“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Over their shared Passover meal, the disciples have heard some distressing things from Jesus. They’ve been told that one of their number will betray their Lord, and entered a state of confusion around who it could be. They’ve been told that Jesus is leaving them, with Him saying in John 13:33,

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”

We closed chapter 13 with Peter boldly claiming that he would follow Jesus to the point of death, only to be told that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. It isn’t that there’s been no good news – Jesus has told them that the Son of Man will be glorified and that God is glorified in Him. They’ve been given a new commandment, that by loving one another as Jesus has loved them they may be identified by all as His disciples. But in the good news, just as in the bad, there’s a degree of confusion. Either because they simply don’t want to believe what Jesus is saying, or because His words are beyond what they’re able to understand at this point, they don’t fully understand, and there’s distress. But what Jesus tells them shows a very simple solution to their worries, and should serve as the greatest of comforts as we walk through a fallen world today.

Faith unto Victory

1.      Jesus is our Comfort

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

It makes sense that the disciples would be upset at this point, but what Jesus says is a call back to where their (and our) attention is to be drawn. We are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus, to crucify the flesh and be made new in the Spirit. We’re told not to be anxious, but to seek the things of the kingdom of God, and trust in His provision. This is easier to do when times are good, but when challenges or hardships crop up, it can be hard not to worry, fear, or grow anxious. When Jesus tells the disciples, “let not your hearts be troubled,” the word He uses for “troubled” is the Greek “tarasso” which we’ve seen before. This is the same word used in John 13:21,

“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit…”

Have you ever gone to someone with a worry or concern and they tell you, “just don’t think about it right now”? Sometimes this is truly out of kindness – they may see that there’s no clear solution for what troubles you, and rather than watch you be consumed by it, they encourage you to focus your attention onto something else. This rarely works though, as simply ignoring a problem doesn’t make the problem go away. Even if it’s not at the center of your attention, you’re still aware of the issue in the back of your mind, and it tugs at you. Understand that this is not what Jesus is telling the disciples, or us to do.

1 Peter 5:6–7 says,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

The Bible doesn’t tell us to ignore our problems or worries, but to submit to God and give them to Him. Jesus tells the disciples to not be troubled in the same way that He is troubled, because He has taken this upon Himself. Jesus is troubled, willfully and humbly going forward, yet knowing what awaits Him on the cross – but the torment He takes on is removed from us, and all we are left with is hope and comfort. Romans 8:1 says,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Our debt is paid, there is no need for us to feel distressed, and the path to peace is simple, “Believe in God; believe also in me.” Philippians 4:4–7 says,

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In this, we can’t claim Jesus with our mouths, but go after the world with our hearts and expect to know a peace that we’re not seeking. But in Christ we’re offered comfort for good times and bad, that we might be delivered from the things that stir us up and cause us distress.

2.      Jesus is our Assurance

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

God doesn’t just provide solutions to the problems of today, but gives answer to the question of eternity. A problem that is only solved for the moment is not a problem that’s truly solved, but the comfort that Jesus offers is an assurance that endures forever. Isaiah 26:3–4 says,

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”

God loved us so much that He made us, that in knowing from the beginning that we would fall, already had a plan and made a way for us back to Him, through Him. His holiness, so high above our inequity that we could never bridge the gap, He did the work – all of the work – necessary to redeem us and return us to His presence. Isaiah 55:8–9,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God’s plans are beyond our understanding, and the scope of His love is more than we can grasp. His desire is not just that we live happy lives in a fallen world for an arbitrary number of years, only to spend eternity separated from Him. Rather through the teachings and works of Christ He calls us to Him, through the death and resurrection of His only Son – of Him made flesh – He opens the door and makes it possible for us to be righteous, worth of standing before Him, of approaching His throne with confidence. Revelation 21:1–8 paints a beautiful image of the eternal promise we’re offered by God, to be at home in His presence, as well as the alternative of rejecting Him,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’”

God’s love for us is not a fleeting or trifling thing, but endures forever. The assurance we have in Christ is not something that is just good for today, but is a hope that carries us into the embrace of our Father for eternity.

3.      Jesus is our Way

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’”

What Jesus has said is very straightforward from a Spiritual perspective, but Thomas’s response shows us that there’s still confusion among the disciples. It’s important to remember that what the entire Jewish culture was braced for was an earthly kingdom brought on by the Messiah when He came. While there may have been different ideas as to how this might come about, there wasn’t really a concept of what Jesus was offering, and in many respects, we see the disciples trying to catch up, and failing to understand. They understand, though with skewed perspectives, that Jesus is the Christ, that He’s their foundation, but this makes any idea of Him leaving all the more disturbing. He’s the cornerstone, the centerpiece, and without Him, their movement is nothing. With their minds still wrapped in worldly concerns, their anxieties only grow as Jesus tells them He’s leaving, and what’s more, that they know where He’s going. 

While it’s been a little while since I’ve gone, I have a particular fondness for deer hunting. I enjoy the time to sit and pray in the quiet, to watch the animals go about their business, unaware of my presence, and to know that even if I do everything “right” there’s no assurance of even seeing a deer. It’s a very real reminder of my lack of control, and of God’s provision – you cannot force an opportunity, only be given one. The first time I ever went hunting, I’d been sitting in the stand for a couple hours when I saw some movement through the trees. I grabbed my binoculars, started scanning, and saw the gray-brown body of a deer making its way through the underbrush. A few seconds later, I was able to make out antlers. My heart in my throat, I lowered the binoculars and eased my rifle into position. The buck meandered along, and stopped about sixty yards from me, with very little cover in an essentially perfect position to take a shot. I fixed him in my scope, I took the safety off of the rifle, and I completely, 100% choked. I had zeroed my rifle, I’d gotten up early, I was wearing the right deodorant and the right clothes. I knew what was between me and my target, as well as what was behind my target. But in that moment, I couldn’t help but be overcome by all the little things that could go wrong, that could cause me to miss, that could cause me to wound instead of kill, all the guilt and embarrassment and shame that would come along with messing up – and I was paralyzed. I snapped the safety back on, the deer took a minute, then headed back the way he came, and I knew I needed to put in more work (mentally and physically), to dispel some of my doubts before I found myself in that position again. There is a different kind of anxiety and fear that comes along with thinking about something, verses doing it, a different pressure that accompanies planning, verse execution. Peter just told Jesus in John 13:37,

“Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

While he was certainly speaking for himself, he wasn’t just speaking for himself. When Jesus announced that He was returning to the hostile region of Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead, it was Thomas, who now anxiously questions Jesus, who said in John 11:16,

“… Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

The plan has always been one of confidence, but now Jesus is speaking of being betrayed, of dying and ultimately leaving them, and while He offers words of comfort, they largely go unheard in the wake of the disciples anxiety. It’s also important to understand that the simplicity of what Jesus offers is unlike anything they’ve ever known. If we look back to the Old Testament, specifically the first five books that make up the Pentateuch, we see the establishment of the Law and the sacrificial system. The Law, beautiful and significant, which was perfected and fulfilled in Christ, was not a simple system. The rules were many, the sacrifices were varied and ongoing, as no number of slain lambs, oxen, or doves could permanently atone for the sins of man. There’s a reason why so many ambitious Bible readers start out in Genesis and tap out somewhere before they reach Joshua. The Law is vast, and living as Christians today, no longer under the Law, it can sometimes be a challenge to see the significance of some of these books. Likewise, I imagine there would have been a degree of confusion for the disciples in going from a system that was so exclusive to the Jews, and had so many layers and complexities to be told something so simple and glorious. “I’m leaving. Don’t worry, I’m going to my Father to prepare a place for you there with Him, and I’m coming back to take you there myself – also, you already know the way to where I’m going.” To be told that you know the way into the presence of God would have been incomprehensible. Remember that the only time that anyone was “in the presence of God” would have been once a year, when the high priest went behind the curtain in the temple. There was a process of sacrifice and atonement necessary for this one event, and it was extremely exclusive. It makes sense that Thomas has concerns, that he tells Jesus they don’t know where He’s going, and in the face of the enormity of what He promises them, asks, “how can we know the way?” God is infinitely complex, and yet the gospel is so blessedly simple. How can we possibly be brought into the presence of God?

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

You don’t know the way to the Father? Jesus Himself is the Way. The lies of the world cause you confusion, distress, and anxiety? Jesus is the Word, the embodiment of Truth itself. Do you struggle with the inescapable fact that to be alive in the flesh is to die in the flesh? Understand that Jesus is the Bread of Life, He gives Living Water, and offers life in the Spirit that endures to eternity. We live in a fallen world. Anxiety and uncertainty will come, but understand the simplicity of the Truth of the gospel, and cling to this in both good times and bad. Matthew 18:1–4,

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

This does not mean that we shouldn’t dig deeper into God’s Word, ask questions, and seek our Father’s wisdom in all things. But it also means that we have a great and simple assurance in Jesus as our cornerstone and firm foundation. In Him we have comfort, assurance, and the Way that leads us forward into the presence of our Father forever.

Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFMnno8rqs4