Sixth Sunday of Easter, cycle C

JOHN 14:23-29
JUST WHAT KIND OF PEACE IS THE PEACE JESUS CALLS “MY PEACE”? IS IT SOMETHING I WANT? WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT, ANYWAY?
FIRST, HE POINTS OUT THAT IT’S NOT THE WORLD’S IDEA OF PEACE. IF WE WANT PEACE BETWEEN COUNTRIES, WE MAKE TREATIES AND ARE VIGILANT ABOUT HONORING THEM AND MAKING SURE THE OTHER SIDE HONORS THEM. IF THAT DOESN’T WORK, WE MAKE THREATS. IF THAT STILL DOESN’T WORK, WE MAY GO TO WAR UNTIL ONE COUNTRY IS MORE DEVASTATED THAN THE OTHER AND THE FIGHTING COMES TO AN END. THEN THERE IS PEACE. OR WE MIGHT HAVE A SECTION OF THE INNER CITY WHERE CRIMINAL GANGS ROAM THE STREETS AND TERRORIZE THE CITIZENS. THIEVES BREAK INTO HOUSES AND CARS; ONCE IN A WHILE SOMEONE GETS SHOT, OR BEATEN TO DEATH. AND WE INCREASE THE POLICE PATROLS AND ENLIST THE HELP OF THE CITIZENS IN REPORTING CRIME, AND EVENTUALLY THE CRIMINALS GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND THERE IS PEACE, AT LEAST IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR A WHILE. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH TO ACHIEVE PEACE IN THE WORLD, IN PLACES WHERE THERE IS NO PEACE, WE NEED STRENGTH, WE NEED POWER, AND SOMETIMES, WE EVEN NEED VIOLENCE.
THAT KIND OF PEACE IS GOOD; IT’S BETTER THAN WAR. BUT IT LEADS TO A LOGICAL CONCLUSION – NORTH KOREA, OR CUBA, WHERE THERE IS PROFOUND PEACE, BECAUSE THERE IS NO FREEDOM AT ALL. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, THERE IS A DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN MORE PEACE ON THE ONE HAND, AND MORE FREEDOM ON THE OTHER, BECAUSE THE MORE HUMAN BEINGS ARE ALLOWED FREEDOM, THE MORE LIKELY SOME OF THEM WILL DISRUPT THE PEACE, AND IT DOESN’T TAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO DESTROY THE WORLD’S PEACE.
JESUS OFFERS HIS DISCIPLES HIS PEACE. WHAT KIND OF PEACE DO WE MEAN BY THAT? IF WE LOOK AT THE LIFE OF JESUS, HE LIVED IN A SOCIETY LIKE THAT OF NORTH KOREA OR CUBA. THE ROMAN RULERS PUT UP WITH VERY LITTLE AND WERE QUICK TO STAMP OUT UNREST. CRIMINALS WERE NOT JAILED, THEY WERE CRUCIFIED; AND AGITATION BY THE CITIZENS ENDED UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE ON THE STREETS. IN ORDER TO MAKE THEIR WORK A LITTLE EASIER, THE ROMANS ENLISTED THE LEADERS OF THE PEOPLE THEY RULED, AND GAVE THEM JUST ENOUGH AUTHORITY TO KEEP THEM ON THEIR SIDE. WITNESS THE HIGH PRIESTS, OR KING HEROD. AND THE ROMANS WERE VERY PROUD OF WHAT THEY CALLED PAX ROMANA, THE PEACE OF ROME, WHICH THEY WANTED TO EXTEND TO ALL THE WORLD. SO JESUS KNEW WHAT THE PEACE OF THE WORLD WAS ALL ABOUT.
BUT THE PEACE HE CALLED HIS OWN WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PEACE. IT WAS THE PEACE OF PERSPECTIVE. HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, “DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THOSE WHO CAN KILL THE BODY AND AFTER THAT CAN DO NO MORE. BUT I WILL ALSO SHOW YOU WHOM YOU SHOULD FEAR: FEAR HIM WHO, AFTER THE KILLING OF THE BODY HAS THE POWER TO THROW YOU INTO HELL.” HE SAID “BUT I SAY TO YOU, DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON; BUT WHOEVER SLAPS YOU ON YOUR RIGHT CHEEK, TURN THE OTHER TO HIM ALSO.” HE SAID, “DO NOT BE AFRAID, LITTLE FLOCK, FOR YOUR FATHER HAS CHOSEN GLADLY TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM.” AND JESUS WASN’T ALL TALK, EITHER. EVEN STANDING BEFORE PILATE OR HEROD, HE SHOWED NO FEAR. JESUS HAD PEACE, BECAUSE HOW COULD IT BE OTHERWISE WHEN HE KNEW THAT HE HAD, AS HE SAID, “COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN NOT TO DO MY WILL BUT TO DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME.” COULD JESUS FEEL FEAR? OF COURSE. HE FEARED HIS DEATH, AND PRAYED THAT THE FATHER MIGHT CHANGE HIS MIND. BUT JESUS DID NOT FEAR OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN ARMIES. BECAUSE HE HAD THE PEACE OF PERSPECTIVE, THE PEACE THAT COMES FROM KNOWING THAT YOU ARE A SON OR DAUGHTER OF GOD, AND THE WORLD CAN’T DO A THING ABOUT THAT. AND THIS PEACE THAT JESUS CALLS HIS OWN IS NOT A PEACE THAT LEADS TO A WORLD LIKE NORTH KOREA OR CUBA. IT IS A PEACE WHERE YOU ARE TOTALLY FREE IN THE CORE OF YOUR BEING, EVEN THOUGH YOU MIGHT BE IN A PRISON, OR YOU MIGHT BE MARTYRED. IN THE FACE OF DEATH, JESUS SAID, “I LAY DOWN MY LIFE AND I TAKE IT UP AGAIN”. AND WE HAVE BEEN PROMISED THAT THAT IS OUR FATE AS WELL; WHEN WE LAY DOWN OUR LIVES, WE WILL BE RAISED AGAIN.
THAT’S THE PEACE JESUS WANTS TO GIVE US, THE PEACE OF THE RESURRECTION, THE PEACE OF EASTER, THE PEACE THAT NO EARTHLY POWER CAN DISTURB. AND WHILE THE WORLD’S PEACE COMES AT THE EXPENSE OF FREEDOM, FREEDOM INCREASES AS WE CLAIM THE PEACE OF JESUS.
THE PEACE JESUS WANTS TO GIVE US REQUIRES SOMETHING ON OUR PART. HE WOULD NEVER FORCE HIS GIFT UPON US. BUT WE CAN HAVE THIS PEACE IF WE ASK FOR IT, IF WE MAKE ROOM FOR IT IN OUR HEARTS. BECAUSE THERE ISN’T MUCH ROOM IN OUR HEARTS THESE DAYS, UNLESS WE SIT QUIETLY AND OPEN OURSELVES UP FOR A FEW MINUTES EVERY DAY. BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT.
IT’S MOTHER’S DAY, SO HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR MOTHERS. THE PEACE JESUS OFFERS IS SOMETHING LIKE THE PEACE A MOTHER OFFERS HER CHILDREN. WHEN I WAS ABOUT FOUR, WE LIVED IN A HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF TOWN, AND ACROSS THE STREET WAS A FIELD FULL OF WEEDS – WE KIDS CALLED IT THE “DEEP WEEDS”, BECAUSE YOU COULD HIDE THERE. ONE DAY I GOT VERY MAD AT MY MOTHER, AND TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO RUN AWAY. SHE TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD. SO I STORMED OUT OF THE HOUSE AND WENT OVER TO THE DEEP WEEDS TO HIDE OUT. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE A LONG TIME, WITH ME FEELING VERY SORRY FOR MYSELF, AND WONDERING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME, MY MOTHER CAME OUT OF THE HOUSE AND WALKED OVER TO WHERE I WAS HIDING, AND ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE TO COME HOME FOR SUPPER. WITH GREAT RELIEF, I AGREED. MANY YEARS LATER I ASKED HER HOW SHE HAD FOUND ME. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE NEVER LOST SIGHT OF ME, BECAUSE I WAS WEARING A RED BASEBALL CAP, SO I WAS EASY TO SPOT.
JESUS’ PEACE IS KNOWING THAT THE FATHER NEVER LOSES SIGHT OF US, AND IS ALWAYS READY TO COME TO OUR RESCUE, AND WILL BE WITH US THROUGH THE WORST PARTS OF OUR LIVES AND EVEN THROUGH OUR DEATHS – THE FATHER IS THE WAY A GOOD MOTHER WANTS TO BE WITH HER CHILDREN, NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE, OR HOW OLD SHE IS.