a surrendered life

In this first verse of Chapter 14 in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives His followers two commands. First, He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled. He’s telling them not to be afraid. You may be thinking “they’re walking with the Son of God, why in the world would they be afraid?” Keep in mind that He just finished telling them that one of them was about to betray Him. They knew what betrayal would mean. These were people who had lived under Roman occupation for their entire lives. They knew the Romans didn’t mess around. So from a practical, worldly standpoint, they had plenty to worry about. Not only did they care about Jesus personally, but they also knew His betrayal was very likely to be followed by the arrest and execution of His followers as well. And it would be a gruesome execution. Nowadays we tend to think of Jesus and the two criminals who were crucified with Him but the Romans used crucifixion as a means of execution since before Jesus was born.

But in the face of all that, Jesus says “don’t let your hearts be troubled.” That seems like an impossible thing for Him to ask of them. But then He adds the next part of the verse, the second command, “Believe in God; believe also in Me.” You wouldn’t think that adding more to an impossible command would actually make it easier, yet in this case, that is exactly what happened. By telling them to believe, by reminding them where to focus their attention, He shows them how it can be possible, even in the face of terrifying prospects, to have peace in their hearts.

“Believe in God; believe also in Me.” He says.

He’s telling them to remember to look to God. To trust and believe that the Father and the Son are in complete control of the situation. He doesn’t promise them nothing they find unpleasant will happen. He reminds them where to focus their faith; not on their own schemes to escape trouble or their ability to defend Him or themselves. Jesus reminds them to put their faith in God and in Himself.

As I read this and ponder how they must have felt, I think this is a good lesson for me, too. Life is scary and hard, but when my focus is on the Lord and on my Savior, my heart can be at peace even while I face difficult or unpleasant – even heartbreaking things. I may still suffer but nothing is outside of my Lord’s control. As long as I keep my eyes on my Savior, I am safe.