Are You Coming Back?
Jesus speaks peace to troubled hearts and invites us to rest in Him
“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. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 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.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” -- John 14:1-14
I confess, I’ve felt guilty whenever I’ve left the house this week because it means that our dog, Misha, will be home alone. Each time I leave he gives me this look, as if to say, “Are you coming back?” I say I’ll be back, but the way I sometimes find him anxiously vibrating when I return is proof that he didn’t believe me.
In John 14, the disciples are experiencing their own uncertainty in the upper room, as Jesus prepares them for His departure. He tells them He’s going away for their benefit, and promises to come again.
They don’t demonstrate much confidence. They have questions: Where are you going? How can we know the way? Philip says, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Jesus’ reply emphasizes the theme that He mentions six times in these 14 verses:
Believe.
He’s not asking them to embark on some intellectual exercise to analyze his statements. It’s deeper than that. The Greek word translated here as “believe” also carries a sense of trust, and of placing your confidence in someone. This kind of belief isn’t just agreement, it’s reliance. It’s trusting Jesus enough to rest in what He says, even when we don’t understand where He’s going or what He’s doing.
Are you ready to fall into Jesus’ arms, sure He’ll catch you? If I’m honest, there are times when I find myself trusting in my own strength, but soon that leaves me anxiously vibrating. Like the desperate father in the Gospel, I find myself praying, “I believe; help my unbelief.”
We may understand that peace comes through Jesus, but do we wait expectantly for the peace He has promised?
I believe; help my unbelief.
Jesus speaks of a future we can trust, and a home where we will dwell with Him and the Father. And we do not have to figure out how to get there on our own. Jesus made the way possible through His cross and resurrection. And to that, I can confidently say:
Lord, I believe.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.