If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
The Father is greater than Jesus in his human nature, greater than the form of a servant which Jesus took to himself, not grasping equality with God (see Philippians 2:5-11). When Jesus went to the Father, bringing with him his human nature, he became the first truly fulfilled and completed human being. When we rejoice over the good things that happen to our friends and family we rejoice because they in some way imperfectly anticipate this fulfillment. The good things we experience are good insofar as they are from the one who is goodness itself, the one from whom comes "every good and perfect gift" (see James 1:17).
for human nature should exult at being thus taken up by the Only Begotten Word, and made immortal in heaven; at earth being raised to heaven, and dust sitting incorruptible at the right hand of the Father. Who, that loves Christ, will not rejoice at this, seeing, as he doth, his own nature immortal in Christ, and hoping that He Himself will be so by Christ.- Saint Augustine
Jesus understood that his going forth to the Father would be difficult for his disciples to process, especially when they witnessed the scandal of the cross. It was hard to recognize anything good in the suffering and death that was to ensue. This was the reason Jesus explained what would happen ahead of time, so that they could recognize it as a part of the plan.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
After having seen it they did not rejoice right away. They were in fact still paralyzed with fear and doubt even after he rose from the dead. It was not until the Spirit filled them that they were able to receive the words of Jesus, to see how the pieces fit together, and to finally receive his promise of peace.
We face a world where Jesus is still suffering, where sickness and poverty and strife still hold sway. It is hard to see how God could be at work even in such dire situations as these. But Jesus has told us in advance so that we can believe that he is here, making all things work together for the good of those who love him. He offers us a peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, not simply a confluence of good circumstances, nor just a removal of problems. It is not a peace that comes from some supernatural understanding that lets us see how the problematic situations will be resolved. It is rather a peace in spite of circumstances and grounded on faith.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
His peace can be more influential over our spirits than the things we see in the world no matter what the circumstances appear. But it is not a matter of closing our eyes and ears to the world. For peace to be possible even when we behold the darkness it has to be more than a calculation that, based on the fact that we know our faith is true, such and such subjective disposition should be the result. In fact, such an attitude will disappointment us again and again as our emotions refuse to follow suit and continue to respond more to the darkness than to the promise of hope. The peace that Jesus gives us can be peace in spite of circumstance precisely because it is a gift. It is his own Spirit, the power of his resurrected life within us, a living connection to God that can take on a greater and more persuasive reality than any dark valley through which we walk. The power of this peace was demonstrated by Jesus when he showed the world how much he loved the Father. It was because he possessed this peace that the ruler of the world was unable to make him budge even an inch.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
It was supernatural peace that characterized the early Church described in Acts. It was because of this peace that imprisonment and persecution didn't dissuade them from their mission at all, but rather, if anything, spurred them on.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
Yet we do not always experience the peace that Jesus intends for us. Rather than beating ourselves up for this, like the devil wants, rather than imagining that we are the one person for whom peace is not possible, let us instead listen to Jesus.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
His Spirit in us gives us the power to do what he commands. When we pray in faith, "I have the peace of Christ. My heart is not troubled or afraid," we can begin to experience this. At first the devil will prompt us with all the reasons why we shouldn't believe something like that, why in fact it is dangerous or arrogant to do so. And if it were left to us and our abilities, well, he'd be right. But because it is a promise of God we can insist, double down, and take it to the bank. If we encounter resistance to believing the promises we can avail ourselves of promises about the promises, "Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it" (see Psalm 119:140).
The promises of God, including the promise of peace are meant to be realized in the community of the faithful. Peace is not just within oneself but between oneself and her brothers and sisters. When disciples of Christ come together we become a school of the Holy Spirit were we mutually support and encourage one another in the peace in which we are meant to walk.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
For, as the psalmist wrote:
Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment