The Rev. Paul J Cain
St. John 14:23-31
Peace I Leave with You
The Day of Pentecost, 24 May 2015
Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
In John 14:23ff Jesus is answering a question. What
question? Who asked it? What does it mean for us? And who else asks questions
along the way? Let’s listen to the Words of Comfort the Lord has for you in the
verses leading up to our appointed reading for today:
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that
where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we
know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me,
you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen
him."
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it
is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long,
and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on
my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of
the works themselves.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me
will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do,
because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name,
I will do it.
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you
forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will
be in you.
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me.
Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my
Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps
them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
Words of Gospel comfort abound in these opening verses of
John 14. Questions from Thomas and Philip are answered patiently and
pastorally, yet with some surprise that mere hours before His arrest these
disciples still don’t comprehend the big picture by faith.
Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that
you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" Judas the son of
James asks Jesus more about the hidden reality that He has been describing.
This question is answered in our appointed Holy Gospel, verses 23-31.
Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep
my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home
with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that
you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
The fuller answer is coming. For the moment, we hear this: One
who loves Christ will keep Christ’s Word. Such a one who loves Christ does not
reject parts of the Old Testament here or New Testament there. Jesus’ Word is
not one that we can go and edit with a word processor or a pair of scissors. It
is a comprehensive whole. Both Deuteronomy and Revelation speak of the dangers
of adding to or taking away from the prophecy of God’s Word. Societal pressures
and personal preference are not valid reasons to deny or not keep Jesus’
teaching. They are not merely the words of a man. They belong to the Father who
sent the Son.
Some in the world appear to believe that as long as we pass
a law to command this or forbid that, that having laws will solve our problems.
This theory rises and falls on the belief that laws compel obedience. They do
not. Some people choose not to obey laws. People who don’t care about God’s law
won’t care about human laws. Church and state stand in the gap between
obedience and reality. The civil holiday called Memorial Day reminds us to
remember those who died while serving in uniform. The Church Festival of
Pentecost celebrates the pouring out of God the Holy Ghost on all Christians,
He who delivers to us, here and now, the fruits of all that Jesus accomplished
for us as an obedient Son of God and Son of Man.
The Father loves the ones who obey the Word. Such obedience
does not earn forgiveness of sins or heaven, but the Father loves such loving
obedience as if it were faith’s thank you note for what has already been given
in Christ.
Jesus says, “We will come to him and make our home with
him.” Jesus speaks of the promised Holy Spirit, mentioned by name in the next
section. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to convict each one of us of our
sins through the law, and deliver the blessings of the Gospel. Have you felt
guilty? Are you feeling guilty? Are there things you’d rather not hear about
from the Word of God? Is the Spirit convicting you of your favorite, private,
secret sins? Have you been confronted about something you don’t consider to be
sinful? The Holy Spirit is doing His job. Repent and believe the Gospel! Leave
behind your former ways of disobedience and sin.
"These things I have spoken to you while I am still
with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I
have said to you. Be glad, exult, and be jubilant with joy in the forgiveness
of sins, the Gospel.
How could men record the Words of God? This passage deals
with that common objection to the faith. Yes, the Bible had human authors, but
they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit to record what they did. God knew the
historical situation, vocabulary, writing style, and language of each man. The
Bible has many human authors, but over them all there is one Divine Author, God
Himself. The Spirit was sent to teach and remind. The apostles, prophets, and
evangelists were inspired to record what God had given.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the
world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them
be afraid.
Could the comfort of the Gospel be any clearer? He wants to
give you peace unlike any so-called peace that the world can give. Peace
treaties can be temporary. World peace is elusive. It’s not going to happen! In
the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars. The peace Jesus leaves
with you is peace with the Lord. That heavenly peace breaks into human history
on Jesus’ Cross and vicarious sacrifice. That peace with God translates into
peace between those with whom God has made peace. You are to be at peace with
one another and love one another. That is how Christians are to be known. And
not by backbiting, gossip, making assumptions, plotting behind another’s back,
abuse, neglect, uninformed speculation, or even little snide comments that
often ARE overheard.
Jesus gives you peace with God. You have the promise of life
eternal, an end to the war humanity has fought with God since the Battle of
Eden. Jesus signed the peace treaty with His own blood. That is His testament
for you, your inheritance of peace. Therefore, make peace with all around you.
Share the peace of Christ. Be of one accord in Christ.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the
world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them
be afraid.
During the Lent and Easter seasons, we alternated Divine
Service on Wednesdays with the service of Compline, Prayer at the Close of the
Day. Compline is a bedtime service. Our practice has been to include a sermon
at the very beginning, but the basic idea of the service historically and
pastorally was to give Gospel comfort to Christians so that they may watch with
Christ when awake and when asleep, may rest in peace. Brief readings follow
confession and absolution, a psalm, and a hymn. This portion of John 14 is one
of those brief, comforting, Gospel readings.
As we enter the long Trinity Season with its green
paraments, we will resume alternating Divine Service on Wednesdays with the
service of Evening Prayer. Gospel comfort will continue all summer and fall
here, especially on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Some people will
search all summer, some all fall, and some their whole life long for something
give them the comfort they’ve been avoiding or missing in Christ. In St. Augustine's
Confessions (Lib 1,1-2,2.5,5: CSEL 33, 1-5) Augustine shares the truth,
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it
rests in you."
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the
world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them
be afraid.
Jesus continues: 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, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you
before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will
no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no
claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may
know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.”
Let us rejoice! The Son has gone to the Father to prepare a
place for us! Alleluia! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! He
has told us many things before they take place so that you would not be
deceived. The one sent from heaven returned to heaven at His ascension, yet He
abides with you until the end of the age. He will never leave you nor forsake
you. You have His peace with you and His comforting presence for you. His
Spirit abides within you! What wondrous
love is this! The Peace of the Lord be with you always. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
