Jn 14:27-31a
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 27“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. 30I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, 31but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU: Biblical “peace” (Hebrew shalom,Greek eirene) has such rich content that no single English word can render it. The cognate of the word generally signifies completeness, perfection—a condition in which nothing is lacking. Peace can mean “to be okay” and is used for ordinary greeting or as an expression of good wishes. As a theological concept, peace is seen as a gift of God: when one possesses peace, one is assured communion with God.
In the New Testament, the idea of peace in the Old Testament is carried over and is seen as a gift of Jesus. It is brought by Jesus and is an achievement that is not possible to the world (Jn 14:27). Peace is communion with God, and Jesus himself is our peace in the sense that he is the bond of communion (Eph 2:14-17).
In the Gospel, Jesus continues to reveal his legacy to the disciples. He has already given them the commandment of love: that they love one another as he has loved them. Now he leaves them his peace. This peace is not the absence of conflict, for the world hates Jesus and his own (followers). This is inner peace in the midst of conflict, the peace which is the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in them.