John 14:1-3
Dive Deeper
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.”
John 14:1-3
Behind the Scenes
It’s the last supper. In an act that both confused and convicted the disciples, Jesus, their Lord, their Messiah, humbles Himself and washes their feet. I can only imagine how touching and emotional that would have been. Washing of feet was something left for the lowest of the servants, one of the more undesirable and humbling tasks. And yet, Jesus washes His disciple’s feet.
On the heels of this amazing act of humility and a servant heart, Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. He calls out Judas Iscariot and tells him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.” Judas leaves the gathering and 11 other astonished disciples. Jesus goes on to explain that He will be leaving them. He explains to them that He will die for them.
Of course, this troubles all of them deeply. We open chapter 14 with Jesus comforting His disciples and reminding them of the truth. We see in this scene, Jesus’ compassion and tenderness flow like a balm to His disciples’ broken hearts. But He is also using what little time He has left to teach them some important things and turn their hearts to heaven.
Make it Real
Jesus tells the disciples “Do not let your heart be troubled.” I find that statement so powerful. He doesn’t say that they shouldn’t be troubled, or even that they are silly for being troubled. Instead, He tells them not to “let” their hearts be troubled. Did you catch that? The word “let” indicates a choice. It indicates that the disciples have reason to be troubled, but they also have reason not to be, and it’s time to choose between the two. Jesus is reminding them of their own power over their emotions. That they get to choose what they let their hearts and minds dwell on!
This is a powerful statement and something that we all need to hear. There are so many things in this world that can cause our hearts to be troubled. Sickness, heartache, financial issues, relationship strain, and brokenness all around us- they all threaten to steel our peace and cause our hearts to be troubled. Like the disciples in this moment, sometimes we see where Jesus is taking us, and we don’t understand. We don’t have all the pieces of the picture and we feel troubled because it doesn’t look good.
And just like the disciples had the choice to choose, we do too. Now it may sound impossible to make that choice, especially when you are staring down the barrel of something horrendous. But the same hope that Jesus offered His disciples in this passage, He offers to you and me. Jesus reminded them that there was more to this life than what happens here on earth. He pointed them to an eternal home with Him, reminding them that there was more to live for, even when things looked bleak.
See, when we fix our eyes on only this world, we can so easily become discouraged and troubled. But when we lift our eyes to Jesus and look at this life considering eternity, when we remember that this life is just a blip on the radar, a vapor that is fading away, then we can find hope. Because no matter what, we who are in Christ Jesus have an eternal glory waiting for us. No matter how hard it gets here, we have the hope of a future.
And more than anything else, we have Jesus- our King, our conquering hero. He has defeated every sin and death and we know that one day He will restore everything. He will return to usher us into His Father’s house where we will live forever. He is our Returning King. And in light of that promise and the hope of our future with Him, we can choose not to let our hearts be troubled. Because when God is for us, who or what could ever be against us!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Pastor
End in Prayer
Jesus,
I praise You because You are the conquering King who will return one day and make all things right. You always fulfill Your promises. Thank You that I can rest in that. Help me to choose today not to let my heart be troubled. Fill me to overflowing with Your peace, I pray.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen