Do not let your heart be troubled...

Today, we will be looking at John 14:1-11. I encourage you to open your bibles to this passage so we can read and study it together, today.

This passage is one that is familiar to many people as it is often used at funerals, and other solemn occasions. It begins… “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Sound familiar?

Why would Jesus say this? And what is the basis for his disciples, and for us, to not let our hearts be troubled? What does that even mean, to not let our hearts be troubled?

To really understand the passage, we have to keep in mind the setting, the context in which Jesus said this.

Why was Jesus talking to his disciples about being troubled?

Let’s review the setting, and then look into the passage.

It is the evening before Jesus is betrayed.

It has been an eventful week. It all started the previous Saturday, when they had a special dinner invitation at which Jesus was being honored for having raised Lazarus from the dead. At that dinner, Mary, Lazarus’ sister, had broken her expensive perfume bottle and poured it on Jesus head and feet. Jesus had said she did this to prepare him for his burial… and that they would not always have him? I am sure that was a troubling thought. But surely his burial was a long time off.

Sunday was an exciting day. They, along with many other pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover week. Along the way, Jesus was celebrated by the crowds who hailed him as the Messiah, the One who came in the name of the Lord! There were palm branches waving and people shouting! It was magnificent!

Yet, in the midst of the joy, Jesus had broken down weeping for Jerusalem, because they did not know what would bring her peace?

Later when they were in the city, he spoke of being lifted up, and how he would not be with them much longer?

Jesus had driven the merchants out of the temple. He had confounded the Sadducees, Pharisees and lawyers.

Jesus had told them that the temple would be destroyed, and of horrible things to come.

Finally, Passover was coming, and Jesus celebrated with them.

The evening started out oddly. Jesus had taken the role of a servant, and had washed their feet. Then, he taught them that they should do the same for each other.

He spoke of them being clean, but not all of them. Who wasn’t clean?

He talked of one of them betraying him? But no one could imagine any of them doing that. But yet, he said it would happen.

After the meal, he spoke of a new covenant being made. He spoke of his body being given for them, and the new covenant being made in his blood. How was his body going to be broken? What about his blood?

Then, Jesus said some more troubling things...

Jesus had said,

John 13:33 NIV

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

When he said this, the disciples did not understand. Why would he leave them?

So,

John 13:36 NIV

Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

John 13:37 NIV

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Peter wanted Jesus to know that he would go wherever Jesus would go. He was loyal! He was faithful. Jesus could count on him.

But Jesus replied,

John 13:38 NIV

Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

And he did not just speak about Peter. Luke records Jesus also saying,

Luke 22:31–32 NIV

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

That had to be upsetting to Peter, and the other disciples.

Jesus knew what was going to happen, and tried to prepare his disciples for it by warning them ahead of time. He knew that trouble was coming.

Jesus was going to be betrayed and killed. Jesus was going to leave them. They were going to deny Jesus. Satan was going to have a field day with them.

This was really upsetting to these men. So, Jesus begins to comfort them.

John 14:1 NIV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

Do Not Let Your Hearts be troubled.

What does that mean?

This word for trouble is the same word that described Jesus when he was at Lazarus’ tomb, and also as he considered being betrayed, beaten and crucified in a few hours. Jesus was deeply distressed, and in anguish. He was emotionally distressed.

When Jesus said do not let your hearts be troubled, he was speaking to their mental and emotional state in the face of the trouble that was coming.

What emotions do you think they were experiencing, or going to experience?

I think they were experiencing fear and anxiety. In a short while, they would experience grief and sadness.

Fear and Anxiety, Grief and Sadness

Think about it. Jesus is leaving them, and they cannot go with him.

That is abandonment. Anyone here afraid of being left alone? That is a real fear! It is bad enough that bad things happen. But it is worse when you feel alone!

Jesus leaving them will also be a source of grief from loss!

Jesus had said that they would betray, deny and abandon him. What feelings would that arouse in them?

For me, that would arouse fear of failure.

To know that Satan was coming after them is fear for well-being! Spiritual, and physical.

I think that when Jesus warned them about the trouble, he was more concerned about their hearts. He did not want them to be gripped by fear and anxiety.

Maybe the better term here is “Do not be overcome by fear.”

Anybody here deal with those fears and anxieties? Anyone here fear being alone, abandoned? Anyone here fear failure? Anyone here afraid of letting other people down? Anyone hear afraid of what Satan will do to us?

We are the ones Jesus is speaking to. Let’s hear what he has to say to his disciples, and to us.

John 14:1 NIV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

Jesus actually commanded them to not let their hearts be troubled. In others words, do not allow your heart to be overcome by fear and anxiety.

I don’t know about you, but fear comes. I don’t choose it.

We do not choose to have fear and anxiety. They do come.

But we do have a choice of what to do when they come. Jesus is telling his disciples, he is telling us, to make the choice to not allow fear and anxiety to overcome their hearts.

In others words, I could hear Jesus saying it this way.

Do not let your emotions control you.

Trouble is coming. It will cause fear and anxiety. But do not let that fear and anxiety rule your hearts. Do not allow those emotions to control you.

Wow. That is some command. That is easier said than done.

However, Jesus did not just give the command to not be overcome by fear and anxiety. He gave things to replace the fear and anxiety.

We must replace fear and anxiety

We cannot just stop being afraid and anxious. We are emotional beings. God created us to have emotions.

So, we cannot just stop having emotions. However, we can replace them with another emotion.

What emotion does Jesus want us to put in place of fear and anxiety? Trust.

John 14:1 NIV

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

Believe in God; believe also in me.

Trust is the emotion we need to replace our fear and anxiety.

All through the scriptures, God is commanding his people time and time again, do not be afraid. Overwhelmingly, he says this command, with a reason to not be afraid. I believe the main reason is that I am with you. I care for you.

This is what God said to so many of the saints of old, like he did to Joshua.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

And, the disciples knew from all the scriptures that time and time again, God had been with His people. He had provided for them. He had defeated Israel’s enemies. God had demonstrated time and again that there was no need to fear, because He would be with them and care for them. They could trust Him.

Now, Jesus is telling the same thing to his disciples. Believe in God. Believe in the God that you have heard of doing all those miracles in the past. They were just in the midst of Passover, remembering how God delivered Israel from Eqypt. He wants them to replace fear with trust in God Almighty.

Do not let your hearts be troubled! Believe in the God who parted the sea. Believe in the God who provided manna, water and quail in the wilderness. Believe in the God of their ancestors.

AND, believe in me.

They had been with Jesus for over three years. They had seen Jesus in action. They had seen Jesus caring for the sick, the lame, the blind, the downcast. They had seen Jesus provide food for them and 5000 other men plus women and children in the wilderness. They had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. So, instead of allowing fear and anxiety to control them, they needed to believe in Him to do what was needed for them. They needed to replace their fear and anxiety with trust in Him.

And, honestly, He was there for them right at that moment, wasn’t he?

Believe in Jesus, because he cares

Here is Jesus, with the weight of his own troubles coming down hard on him. He was the one being betrayed. He was the one being abandoned. He was the one who was going to be beaten, falsely accused, and crucified. Yet, even under the weight of his own troubles, he was caring for them.

Do not think that Jesus is ever too busy, or too burdened with other things to care for you. He demonstrated on this night, that nothing keeps him from caring for those he loves. He loves you.

We can replace our fear and anxiety with trust in Jesus because He cares for us.

Jesus goes on to give more reasons for them to not let their hearts be troubled, or overcome by fear and anxiety. He says,

John 14:2 NIV

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

John 14:3 NIV

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

John 14:4 NIV

You know the way to the place where I am going.”

This is a great example of how we need to keep the culture of the original audience in mind when we study the scriptures.

What Jesus says to his disciples, is the saying a Bridegroom would give to his bride.

A bridegroom would be betrothed to his bride. They were essentially married, but they were not yet allowed to be physically united. First the groom had to make a place for them to live.

He would often go back to his father’s place, and make a place for he and his new bride to live. Once that was done, he would come back to get her to take to live with him in their new home.

So, as the bridegroom was leaving, he would say these same words that Jesus now said to his disciples, to his bride.

It was meant to give the new bride reassurance that though they would be separated for a time, he would be doing all he could to make a place for her.

Imagine that you were in a relationship, but then, the one you were engaged to went away, and you had no idea when they would come back. They didn’t have the internet to chat. They didn’t have phones to video chat, or even to call and talk. Would you worry? As time drug on, would you feel anxious? It’s been a year. Is he going to come back?

This final word from the bridegroom was to give encouragement. And Jesus uses that cultural example for his disciples.

He wants them to replace any fear and anxiety with trust in Him, because...

Believe in Jesus because he is preparing a place for you.

Jesus wanted his disciples to know that though they were going to be separated for a time. So, he warned them that he was going away.

He knew that his leaving would stir up feelings of abandonment. Feelings of being alone. He knew anxiety and fear would come. So, he gives them comfort. He wants them to replace those feelings with trust. Trust that he was going to make a place for them. He was going to make a permanent home for them to live with him. AND,

Believe in Jesus because he is going to take you to be with him

Once that home is ready, he is going to come to take you to be with him.

This is even better than having a home. He doesn’t just want to make a place for the disciples to live. He wants the disciples to live with him, permanently!

Jesus did not want his disciples to be overcome by fear and anxiety in light of the troubles that were coming. He wanted them to replace those feelings with trust in Him. Trust that comes from knowing the happy ending.

We all love happy endings, don’t we?

I was thinking about stories, and how they work. Take a good TV show. In the show there is always some sort of trouble, isn’t there? And that trouble, if it is a ‘good’ show, will cause some measure of anxiety in the audience. “What is going to happen?” That is what keeps us watching! But what is more, is that we keep watching because we want to know the end. We want to see it all work out. We want the happy ending!

Life is kind of like the TV show. It is full of trouble. That trouble creates some level of anxiety. What do we do? We get through the TV show because we are looking for the happy ending.

We get through life because we know the happy ending. Jesus is making a place for us where there will be no more tears. There will be no more fears. There will be no more sickness and no more death.

We won’t ever feel abandoned again. We won’t ever fear him turning his back on us, because he promised to come for us, to take us to be with him! He wants us to not just be where he is, but to be with him!

That is a happy ending. That is hope. That is what will get us through. People that are overcome by fear and anxiety lose hope. And that destroys them.

People who replace those emotions of fear and anxiety with trust and hope overcome fear and anxiety.

Jesus has given us the happy ending. We need to believe he is preparing a place for us. We need to believe that he will come to take us to be with him. When we are afraid, we need to make the decision to trust. We need to consciously replace that fear and anxiety with believing in Jesus who is preparing a place for us, and who will come to take us to be with him.

As Jesus was talking, the disciples had some good questions.

Thomas asked first.

John 14:5 NIV

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Imagine you are the bride. And the bridegroom has said he is going away to make a place for you.

What if you did not know where he was from? Would that produce any anxiety? Where is he going? How will I get to you?

Again, this is fear of abandonment. Fear of being left alone. Fear of getting lost!

Anyone else have that fear of getting lost?

Jesus answers.

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Believe Jesus is the way.

Have you ever been in an unfamiliar place, and asked for directions? Have you ever gotten lost as they told you a series of lefts and rights?

I know that I have!

Jesus assured his disciples, and he assures us. I won’t lose you. I will not just tell you the way. I am the way. I will get you, and take you there!

Believe Jesus is the truth

I have anxiety about being wrong. Anyone else? Jesus assured his disciples. Do not be afraid about getting it wrong. I am the truth. I will steer you right! You can trust me.

Believe Jesus is the life

Anxious about death? Jesus already showed them when he raised Lazarus that he is the source of life. No one who lives and believes in him will die!

Jesus really is the answer to our fears and anxiety.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be overcome by fear and anxiety. Replace them with trust in Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life.

Jesus goes on to say,

John 14:7 NIV

If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:8 NIV

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

John 14:9 NIV

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:10 NIV

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

John 14:11 NIV

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

Believe Jesus fully represents the Father

Imagine again the bride that is waiting for her groom to come get her. When he comes, he is going to take her to live in his Father’s house. Their own space, but his Father’s house.

How would you like that proposition, living with your in-laws?

Especially if you didn’t really know them. Would that cause any anxiety? Will they like me? Will they be nice to me? Will they accept me?

The Jews who truly believed had a reverence for God. That was good. But, that reverence was a true fear of God. No one can see him nor stand in his presence. Would he really accept them?

They were anxious and fearful.

Jesus assures them. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. Jesus fully represents the Father. His words were the Father’s words. His actions were the Father’s actions.

They can trust the Father, because they know him by knowing Jesus. There is no fear of being rejected by the Father, because they have been accepted by the Son!

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in Jesus.

Replace the fear and anxiety with trust in Him, the one who has shown himself trustworthy.

The disciples were right to start feeling anxious about the things Jesus was telling them.

However, Jesus did not want those emotions to control them.

He told them to not let those emotions grip their hearts. Instead, he wanted them to replace those emotions with trust. Replace them with trust because...

Believe in Jesus because:

He cares

He is preparing a place for you.

He is going to take you to be with him

He is the way.

He is the truth

He is the life

He fully represents the Father, and has shown himself trustworthy

Homework:

Read John 14:1-11. What does it mean, in your own words, to not let your heart be troubled? What reasons do we have for not allowing our hearts to be troubled?

Read Psalm 27. Of whom, or of what, are you afraid? What gave David assurance when fear and trouble came? What does verse 14 mean? How can we be strong and take heart?

Read Psalm 86:11. How does this verse help with fear and anxiety?

Read Romans 8:32. How might this give encouragement to someone who is anxious?

Read Psalm 23. How does this Psalm speak of the Lord’s constant care through trouble? How does it speak of the happy ending? How do both the care, and the happy ending help with anxiety?