This week we find ourselves in John chapter 14 in search of our sixth “I Am” statement of Jesus…
John 14 Common English Bible
14 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. 4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”
5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves.
The first words of this passage are “Let not your hearts be troubled.” And we tend to treat this like Jesus just started speaking here, because it’s the first verse of a new chapter, but Jesus has been speaking for a bit now. This is just the next sentence in a longer conversation he’s been giving to his disciples. They’re actually in the upper room observing the Passover on the night Jesus would be betrayed by Judas. Jesus has just told them that one of them, one of his disciples, would betray him and that Peter, the most outspoke of all of them, would deny even knowing him three times that night; and that he would only be with them a little while longer and that they could not go where he was going.
Imagine how that would feel to the disciples.
They had left everything, their jobs, their families, their homes and now they wouldn’t be able to follow him or be with him any longer.
It is understandable that their hearts were troubled.
They were devastated.
Jesus was also deeply disturbed (John 13:21). Jesus was facing betrayal, being apprehended, denied three times by Peter, all in one night.
This was a very heavy and difficult evening.
Even in the midst of Jesus own heaviness, Jesus sees and understands the disciples fear and anxiety. Jesus reassures them. Jesus says, “You can trust me. I am here. I am faithful. And I will follow through what I have promised.
Can we relate to the disciples?
Have you ever felt like your world was crashing down around you?
Like the plan you thought was panning out was changing forever?
Like your world was changing too fast and the things you were absolutely sure about are now feeling wobbly and uncertain?
I read this week that trying to break free from our worries can feel like wrestling an octopus. Get one arm of the octopus under control and there are seven more flailing around trying to grab ahold of us.
Come wrestle with us on Sunday.
~ Pastor Dustin
