v. 1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. This is the great antidote for a troubled heart. It is based upon trust in our Heavenly Father, and His Son Jesus. Place your trust in Him, and His Promises.
v. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Jesus Christ has returned to heaven to prepare a heavenly home for his people. He has a room for you and me if we belong to Christ. Jesus is our treasure and heaven is our true home. One day, He will come back for us to take us there. Are you ready for his return? Are you ready for your departure? We are not promised another day on earth. Be ready at all times for His return.
v. 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. One of my favorite verses. Jesus sums up his life and his mission. He is the way – the way to God, the way to heaven, the way to forgiveness, the way to live. Following Jesus is the sure path to everything we need. He is the way. He is the truth – the truth about God, the truth about life, the truth about eternity, the truth about our deepest needs. There is nothing false in him. When we seek Jesus through his word, we discover the truth for our own lives. He leads us out of falsehood, and out of darkness and into his glorious light. And Jesus is the life. True life is found in Jesus. Eternal life is found in Jesus. Abundant life is found in Jesus. Apart from him, we are spiritually cut off from God, and spiritually dead. Our hearts are not alive, but captured by sin. Jesus brings life, gives life, and He is life. Surrender your life to Him, so that you may find his life. No one comes to God except through Jesus. Is this an exclusive statement? Yes, it is. Jesus makes a claim that no one can do for us what Jesus can. No one else can lead us in the way to God the Father. No one else can reveal the truth about our sin, and the truth about forgiveness. No one else can bring spiritual life to a spiritually dead heart. He is the way, the truth and the life.
v. 12 -14 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. I have always been captivated by v. 12 – “He will do greater things than these…” Are we to do greater works than Jesus? That’s what Jesus seems to indicate. As his people, we carry on His ministry, not our own. We are his representatives, now filled with His Holy Spirit. Jesus is with the Father in His glory, seeking to direct the ministry of the church through the Holy Spirit. As we have faith in Him, Jesus can and will use us beyond anything we have ever imagined. We are to do His greater works. I will not debate what that looks like, but I sure want to discover what it looks like. Jesus, I believe in you. Let us do your work here on earth by your Spirit. Jesus also promises that He will do whatever we ask in “my name.” He is speaking of the weapon of prayer. We can move heaven and earth through true prayers of faith. There are some conditions though for Jesus to answer us. He says He will do whatever we ask in His name. This doesn’t mean to use his name at the end of our prayer like a “magic incantation.” The name of Jesus represents his character, his will, and his reputation. To pray in his name means that we seek to pray according to his will and according to his character. We can’t just fill in the blank with any request we want and expect Jesus to deliver for us. We must be in tune with his will. If so, we will see His kingdom and his work in our lives. Jesus also said that he answers us to bring glory to his Father. In the end, answered prayer is about bringing glory to the Father. It is to the glory of the Father to answer the prayers of his children. He wants us to see His power at work on behalf of his kingdom in the lives of his children. Be glorified through your Son!
v. 15 If you love me, you will obey what I command… Obedience to God is the sign of our love for Him.
v. 16 He will give to you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come in His place. The word another means “one who is just like me.” Jesus is the truth. The Spirit of truth would come in our lives to take his place. He will lead us into all truth.
v. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Jesus left his disciples physically when he died, rose again and returned to the Father. But he promised his disciples they were not orphans. He came to them through the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are not alone. He is with us.
v. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to Him. Again, obedience is proof of our love. When we respond in love and obedience to Christ, we experience more fully the love of God in our lives, and we receive a greater revelation of Jesus and the Father. When you do not obey, you do not receive more revelation. You head into darkness. Obedience leads into light.
v. 26 But the Counselor the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. We have a teacher in our lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us and teach us the ways of Jesus.
v. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. Jesus gives peace. His peace is not like the world, not according to circumstances. His peace is a gift. His peace is supernatural. His peace is for those who seek Him. PEACE OUT!
“Do not let your hearts be troubled” Jesus spoke to his disciples knowing that he would soon be leaving them…knowing it was going to be troubling for them when things seemed to fall apart. Trusting and waiting are so difficult at times. Yet we, too, need to trust and wait for God’s plan to unfold when our plans appear to be coming apart.
“I go and prepare a place for you” In the culture of that day, when a man was going to get married, a room was added to his father’s house for the new couple. I am humbled when I think of a special room being added to the Father’s house just for me.
“He will do even greater things than these” How can that be? Me? My study Bible says that ‘Greater in extent’ (as in worldwide preaching). I can only acknowledge the possibility because Jesus says “It is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work.” Whew! It takes the greater responsibility off of my shoulders. I need only make myself available for Jesus to work through me to touch others with His love.
Do not have a troubled heart — the Helper is coming. The passion of our Lord is close; so He continues to comfort His sheep. With Jesus, the way is easy. Because of sin, we have missed the mark. We know we need a Savior and that’s the truth. With Jesus, we shed that “old” man and all its trappings and they are replaced with love, forgiveness, peace, comfort, assurance, compassion and kindness. That’s the kind of bait we can do some serious fishing with!!