten my grip on You instead. Amen.