Saturday in the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

John 14:1-3

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

The next several devotions will be covering John 14-17.  John does not include the institution of the Lord’s Supper but instead gives us these last discourses of Jesus to his disciples, which tell us so much about himself and the Holy Spirit, matters of fundamental doctrine for the Church.  Again, we praise the Lord for four gospels and the fullness of teaching they deliver.

Jesus knows that the hearts of his disciples are breaking.  They know that he is leaving them, and at this point, that is all that they can bear.  By the way, in our society that has so twisted relationships between people of the same sex, we must proclaim loud and clear: THIS IS WHAT MEN LOVING MEN LOOKS LIKE!  We have here a band of brothers who have been together for three years, eating and sleeping together, bearing one another’s burdens, lifting one another up, ministering together to a hurting world, and eventually dying for the faith of the One they love even more than, even more than … oh yes, even more than the love of women (2 Samuel 1:26).  The hearts of these men are breaking over being separated from this one man, because they love him in that manly way that calls a man to live for and even sacrifice his own life for the sake of that other man.  And again, I will say from the rooftops, such is what men loving men looks like.

But I digress; blame it on the society in which we live.  Anyway, Jesus begins this long discourse by comforting his disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled.”  Why?  “You believe in God; believe also in me.”  Throughout this passage, Jesus is going to explain to them once and for all who he is in the plainest and simplest of terms, so that even they cannot miss it.  And many of these devotions are going to cover “Who Jesus Is, 101.”  But for the moment, Jesus gives them the comfort that – because he is who he is, meaning the Son of the Father, whom he calls them to believe in (that is, himself) – he is going away to prepare a place for them so that when he comes again he will take them with him to that place that they may all be together again, with him.  And this is exactly what these men need to here; they need to hear and understand that the separation from their Lord is not permanent, but that one day they will be with him forever.

And this too is our comfort.  We are separated from him now, and we long “to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23).  For this world can be downright unfriendly.  But he tells us to not be troubled, for he goes to prepare a place for us, and will return to gather us together…forever.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor View all posts by The Reformed Baptist