The Father

Trouble and Peace

5.3.26 [John 14:1-11] River of Life (5th Sunday of Easter)

This is going to hurt. The five words no one wants to hear from their dentist. This is going to hurt. Your dentist knows you don’t want to be in pain. But sometimes, pain is unavoidable. Necessary, even. But instead of letting it surprise you, your dentist gives you a heads up. Of course, being forewarned doesn’t mean you’ll be able to avoid the agony. Even when you think you’re prepared, the pain can surpass your expectations. John 14 is one of those this is gonna hurt moments. 

Jesus had just delivered some hard news to his disciples. He told them that he was Jn. 13:33 only going to be with them a little while longer. He told them he was about to be Mk. 10:33 arrested, convicted by the chief priests, mocked by the crowds, and crucified by the Gentiles. He told them that Jn. 13:33 where he was going, they could not come. In fact, they wouldn’t even want to. On that very night, they would Mt. 26:31 all fall from his side. He warned them that one from among their own ranks would Jn. 13:21 betray him. When Peter tried to convince Jesus of his courage, Jesus sounded the alarm. Jn. 13:38 Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. I suppose any single one of those warnings would have caused their hearts to skip a beat. All of them at once made the disciples’ hearts shudder. 

For the disciples, this was more than losing touch with a good friend. They had left everything to follow him, and he was about to leave them in short order. They had invested all their hopes and dreams in him. Those dreams were about to be shattered. Those hopes were about to be dashed. Even though they had been warned in advance, they were about to be more confused and confounded than at any other point in their lives. They were about to experience a lost-ness they had never felt. Their Rabbi, their Lord, and the Messiah was about to be despised and rejected. Treated as subhuman. If he was worthless, what were they? If God abandoned him on the cross, what would happen to those who followed him, who trusted in him?   

Which is why Jesus speaks so tenderly in the opening words of John 14. Jn. 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. Jesus knew that the hearts of his disciples were in a tenuous spot. Already quivering and trembling. He knew that in the next twelve hours, things were going to go from bad to worse. 

Jesus recognized that, even though he had warned them, they still were not ready for what was about to happen to them. Even after years of being his disciples, they were still convinced that they would summon the courage to be his defenders. Even after predicting his suffering and death on no less than three occasions, these men still felt as if they would rise to the occasion when his life was threatened. 

It was only now that the weight of these matters began to set in. They would not rise to the occasion. They would not defend their Shepherd. They would scatter like sheep. They would flee for their lives. They would be overcome with grief and shame. They were destined for trouble, Job. 5:7 as surely as sparks fly upward.

Such is the plight of those who follow Jesus. We are told in Acts 14:22 We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.  

Some of hardships are self-inflicted. At other times, we feel like victims. 

There are times when we shouldn’t be surprised by trouble. We squander God’s gifts of time, treasures, health, relationships and our own talents. The stress of procrastination causes us to miss nights of rest and opportunities for relaxation. We are ill-prepared when calamity strikes. We didn’t save. We didn’t work out. We didn’t invest in our marriage. We didn’t apply ourselves at school or at work. We didn’t hone our gifts. We didn’t make the most of many many yesterdays, and so we pay the price for it today & tomorrow.  

But other times, we experience trouble in this life simply because we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or so it seems. In some instances, we endure stress and agony directly because of our faith. We lose friends because we hold to Biblical teachings about sin and grace and heaven and hell. Perhaps we forfeit career advancement because we refuse to lie, cheat, steal, or work on Sundays. Most painful of all is when we suffer relational loss because we spoke the truth in love. 

You know how these kinds of hardships and adversities trouble your heart. At first, like Peter, you are foolishly overconfident. But when trouble draws near, when adversity arises, your heart melts. Your courage fails. You shudder and shut down. You feel lost. Confused. Even worthless. 

It is in these moments that we need these words from Jesus just as his disciples did. Jn. 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. 

This is not just a spiritual sounding version of Don’t worry about it. Those words have no power. These are the living words of our all-powerful, all-knowing God who is over all and in all and works through all things for our good. 

Jesus says Jn. 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. In these words, he is exposing the reason why our hearts grow troubled and the real solution to our struggles and troubles. 

Our hearts grow troubled when we have put our trust in something less than God. Perhaps we have put our trust in material things. We thought we had enough money to deal with whatever life throws our way. Then we found out that there are troubles money can’t solve. 

Perhaps we put our trust in some group or some individual. Ps. 146:3-4 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

More than likely, we have put our trust in ourselves. In our intellect. In our strength. In our inventiveness or creativity or courage or resilience. When that’s where our trust lies, our troubles grow exponentially. 

But when we trust in God, when we listen carefully to his Word and examine all his works, we will see our troubles rightly. They won’t last, and they aren’t bigger than our God. 

Remember some of Jesus’ many miracles. The blind, the lame, the demon-possessed and the dying were brought to him and he had power over every single one of their situations. Their hearts were troubled, but they didn’t stay that way because God intervened. 

Remember his power over wind and waves. Remember how he fed the 5000 and also the 4000. Remember, most of all, Jesus’ suffering and death. Those troubles seemed to be too much. But look at how God’s own Son triumphed through these troubles. Do not let your hearts be troubled by things God is greater than. 

That’s what Jesus tells us here. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, the Lord Almighty, your Heavenly Father. Believe also in me. The Son he sent. Jn. 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. The One who is the way of salvation. The One who is unchanging and unflinching Truth. The One who gives his life so that you may enjoy eternal life. Jesus was devoted to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, even when he encountered trouble. 

Yes, the disciples’ hearts were troubled that night. And for good reason. But didn’t Jesus have greater reasons to be troubled? 

He was going to be betrayed, abandoned, and disowned by his closest friends. He was going to be abused, mocked, and crucified. He was going to be forsaken by God and endure the depths of hell for all mankind. He was overwhelmed with sorrow. 

Yet, his heart did not remain troubled. He trusted in his Father. He was devoted to the way of righteousness and salvation.

Jesus lived the way that God’s Law demanded. Even when he was threatened by the teachers of the law. Even when he was goaded by the crowds. Even when his disciples tried to disuade him. Jesus lived as the Word made flesh. He was devoted to being the way of reconciliation. He was committed to  the way of redemption. He set his face for Jerusalem because that’s where the Messiah had to sacrifice himself as an atonement for the sins of the world. 

Jesus was also dedicated to the truth. He studied the truth as a child. He spoke the truth as a Teacher. He lived the truth, in thought, word, and deed. He never lied. He never massaged his message to appeal to the crowds or to keep himself out of harm’s way. He embodied the truth in love for sinners.   

Jesus was lifelong loyal. He came to live his life as a servant and give his life as a ransom for many. Despite his devotion to God’s way and God’s truth, he died a criminal’s death. He gave his life as the wages for our sins. He died so that the gates of eternal life might be opened to us. Jn. 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

Even as he delivered hard news to his disciples, he was committed to doing hard things for those he loved most. Jesus warned that trouble was coming. But he promised peace was on the horizon. 

So it is for us. Troubles come and go and return again. Jesus wants us to be prepared. He wants us to recognize that the answer to the troubles of our hearts does not lie within. We don’t dig deep. We dig into his Word. In his Word and Sacraments, God shows us his power. He demonstrates his love. He proves he is faithful and trustworthy. 

And Jesus gives us a remarkable word of peace. The troubles here are temporary. Heaven is eternal. We don’t just have a God who prepares us for trouble. We have a God who prepares a place for us!  

My Father’s house has many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you and I will come back and take you to be with me so that we might be together there for eternity. What could be more comforting than that? The God who knows how to calm our troubled hearts will bring us to be with him for eternity. That gives us peace of mind and heart. Amen.