Peace or a piece?
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives..." (NIV) John 14:27
John 6:15 states that the followers of Jesus wanted to take Jesus by force and establish Him as king of Israel. They wanted to kick-start a revolution against Rome. He could have easily become a ruler on earth had He that desire. The attitude of the people is understandable. They saw the miracles of Jesus and knew that He must be the long-awaited Messiah. They thought that things were not moving quickly enough, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. The Prince of Peace was about to be forced to start a war.
On another occasion, James and John conspired with their mother to ask of Jesus the right to be seated beside Jesus on His throne (Matthew 20:20-21; Mark 10:35-37). They did not understand the nature of the kingdom. They thought they would be great generals in the army against all those who oppressed Israel. Like those who wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king, these two wanted a piece of the kingdom too.
Interestingly enough, it is possible to try the same things today in different ways. Some people want to have a piece of the pie, so to speak. That is the explanation for the title. Do you want the peace of the kingdom or do you want a piece of the kingdom?
Jesus can give us peace if we allow Him. He is the Prince of Peace. He can give us peace with God through His blood. In giving us peace with God, He created a family of God, His church. This church was established after the resurrection of Jesus, in Acts 2. As a family, He brought peace between the members of the family. He wants us to be at peace in the body. That peace comes through love for one another based on a love for our Father. The disciples had a difficult time learning that concept. It took time to understand that the kingdom is not something to be obtained.