Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

Lesson #220

With this lesson we will start chapter 14. The ESV translation that I usually work from divides the chapter into two major sections: I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John 14:1 – 14) and Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit (John 14:15 – 31). The first section is further divided up into three paragraphs, but I think we will start at verse 1 and work our way to the end of the section, not worrying about subsections.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1 ESV). Chapter divisions can cloud the context of a verse. When you read “Let not your hearts be troubled,” did you think of your own heart or did you immediately go back to the end of chapter 13 and the trouble the disciples were then experiencing? Maybe you even memorized John 14:1 as applied to your heart, which is what we should do, but we must stay focused on the story John is unfolding. We must first understand the context of the verses before we make personal application of them. This “out of context” is done often in sermons, Bible studies and especially in devotionals where one or two verses are selected and then a thought is developed that relates to the verse(s), but not truly in the context setting. There are times I slip back into old habits and do the same thing when I teach on single verses in My Faith Notes blog.

Jesus was not speaking to you when he said, “let not your hearts be troubled,” but to his disciples. He knew they were troubled by their facial expressions and by their comments. Much had just happened with the realization that Judas was a betrayer, that Peter was going to deny him, that Jesus was going to leave them and they must continue on without him, and that Jesus is going to suffer and die and they feared for themselves. They now understood that the physical kingdom on earth wasn’t going to happen and they sure didn’t understand the spiritual kingdom yet. It seemed that all was lost and ending in horrible failure, but to this Jesus, probably with some sternness, said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Now with the disciples, we are ready to apply his statement to us also. When everything seems to be falling apart and anxiety is escalating, we need to be still and wait on God and believe in him for the way to proceed. As we continue with our studies we will see that God is in control, as he has been in the past, and is working from his master plan. The plan is not clear to the disciples and at first the plan is not clear to us when we enter that valley of darkness. It is like looking at the back side of a cross-stitch where the threads of various colors run here and there and look rather disorganized and unattractive, but if you could see the other side you would see something of beauty. During times of trouble we see the back side of life while God is at work creating the beauty of Christ-likeness on the front side.

Notice that it is not just God the disciples were to believe in; He said, “believe also in me.” Jesus is the source of what we need. We have seen this in past studies when we looked at the statements Jesus made about himself: “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” “I am the door,” I am the good shepherd,” “I am the resurrection and the life,” and in this chapter he will say “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and then in chapter 15 he will say “I am the vine.” All that, which we need, comes to us from God, but has its source in Jesus Christ. Through our relationship with Jesus we have our connection to our Father and then from our source in Jesus our needs are supplied through the Spirit that indwells us. When, like the disciples, we are troubled, believe in God; believe also in Jesus as he is the key; the source of what we need.

Prayer

Father, I pray for my readers for your provision for them. If any are currently in that place of trouble, like the disciples were, I pray that you would quiet their hearts and assure them that you are in control. I pray that they will turn their focus from their troubles to you and as you work things out for them they will experience your love, your grace, and your hand of provision through Jesus Christ. Father, have mercy on them and guide them with your wisdom I pray in Jesus Name.