Just before Jesus departs, He speaks this word to His disciples, “My peace, I leave with you, not as the world gives give I unto you” (John 14:27). I have pondered this verse and how it relates to the new covenant many times over, and I have come to realize that this seemingly small statement is of great importance.
The new covenant is often called the covenant of grace and peace. In one of the last moments on earth before the crucifixion, Jesus makes it a point to tell His disciples what He is leaving them with directly.
This particular verse has been reduced to a feeling of peace, but it is more than a feeling. Jesus would have spoken in Hebrew/Aramaic; the word here is Shalom. But we often miss all of what Jesus leaves us with because of our inability to translate a word as rich as Shalom into English accurately.
Make no mistake; Shalom is as powerful as it comes. The Hebrew word Shalom contains pictures attached to each letter. The first is Shin(ש)-a symbol for teeth, teeth that crush and destroy. The second is Lamed(ל) -Shepard’s staff or authority. The third is Vav(ו)-iron nail or hook. The fourth is Mem-(ם)waters representing chaos or confusion. Therefore, Shalom can be interpreted not as mere peace but as the power to break the authority attached to chaos.
Here we see a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus conquering the authority attached to chaos through the cross.
Furthermore, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs, a Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Shalom includes completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace. It further expands the definition to include completeness, safety, soundness in body, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, peace with God, especially in covenant relationship, and finally, peace from war. This is the crux of the new covenant of grace and peace Jesus has left with us. Beloved, this is your inheritance in Christ.
Establishing Order From Chaos
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created man, male and female, in His image and gave them dominion. Before creation, the Bible says the earth was formless and void. God brought order out of the chaos and darkness to create a beautiful world for the pinnacle of creation, mankind. Adam and Eve were given the authority to subdue the earth into God’s image and take dominion. God created man in His image to take dominion through the power of Shalom.
While the Son walked the earth, He took dominion using heaven’s grace and Shalom. Everywhere He went, He established the dominion of God over the planet and its inhabitants in a way that broke the authority attached to chaos. Jesus states that I only do what I see the Father do, and I only say what I hear the Father say. (John 12:49) Everything was done by the will of the Father, in the name of the Son, through the power of the Spirit. When He encountered the demonized, His Shalom brought deliverance; when He encountered the dead, His Shalom brought life; when He encountered the sick, His Shalom brought health. Everywhere the Son went, He brought Shalom, given through the unmerited favor of grace.
“Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:34-38, NIV).
The Authority to Bring Order
The world has a variety of peace, but it does not have the Shalom of Jesus that breaks the authority attached to chaos. The Father is still at work today, and you and I are invited into the process of taking dominion through the will of the Father, in the name of the Son, and by the power of the Spirit. As we do what the Father is doing and say what the Father is saying, we will see the manifestation of Shalom in our world. In perfect unity with the godhead, we continue ministering in the power of Shalom. We are called to extend the power of Shalom everywhere we encounter chaos and disorder. We extend our hands to heal and bring ease where there is disease. We extend our words to bring grace and unmerited favor where none is deserved.
Believer, you are a walking source of Shalom to break all the power of the enemy in your life and those you encounter. You are created to bring order out of the chaos created by the enemy. Where you go, Jesus Shalom ministers salvation of every kind, including healing, deliverance, and new creation life. Believe you have received Jesus’ Shalom today and take dominion where you encounter chaos. Make this fundamental shift in your thinking that what is inside of you is far more powerful than the chaos outside.
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:17-18, NKJV).
Jesus, the expressed image of the Father, is still present here on earth through the Holy Spirit in every believer. Jesus has bequeathed His Shalom upon us and commissioned us with the ministry of reconciliation to be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is still asking us to take dominion through grace and peace.
May you extend the kingdom of God today and every day through the power of grace and peace.
Christina Perera is a passionate five-fold minister who lives to exalt Jesus in every area. She is passionate about unity in the Body of Christ and bringing Christ out of the scriptures to reveal Jesus and His finished work. She is the author of Fire In Unity and the founder of Christina Perera Ministries, Inc. She hosts Revealing Jesus on Charisma’s Podcast Network. For more information on her ministry, visit christinaperera.org.
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