We, humans, perceive peace as the absence of conflict, chaos and disorder. Jesus presents peace as the presence of harmony, wholeness and order. Biblical peace is not the absence of negative emotions. Christ's peace is the presence of personal convictions leading to a sense of well-being. Peace (ειρηνη) reflects the Old Testament teaching of "shalom." Biblical peace is an assurance of order in the midst of disorder, wholeness in the midst of chaos, and well-being in the midst of conflict because we know all matters are in our Father's hands.
Jesus leaves us peace and gives us His peace. The two verbs help us understand the peace we have in life. First, Jesus leaves (αφιημι) peace to us. The word is often translated "forgive" or "pardon" and can even mean "divorce" in the sense of sending someone away. Here, however, Jesus uses the word in its most common sense of leaving behind something in the manner of a bequest to a loved one. The same word was used in John 14:18 where Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans." The bequest of Jesus is peace not abandonment. Jesus leaves behind a sense of inner wholeness and order despite outer chaos and conflict.
Second, Jesus gives (διδωμι) us His peace. Peace is a gift or a bestowal in the midst of our personal experiences. Jesus leaves us with a sense of order in life because He is in control, but He also gives us a sense of well-being that we can experience in the middle of our circumstances. We will be alright in the end because He controls the end! Three times He uses the verb to give (διδωμι). Jesus tells us "I, myself (εγω), give you My (εμην) peace. Wholeness in the midst of chaos, order in the midst of disorder, and harmony in the midst of conflict are His personal gifts to us. His peace is not like the peace of this world. The peace of the world is dependent on circumstances - actually, the absence of bad circumstances. The peace Jesus gives is our inner wholeness to transcend our circumstances.
Life is filled with troubles and fears, but we don't have to succumb to either troubles or fears. The verb "to be troubled" (ταραςςω) means to be stirred up, unsettled or thrown into confusion (cf. John 14:1), but we don't have to be unsettled or stirred up because our trust is in Jesus. The verb for "fearful" (δειλιατω) means to be cowardly or timid. Jesus commands us not to be confused or cowardly because He gives us inner assurance that everything is under His control.
We can face any situation with His peace.
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