Do not let your hearts be troubled for I leave with you my peace. But not as the world gives do I give it to you. This is as plain as it is going to get. Jesus continues to prepare his followers for the events that are soon to usher in. He knows his own, and he realizes that the forthcoming events will leave them disillusioned and confused. The three years that he has spent with them are not enough to shield them from what is coming. For it is not only what will happen to Jesus that he is concerned about, but what will happen to them too. Once the shepherd shall have been struck, the sheep will scatter, and it will be easy for the wolf to go after and devour them (cf. Mark 14:27). “If you really cared for us, then you would stay,” seems to be the disciples’ plea. “Oh no,” Jesus responds, “I have to go so that the Father can send you the consoler, for unless the consoler comes, the looming events will overwhelm you.” The Spirit that the Father sends is a consoler, not a shield. The Spirit will not shield them from what will come, but will instead help them cope with it. This is the gift of peace that Jesus is referring to. It is a peace like none other. Their peace will not result from the absence of turmoil and persecutions. It will not be a peace that results from the absence of war, for this is the peace that the world gives. Rather, it will be a peace that exists amidst turmoil and persecutions. It is a peace that will arise from their coming to recall the words that Jesus spoke to them while they were together. It will be a peace that will arise from their recalling the signs that Jesus worked in their midst. The Spirit will help them understand who they are and what their mission is.