The Rev. Paul
J Cain, Jr.
St. John 14:23-31
Peace I Leave with You
The Day of Pentecost, 19 May 2013
Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed,
spoke the words recorded in chapters 13 through 18 of the Gospel according to
St. John. John 17 was a perfect reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter last
Sunday. 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. 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.
One cultural example of a dangerous adding to and taking
away from the Word is the notorious novel, The Da Vinci Code. Not only
is it blasphemous in its treatment of Christ, but there are factual errors too
numerous to mention in even a one-hour sermon! For more details, please see me.
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.
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 they 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, 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. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid.
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.
One
of the most moving passages in English literature comes toward the end of
Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution.
Each day, a grim procession of prisoners made its way on the streets of Paris
to the guillotine. One prisoner, Sidney Carton, a brave man who had once lost
his soul but had now found it again, was now giving his life for his friend.
Beside him there was a young girl. They had met before in the prison, and the
girl had noticed the man's gentleness and courage. She said to him, "If I
may ride with you, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid, but I am
little and weak, and it will give me more courage."
So they rode together, her hand in his; and when they
reached the place of execution, there was no fear in her eyes. She looked up
into the quiet composed face of her companion and said, "I think you were
sent to me by heaven."
In all the dark valleys of life, the God of all comfort, in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, is at our side. (Citation: Owen Bourgaize;
Guernsey, United Kingdom)
What wondrous love
is this!
About the Cover: The Day of Pentecost celebrates the gift of
the Helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches in John 14 that the Holy Spirit is
sent to teach the disciples all things and to bring to their remembrance
everything He said to them. That promise was fulfilled when the Spirit inspired
the apostles to write their Gospels and Epistles and is fulfilled today when we
hear or read the apostolic writings from the Scriptures and by the Spirit’s
help understand them to be all about Jesus.
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.
