“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:1-7 (ESV)
In this section of John, we find Jesus turning from the crowds to comfort his disciples. He knows what is to come, and they must be sensing it as well. He knows that they are troubled, but he instructs them to take action, to not let their hearts be troubled, and he lays out the reasons why and how to do it.
There are many things that can cause our hearts to be troubled. As you read today, maybe your heart is troubled. This can arise from financial worries, illness, relationships, concerns about children or grandchildren, or even fear about the state of the world or our country. Whatever is causing your anxiety today, please know that Jesus understands, and His words to His apostles are included in our Bible to comfort us as well. Let’s break it down!
The Greek word for “troubled” is tarasso and denotes inward commotion, the act of taking away the calmness of mind, a state of disquiet or restlessness, fear, dread, anxiousness, distress, and can perplex the mind to doubt.[1] Wow, that’s a lot of emotion packed into one word. Does any of it ring true with you this morning?
In other places in Scripture, this same word is used and translated as “terrified”. (Mat. 24:36, Mark 6:50). The word is associated with doubt in Luke 24:38, when Jesus asks his disciples, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” The same word is also used to describe Jesus’ own emotion in John 13:21, where he is “troubled in spirit” by the knowledge that Judas will betray him. We can take from all this that when Jesus instructs his disciples not to let their hearts be troubled, he knows that what he is asking is not easy.
Before we look at how Jesus instructed the disciples, and us, how to succeed in this directive, let’s look at the word “heart”. In Scripture, the word “heart” is used to signify the whole inner person, including the mind, soul, will, character, affections, emotions, and desires. We must understand that when Jesus uses “heart,” he is talking about more than just emotions. We also need to look at our thinking, our desires, and our characteristics (our outward actions). This goes deeper than just trying to control our feelings.
In the following verses, Jesus gives us the fuel needed to abolish the deep distress that affects our whole hearts and the way we act in response to that distress.
First, Jesus tells us to believe in God and in himself. The Greek word for “believe” is pisteus. I think it is helpful to look at the meanings of common words we take for granted, especially churchy words like “believe”. It means “to think to be true”. This is an action with our mind, which, remember, is part of our heart. It also means placing confidence in and trusting that Jesus is able to help us obtain or do something.[2] As I’m writing this, I’m at a coffee house. I believe that the chair I’m sitting in will hold me up and prevent me from falling on the floor, which would be pretty embarrassing. I am putting all my weight on the chair. I am not worried or doubtful that the chair will meet my current need. This confidence comes from what I know about chairs in general. I know that they are constructed to provide a firm foundation for sitting. I know that they are made from materials that ensure they will perform the duty for which they were created. Because of this knowledge, I choose, although unaware, not to be in distress or worried about falling. I choose to engage in the work at hand knowing that the concern of my position is in control. Do you see how this silly analogy describes how a belief involves my whole heart? The choice to believe that Jesus will take care of all my needs, both now and in the future, is essential in living without a troubled heart.
Jesus goes on to explain that we can be confident in our future when he tells the disciples he will leave them to prepare a place for them. He must “go” so he can do the necessary work so we will one day live in a place with Him, described as a house or a mansion with many rooms. We can be assured that there is room for each of us and our place in this mansion is prepared by our Savior! This is mind-blowing! Jesus, who died on the cross, taking our sins upon himself, is with the Father right now preparing a place for us! What love! He goes on to promise that He will come back for us so we will be with Him in Eternity!
Thomas bravely asks what we all ask at some point – “How do we get there? How can we be sure? How do we know the way?” Jesus answers with the most profound and memorable statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He says there is no other way to the Father except through him.
In this verse, Jesus assures the disciples that he has and will fulfill his whole purpose. The Father sent him to be the truth, a prophet who is the Word made flesh, speaking the truth of the Father. We know of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness through Jesus’ teachings while he was on Earth.
He was also sent to be a priest, providing both the way to the Father and the sacrifice for our sins, and serving as the mediator between man and the Father of the new covenant.
Finally, he was sent to be King. He gives us life from the sovereign giver of life for now and for eternity. He is the ultimate ruler of all other rulers. No other person, past or present, can do this!
This Jesus is where we place our faith, our belief. Not just once but continually as we face the trials that are part of life for Christ-followers as we live on Earth, which is not our home, and as we wait for our eternal home in heaven.
But Jesus does not leave us to our own power to keep our hearts from being troubled. Later in Chapter 14, he tells the disciples,
“ If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (vs. 15-17)
If you are a Christ-follower, you are, of course, very familiar with the concepts of belief in Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, but I think when we are faced with situations that threaten our heart, we have to go back to the basics and fight for our heart with the truth of the Trinity. Our living God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
To keep my heart from being troubled, I must use my knowledge of the truth to speak to my soul and emotions, to remember and rest in the assurance that I have a future; this is not my home, but while I am here, I am not alone. The Spirit of God lives within me to assist me in choosing to fight the trials of this age and free myself to fulfill my purpose, which is to reflect and worship God in all circumstances.
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
My prayer for you today is that you will turn to God’s Word in all your trials. Whatever you are facing today, hope and peace are available there!
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27[3]
I would love to hear from you!
Blessings,
Meschill
[1] http://www.blueletterbible.org
[2] http://www.blueletterbible.org
[3] All scripture is from the ESV translation
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