John 14:1-6 No matter what happens, believe in God

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:1-6

Background

Jesus was reaching the end of His earthly ministry and would soon be returning to the Father. The war of authority over creation that culminated at the cross would soon be won and the devil cast out forever. He then prepared His disciples for a different kind of battle: the battle for the souls of man. It was a time of sadness for Jesus and for the disciples as He explained to them the reason for His departure to help them stay focused on the mission of the Kingdom.

Observation

1.  “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” Jesus encouraged the disciples to press on and to continue to believe in God. The disciples were devastated at the news of Jesus’ impending departure. For the last three years, Jesus had always been the source of strength and protection for them. It was like their world had caved in on them. However, Jesus encouraged them not to be troubled but to continue to believe in God.

2.  “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places.” Jesus told His disciples the reason of His return to the Father, which was to prepare a place for them in the Kingdom. What did Jesus mean by that? As we know the Kingdom of God is not only in heaven but also on earth. Isaiah’s prophecy concerning God’s Kingdom in Isaiah 95:17 includes a new heaven and a new earth. Jesus, by returning to the Father took the role of the Priest at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for the church as we do battle for the souls of man (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34). As Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you”, this preparation work involves the task of interceding for the church in preparation for the Kingdom.

3.  “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” When Jesus said He was about to go away, the disciples presumed that He would be going to a certain place away from the Jews in order to build His Kingdom. Hence, Thomas asked Jesus for the way to the Kingdom where the Father was. The disciples probably related to Abraham’s call to leave his own country for the Promised Land. However, Jesus was not talking about another physical location on earth, but a new world order where Christ will rule on a universal scale. The prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the future Kingdom, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth…” (Isaiah 65:17).

4.  Jesus answered Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” The way to the Kingdom is not a change of our environment or to immigrate to a new country, but to live how Jesus lived being rooted in a covenantal relationship with Jesus. Truth refers to the mindset of Jesus, His wisdom, and His perspective of life. And life refers to the fellowship of His Spirit. Jesus was encouraging His disciples to live each day in the life force of His Spirit and being guided by His truth.

Truth

1.  We can overcome our circumstances by perseverance and staying on course. We cannot change our circumstance by running away from it, but only by persevering in the truth can we overcome it. The disciples wanted to follow Jesus so that He could shield them from their problems. However, Jesus did not help them escape from their problems, instead He encouraged them to overcome their challenges by living in His ways: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” If they do that, they would turn their circumstances around and God’s Kingdom would come upon them.

2.  Feelings of helplessness and heaviness can be overcome by strengthening our spirit in the Word. There were times that you cannot feel God’s presence or He seemed far away. But we must continue to believe that God is in control, and He will not leave you or forsake you. Hence, we must not be affected by the state of our emotions, but be rooted in God’s promises. Our emotions are merely expressions of what is in our spirit. If our spirit is weak and helpless, it expresses itself in feelings of hopelessness and despair. Hence, the real work has to be done in our spirit by meditating on God’s promises. God’s Word strengthens our spirit. The psalmist said, “My soul collapses with heaviness. Strengthen me with Your word!” (Psalm 119:28).

We feed our spirit with the truth by meditating on the word. We infuse life into our spirit by praying in the Holy Spirit (which is praying in tongues as well as with understanding). However, truth and life must come together; they are the two wings of a bird. We cannot keep praying in the Spirit without meditating on the word or he would remain blind to the ways of truth. Neither can we meditate on the word without praying regularly or he would lack the strength to do what he desired. Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Application

1.  Understand our coping mechanism. What do we usually do whenever we feel down? Each of us has our own coping mechanisms. Some compartmentalize their mind, some use distractions to take their mind off problems. And yet some live in denial, pretending that the problems never existed. Write a list of things that usually bothers you. Are they problems that are within your control? If they are not, then you must continue to be diligent and trust that God has a plan in place. We must endeavor to live joyfully and hopefully in anticipation of God’s salvation.

2.  Whenever we feel down and heavy, we strengthen our spirit through prayer and rejoice in anticipation of God’s promises fulfilled. Praying in the Spirit and meditating on the word are two disciplines that connect us with Jesus. When you find yourselves more disciplined in the practice of prayer and meditation, you will also realize that you tend to have less of those down and heavy days no matter what the circumstances were.

Dear Lord, I believe no matter how challenging my circumstances were, I could overcome it a day at a time by living in the truth. By being diligent in my responsibilities, by treating others with love, and by rejoicing in the promises yet fulfilled, I eventually succeed in my goals. Fill me with your love and strength to do Your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.