Jesus’ Preaching

Ephesians 2:17

And [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Guest Preacher

Imagine Jesus is your guest preacher.

he came and preached

Jesus was a preacher, so what was his preaching like? I suspect he spoke with a lower voice than a raised one since in Isaiah 42:2 it says:

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street

Jesus often also sat while preaching, such as in Galilee or on the mount of transfiguration. He would use lots of illustrations, and nobody would be bored. When he spoke, crowds came to hear him, and there are many examples of illustrations Jesus used in the gospels. He would make no mistakes or give the wrong impression; he would always say the right thing.

Theme

Jesus could preach about so many things; about the intricacies of creation, or the details about God like the Trinity. But what Jesus would pick to be his theme would be peace.

he came and preached peace

This is not that surprising given the old testament:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

At his birth the angel said:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

Luke 2:14

And near his death, at the last supper, Jesus said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

John 14:27

As we go through the new testament, peace comes up time and time again. Paul is bursting with enthusiasm and says this:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

The Gospel as Peace

Why do we need Jesus’ peace?

What would your reaction be if you found Jesus was preaching at church next Sunday? Maybe your first reaction would be that of course you want to hear Jesus, he’s the son of God! But Jesus knows everything about you, all your thoughts, what you struggle with, your weaknesses. He know where you are with God. How comfortable would you really be knowing Jesus looking at you from the pulpit knows everything you’ve ever done?

God does not ignore what we’ve done in our lives, and is not prepared to ignore the shame in our lives because of sin. That’s what makes the difference between us wanting to run to Jesus or run away from him. Sin makes a gap between us and God, and nothing can fill that gap. We feel uneasy because our sin makes God angry, he can’t react in any other way. Our sin deserves punishment and so in brings guilt to every single one of us.

For the wages of sin is death

Romans 6:23a

We need peace because there is turmoil between us and God.

What God did about this

God could have left us but he did something completely unique and utterly mind-blowing. God himself did something, rather than assigning something to us or someone else. He took the punishment we deserve. Out of his love for the world, he stood in our place.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

This way we can be set free from our guilt of sin. Jesus’ death on the cross is the key event that brings our salvation.

How can we have this peace?

We simply need to take it, because it’s God’s gift to those who ask. The message of the gospel isn’t that you have to live a better life, or go to church or watch your language. God rescued us, and he did this through Jesus. God has done it all for us, and offers it to us; it’s a gift. He offers it to everybody and nobody is too far gone for God. As put in ‘To God Be the Glory’:

The vilest offender who truly believes That moment a pardon from Jesus receives

This peace is for everyone.