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[Jesus said] “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. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. … The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:1-9a, 10b-11)
Jesus’ language comforts me, just as He intended it to comfort the disciples. He speaks very simply, without long words and confusing ideas; in fact, He reminds me very much of the way I spoke to my toddler son, the first day I left him at preschool. Look at Jesus’ language! “I am going away, but I will come back, and take you home with Me,” He says. “Don’t be afraid. I will get everything ready for you, and I will come back to get you.”
I wonder if the disciples were confused. No doubt they could tell from Jesus’ manner that something was up—something terrible was about to happen; but they didn’t realize exactly what. Even though Jesus had told them several times He was about to be betrayed, killed, and then rise from the dead, they didn’t understand—and were afraid to ask.
But Jesus sees their need anyway. And He gives them words of comfort and promise to hold on to when the dark time comes and they are afraid. He provides for them before they even realize their own need.
Jesus does this for us, too. It’s one of the reasons we listen to His words in the Gospels again and again and again. When the dark days come, and we are afraid, we can hear Him speak to us just as He did to the disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” We do believe in Him, because we have seen His love for us in His suffering, death, and resurrection. And we know He will keep His promise to bring us home again to Himself.
WE PRAY: Lord, when I’m afraid, let me hear Your words and trust You! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- What is about to happen to the disciples? How will they react? (See Matthew 26:31; John 16:32-33.)
- When you are afraid, how do you cope?
- Name a dark time you’ve experienced. How did you find comfort in Jesus then?
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