The Gospel of John: Savoring the Peace of Jesus in a Chaotic WorldSýnishorn

I searched everywhere, but I could not find my car key. I mentally retraced my steps and deduced that I must have locked it in the car. My helper of a husband attempted to get into the vehicle using a wire coat hanger with no success except to leave some permanent scratches. I then called a locksmith who charged a healthy sum to open the car door. Once inside, we discovered the key was nowhere to be found. Eventually, we found it on the bathroom floor. I’d like to tell you this all happened calmly with no worry, hurry, or frustration. But that’s not how it went down. At the end of the incident, I reflected on how pointless the whole situation seemed— damage done, money spent, and nothing to show for it.

Trying to make sense of small frustrations like lost keys or more significant issues like physical pain, financial loss, or relational strain can rob us of peace. As we open the pages of the Gospel of John, we remember life is not random. Despite confusing circumstances, we can savor peace, knowing that God established a plan before the beginning of time. He is “always working” (John 5:17). Even when we don’t feel or see it, we can believe it.

Matthew began his Gospel with a genealogy connecting Joseph to Abraham, and Luke recorded the lineage of Jesus, tracing Mary’s family tree to Adam. John reached back even further to Jesus’s role in creation.

The Greek word Logos, labeling Jesus as the Word, was used exclusively by John. His opening words are reminiscent of the book of Genesis and reveal the Son of God’s role in creation. The Father accomplished His creative work through the Son (Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). John’s wording also makes a statement about Jesus’s eternal existence. He was not created or born. There has never been a time when He did not exist in community with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus being referred to as the Word (Logos) indicates words matter. Author Rosario Butterfield referenced this passage when she wrote, “When we change the language, we change the logic. We want to frame our understanding of life through the lens of the Word made flesh—the One who gives life and light.”1

The Word “became human and made his home among us” (v. 14). Theologians refer to this action as the Incarnation. The verb used for “made his home” means “to pitch a tent, to dwell temporarily.”2 Jesus existed before creation but stepped into time and became one of us. He temporarily tabernacled among us on earth to live the perfect life we couldn’t live and ultimately died on our behalf as the atoning sacrifice.

God put on flesh and came to earth to restore our broken relationship with Him. He came near.

Jesus is the Word, the Life, and the Light. He is filled with grace and truth. His plan to redeem us meant He would lay down His life in exchange for ours.

From the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God. The first readers of John’s Gospel would have been familiar with the use of lambs for Jewish sacrifices, as commanded in the Old Testament. Each family had to have one for Passover (Ex. 12:1-10). When John the Baptist spoke this title over Jesus, he foreshadowed Christ’s sacrificial death to pay the penalty for my sin and yours.

Take a moment to reflect on the price Jesus paid on your behalf and thank Him for the right He has given you to become a child of God by believing in His name (John 1:12). Remember, no one is physically born a child of God. It happens by grace through faith (Eph. 2:1-10).

Whether your commitment to Christ began last week or decades ago, we all have days when ambiguity creeps into our complicated lives. Some moments may feel pointless and frustrating. Others filled with tumultuous circumstances threaten our peace with much greater force. Regardless, we can hold onto God’s peace because He isn’t stumbling through His calendar. His plan was conceived before time began—and that plan includes intimacy with Him!

As we walk through this study, we want to grow in experiencing God’s peace. To help us do that, we’ll wrap up each day by savoring what God revealed through John’s Gospel about Jesus. Today, we focused on this truth: Circumstances can feel confusing, but we can savor peace knowing that God established a plan before the beginning of time.

1. Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World (Crossway, 2018). Accessed on Audible.

2. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 1981), 29.