Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
Peace… it’s something that most of us want but struggle to actually find. And it’s also what is promised all throughout the Bible. Jesus talks about it at length that we can find peace in him. That’s what makes the meaning of John 14:27 so enticing; it tells us how we can find peace.
This is an incredible verse that points us to the source of peace. There’s so much packed into these few sentences that will offer you hope and encouragement.
We are going to look at this verse in depth. But before we look at the John 14:27 meaning we need to understand the context in which these words were said.
Table of Contents
The Context Of John 14:27
In John 13 Jesus is predicting his death, and the disciples simply don’t understand. Peter is asking a bunch of questions and is clearly confused. He finally asks, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” John 13:37
This was only one of many questions the disciples asked Jesus, and it shows their bewilderment and discouragement. And in John 14 Jesus begins to comfort them and clarify what will happen.
In John 14:1-6 we see Jesus offer reassurance to his followers and a challenge to have faith in him. One of the promises we see is that Jesus is going to prepare a place for us so that we can spend eternity with him. These words are meant to bring comfort in the tough days that are coming.
A little further along in John 14:15-31 we see Jesus predicting some incredible promises including the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus continues with his encouragement for his followers and challenging them to live in obedience.
This is what leads us to the verse we are looking at in this blog post. So let’s dive into the John 14:27 meaning and see what it says.
The Meaning Of John 14:27
To help you better understand the meaning of John 14:27 we are going to break this verse down into four sections.
Peace I Leave With You
Remember the context, Jesus is offering his disciples encouragement because they are going to face increasing challenges and difficulties.
Mark More in The Chronological Life Of Christ describes what they were about to face like this: “With verse 27 Jesus returns to verse one: ‘Let not your hearts be troubled.’ The next couple of days will be fairly traumatic for the Twelve. They will run from Jesus in his crucible hour and then watch from a distance as he is beaten and crucified. Then their joy at the resurrection will turn again to consternation at the ascension. Their road ahead leads to rejection, mocking, beatings, and for all but John, martyrdom. Yet Jesus offers them peace.”
Peace is what Jesus leaves with them. And peace is what God wants for us today.
My Peace I Give You
Jesus gives us peace. We often think peace is found in the absence of storms. But that’s not the kind of peace Jesus is talking about. The disciples, and Jesus, are about to go through some traumatic events. And Jesus promises peace in the midst of all that.
What John 14:27 is promising is that peace isn’t found in the absence of the storms, but in the presence of Jesus.
Peace is the inheritance that God gives his children. It’s what he wants you to have.
I Do Not Give To You As The World Give
Jesus is saying that his peace is different than what the world offers. The world cannot give peace; instead it gives unfairness, death, and destruction. Peace is impossible in this world because it fails to address the source of the lack of peace: the fallen nature of humankind.
Jesus made peace possible by his work on the cross. And now we can have hope and reassurance that goes far beyond what this world can offer.
Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled And Do Not Be Afraid
This goes back to what Jesus said in John 14:1, “do not let your hearts be troubled.”
It’s important to notice the difference between a troubled spirit and troubled heart. A troubled spirit refers to pain and unhappiness; even Jesus faced this at times. A troubled heart refers to being in constant fear and despair.
What Jesus is calling us to is not to be cold and never have emotions. Again, Jesus experienced pain and wanted moments to pass. Rather Jesus is acknowledging our suffering and encouraging us to trust God through it all.
Because of what God has done for us we can have hope in the middle of dark days. We can find peace in the middle of storms. That doesn’t mean we won’t struggle, and it doesn’t mean we have to like everything we go through. What it means is that we can have hope and confidence that what we are facing is momentary and God will lead us through it.
How To Apply The John 14:27 Meaning To Your Life
So, how do we apply the John 14:27 meaning to our lives today?
What we’ve seen throughout this chapter is that Jesus is encouraging his followers with his promises and challenging them to keep trusting him.
If you want the peace that’s promised in this verse then you have to go to the source. Jesus is clear, it’s not found in the world, it’s found in him. Whatever you are going through, whatever you will go through, go to Jesus. He has peace for you.
Think of Peter’s walk on water. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus he sunk. Peter teaches us that in the middle of storms we can have peace IF we keep our eyes on Jesus. The storms of life give us good reason to be afraid. But Jesus is bigger than even the scariest of storms.
Focus on Jesus. Carve out time in your day to be with him. Don’t neglect your prayer life. Study God’s Word. Listen to what it says. And the promise of John 14:27 will come true in your life. You will find peace.
Now check out: Peter Walks On Water (5 Powerful Lessons From Matthew 14:22-33)
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BA in Biblical Studies - Ozark Christian College (2012)
MA in Theology - Regent University (2019)
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