Peace in Jesus - The Message of Easter
There is no better season to remember and proclaim this truth than now — Easter time — when we celebrate the death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven of our Lord.
In Matthew 26:62 – 64 (NASB), we read these words that Jesus spoke while being judged before Caiaphas, the high priest, just prior to His mocking and beating, and ultimately His crucifixion:
The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Forty days following the resurrection Jesus stood on a mountain, overlooking the Sea of Galilee region (possibly Mount Arbel, the highest mountain in the region) and gave us what is known as the Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew 28:18 – 20 (NASB):
… All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
I will give you peace to overcome.
This progression of scriptures has a special importance for those believers in Christ who live in this tumultuous period of history. As dictators, tyrants and even those commanding powerful countries are craving the ability to control mass numbers of people and lands, believers can rest in the knowledge that only our God has ultimate control over the future of this world.
Jesus taught His disciples (and His present-day disciples as well) to proclaim far and wide His message of true peace that is obtainable only in Him. As well, it is a similar message to the one He told the high priest Caiaphas on the night before His Crucifixion, that the national churches are preaching today:
I am the Christ — the promised One! I am the Son of God! I am the One sitting at the right hand of God the Father who holds all the infinite power of the universe! I have risen to God in the clouds, and I am returning to earth from the clouds! My Kingdom is being built today and it will never be destroyed! Therefore, my followers need not worry about frightening world events that are unfolding before their eyes, because I am the Christ! I will give you peace to overcome. Just go tell the seeking and confused:
True Peace is Only Found in Jesus!
