John 14:1 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

NASB: Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

CSB: "Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

NLT: Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

KJV: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

NKJV: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In the last few moments, Jesus has indicated one of the disciples is a deceiver (John 13:21) and predicted Peter will deny knowing Him at all (John 13:38; Luke 22:34). This comes in the context of frequent references to His impending death (John 12:7, 23–24).

This is why Jesus takes the time to reassure the disciples directly, telling them not to be "troubled." This comes from the same Greek root word describing Jesus' spirit in verses like John 11:33 and John 12:27. Some scholars suggest a difference between being troubled in one's spirit, as opposed to being troubled in the heart. That would suggest Jesus is not commanding anyone to "be happy," but to "be brave." Whether John intended that nuance or not, much of what Jesus is about to say involves enduring hardship without losing trust. In practice, at least, this is a call for courage more than an upbeat mood.

There is also debate over the exact meaning of Jesus' statement about belief in God and belief in Himself. This might be two individual commands: "trust God and trust Me." Or, it might be an expression of logic: "you trust God, therefore you also trust Me." Or, even as "if you trust God, you will trust Me." Given what Jesus is about to say, a double command seems to make the most sense. Regardless, it's clear that Christ is encouraging faith in God, and in Himself, in the face of what's about to come.

John 14:1–14 continues Jesus' discourse with the disciples at the last supper. He has recently mentioned a traitor in their midst and predicted Peter's denials. That leads Jesus to reassure these men—reminding them that He has told them the truth and has all things in hand. In this passage, Christ famously refers to Himself as ''the way, and the truth, and the life.'' That is the sixth of seven such ''I Am'' statements included in John's gospel. This section includes Jesus' words, personal experience, and evidence of His miracles as reasons to maintain trust.

Christ reassures His followers that faith in Him is faith in God. To know Christ is to know ''the way, and the truth, and the life'' (John 14:6). The words, actions, and miracles of Jesus should give Christians confidence to trust that He will make good on His promises. Among those are His guarantee that He is preparing to come for us, so we can be where He is. Jesus also predicts the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is only available to believers, and this Helper acts to guide, teach, and remind us. Both for the disciples, and for future Christians, these words are meant to be comforting during hard times. Since Christ knew, in advance, what would happen, we can be even more confident to trust Him.

After completing His public ministry in Jerusalem (John 12:36–38), Jesus has washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:3–5), predicted His betrayal (John 13:21), and foreseen Peter's denial (John 13:37–38). Chapter 14 begins a series of remarks meant to encourage the disciples, in the face of dire warnings. Among these are reminders that Jesus is planning to bring them to be where He is, assurance that He is ''the way,'' and the first explicit promises of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 15 will continue this address, beginning with Jesus' claim to be ''the true vine.''

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.