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“Have Confidence and Obey!”

John 14:1-14

Easter 5a

April 24^th, 2005

John 14:1-14

[Jn 14:1] “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. [2] “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. [3] “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. [4] “And you know the way where I am going.” [5] Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” [6] Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

[7] “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

[8] Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” [9] Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] “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 initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. [11] “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. [12] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. [13] “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 14:1

[Jn 14:1] “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

“Do not let your heart be troubled...”

The context of this conversation is the Last Supper. Jesus has ridden into Jerusalem through East Gate on a donkey colt. He has established himself in the temple. He has asserted himself as the Messiah and is now a doomed man; there is no going back. He just declared that one disciple would betray him and Peter would deny him. Do these guys have a right to their troubled hearts?

I think of the miniscule things that trouble me compared to what these followers were experiencing and yet Christ begins his last discourse with his disciples with the words: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

To be troubled [GSN5015 tarasso] means to be stirred up, disturbed or terrified. If any person’s ever had a right to be stirred up or terrified it were those people in that small room.

Yet, our Lord says; “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” This could also be stated as “decide not to let your hearts be troubled.” The Greek term for “do not” [me] actually means “God forbid!” “God forbids that your heart be troubled!” Jesus commands (not suggests) that the disciples should “not be disturbed” but instead “to believe [GSN4100 pisteuo].”

The term for believe comes from the word peitho [GSN3982] which translates into “have confidence and obey.” or “be assured and follow.”

Do I turn my fear (my terror) into an attitude of confidence and discipleship (obey and follow)? That is the command of Jesus at his Last Supper.

John 14:2-3

[2] “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. [3] “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

“In My Father's house...”

Though it made far more worldly sense to be terrified and ruled by fear; Jesus told the disciples not to fear but instead to obey and follow. Why? Why should they not fear? Because in the house of Jesus’ father there is room for all. There is no shortage of belonging in the kingdom of heaven. More appropriately, Jesus was saying; “There is no scarcity of love in the family of God.”

The word for House is oikia [GSN3614] which comes from word oikos [GSN 3624]. This is less a place than a family. The house of God is family of God or the descendents of God. God's family has room for all!

The ancient word for the house of God was bayith [HSN1004] which when translated would mean; “a place where even my most vulnerable child (my daughter) will be raised in the safety and knowledge of the Lord God.”

Does this sound like my community, my church, my family? Have I offered room enough for all in these places?

This concept was at the heart of our Lord's leadership. He is going away—he must be sacrificed to bring others to God's dwelling—but he will not leave behind even one of those remaining in that room. He will come back for them.

That's leadership! Not how far I can get ahead; but whether I left anyone behind. God will judge us by the distance between us and the most vulnerable person in my community; whether or not I make room in my family for that person.

“If I go and prepare a place for you...”

Jesus prepares a place [NT:5117 topos] for us; an intimate dwelling or even—an opportunity. Here is the most incredible news that we could ever hear. Our Lord will come and get us; he will receive us into himself. The word receive is a most intimate relational term. It is like a family taking in a street waif who was abandoned. What love Jesus has for us: To take us in—even while sinners—muddy children on the luminescent carpets of God’s heart.

Do we celebrate the mud that stragglers bring in upon our carpets? Are we more thrilled that children are tromping about in our lives or angry that people leave a mess in our church? One thing about the Gospel enacted; it is messy. There is no tidiness to the cross. That is the constant struggle between Martha and Mary; between control and compassion.

We need to remember that Jesus does not offer a peace outside of chaos but within it. He doesn’t take us out of the world; he joins us in the world—he sends us deeper into the world. If my faith is not a response to that; if my faith is all about cleanliness, order, ritual or control, then I am not heading in the right direction. The gospel takes us into the messiness of human relationships and the chaos of our world. Is that where my relationship with Christ increasingly leads me?

John 14:4-5

[4] “And you know the way where I am going.” [5] Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”

“How do we know the way?”

Poor Thomas—he is so like us; “Lord, we do not know the way.” Yet, he sat at table with the physical embodiment of God. How far must some people wander seeking the joy that is available right at their own dinner table? God is no distant God—certainly He can be found in the heights of Katmandu—but he is more likely to be found in our own neighborhood, on the streets of our own communities.

Thomas cannot see the way of Jesus because he is looking for a way out: Out of society, out of daily problems, out of the difficulties of community and the struggle of life. That is the way of the Eastern Mystic; it is Lao-Tzu climbing into the mountains to abandon people and endless suffering. As we said above; our Lord leads us in: To bring healing into the suffering and chaos of other people’s lives. Jesus is not a way out—he is a way in: Into the hearts and hurts of those around us.

John 14:6

[6] Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

“I am the Way, the truth and the life…”

Jesus, seeing Thomas’ true confusion (as opposed to belligerence or cynicism), shares his message in the plainest language available: “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but through me.”

The word for the means the only [ho] and our Lord gives no room for doubt to all the confused Thomas’ of this world. In the last few moments of his final meal with his followers, Jesus made his claim to be: Shepherd; Gate; Son of Man (Messiah); Teacher; Way; Truth; and Life. With Jesus the search is complete, his life and precepts are the sole source of pure, eternal joy. To fully know God is to fully know this one life.

The Way [hódós], is the route, mode or means to God. By saying he was the Way; Jesus was claiming to be the only path. The Truth [Aléthéia] means what is the verifiable. Christ states that his position as the Messiah is validated by prophecy, by his words, his works and his resurrection. The Life [zoé] means the abundant and eternal life. Christ promises a life of fullness and joy (as opposed to pleasure or happiness) to those who believe in him through their actions. Then, Jesus underpins his statements with the clarifying pronouncement; “No one gets to the Father but through me.”

If we believe this, our faith should not instill us any sense of pride but instead, a sense of absolute humility and gratitude. Such a gift of faith—in the unwavering truth of Christ’s way—is a gift we can pray for; “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” Francis of Assisi would pray: “My dearest God; who are you? And, who am I but your useless servant?”

Our constant prayers need to be consistent for those who are lost on false paths, deceptive bunny-trails that may even seem to lead to a transcendental peace. Instead, Christ offers an encompassing peace—a peace that embraces those struggling in the bewilderment of this world.

The Way does not lead us to self-absorption or gated communities; it leads us into a deeper relationship with Christ through fellowship and community with the least of these. Thomas had yet to understand that Jesus was “Ho hodos”: The Only Path. When we finally understand that truth; we will no longer be distracted by philosophy and head games (like Nicodemus) or worldly claims of ‘self-fulfillment’. Instead, Jesus shows us that the way to peace is self-denial and compassion. As we practice His Way we grow in His peace.

John 14:7

[7] “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

“From now on you know Him…”

Our Lord promises his followers two gifts:

1. [NT:1097 ginosko (ghin-oce'-ko)] The emphasis of this word is to know and be resolved.

2. [NT:3708 horao (hor-ah'-o)] This term commands us to discern and take heed.

God seemed to have grown distant from the Israelites as the religion fell increasingly into the hands of the select few and further from the hearts of the people. The Religious Leaders became mediators to God using ritual and knowledge to stand between the people and an intimate relationship with their Creator. It had become nearly impossible for the majority to worship God and completely impossible for those who were crippled, sick, or outcasts.

Jesus undermined the authority of the religious leaders by giving the people direct access to their God. Those leaders hated Jesus and saw him as a major threat because of his statements—but even more so—because of his actions. Now, Jesus was declaring to his followers that to know him is to know God; no intermediaries. Simply by loving Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—we are loving the Father.

1. If we strive to know Jesus (knowledge with resolve); we will know God.

2. If we strive to see Jesus (discern and take heed); we will see God.

Resolving to know Jesus and taking heed when we discern what he says to us implies a substantial daily commitment; a habitual commitment to seeking him. There is nothing happenstance about those terms—resolve and take heed—just as there is nothing wishy-washy about; “Have confidence and obey!”

Do we strive to know and see Jesus at a habitual level? Is it part and parcel of our daily habits? Do we feel incomplete when we miss our time with Jesus? In our outreaches, we speak to men about the four habits of a faithful follower:

1. Walk with Jesus daily (seek him daily and expect to encounter him);

2. Search his word with a bias for compassion (“Lord, who do you want me to love today?”);

3. Commit to a community of accountability (people who will hold you accountable to living out the Gospel);

4. Go where Jesus would go in your community (where are the least of these in your town; that’s where Jesus would be).

Resolve and take heed, and you will know and see Jesus. To know and see Jesus is to know and see God.

John 14:8-11

“Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me?”

Dinner was not going well for either Jesus or the disciples. The dinner began poorly when the Master picked up a basin to wash the disciples feet. This task was the responsibility of the youngest disciple (John) and—if he neglected this task—it would fall to anyone else except Jesus. Were the disciples playing pride games with each other; unwilling to lose their place in the upcoming kingdom?

Jesus then speaks of his betrayal, his death and the abandonment of the apostles and finally the denial of Peter. The disciples seem to lose heart completely so Jesus offers some encouragement:

John 14:1

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”

Yet, it almost seems as if the disciples are bent on not listening; as if they want to remain in a bad mood. First, Thomas contests Jesus:

John 14:5

Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”

Then, Philip joins in and challenges Jesus:

John 14:8

Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

Is it any wonder that Jesus responds testily; “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me?”

Thomas and Phillip, Peter and the rest, would eventually give their lives for Jesus and—even though John died of old age—all of them would be tortured for their commitment and resolve to Jesus. Yet, on this night, the room seemed filled more with belligerence and self-importance than humility and faith.

Who am I in this room of followers? Am I one of those refusing to wash feet? Am I telling Jesus to get more practical? “How am I supposed to know where you are going?” Am I telling Jesus that he needs to give me a greater religious “high” if he wants my commitment?

I wish I could say I wouldn’t be like any of them; but I’ve been like all of them at one time or another. Would that my faith were as great as the Syro-Phonecian woman:

Mark 7:27-29

And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs.” And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

If only I had faith like the Centurion whose servant was sick:

Luke 7:6-9

Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

Yet, look at what these two examples of faith had in common; neither was among the Chosen, neither was part of the inner circle. Both these believer's would not even be allowed to enter a synagogue with Jesus.

As one who leans on the mercy of Jesus, I fell drawn to the cry of the Jewish father who desperately sought assistance for his demon-possessed son; “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Mark 9:18-24

“And whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “’If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” [24] Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

I need to resist the temptation of the belligerent upper room believers; striving instead for the heart of the outsiders. My ideas, my works, the strength of my faith are vanity—they are self-deception; I have nothing of merit except for the Lord.

“My Lord let me approach you—not with the self-assured cockiness of an upper-room, inner-circle believer—but with the humility of one who is dependent upon your mercy. “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father”

Unlike Thomas’ inquiry; Phillip’s question steps over the boundaries of confusion or sincere questioning and into the area of impudence. It is almost as if he is saying, “We hear the claim; now prove it!”

“Show us [GSN1166 deiknumi]!” says Phillip. The word also means “Bring us!”

“Bring God to us, then we will believe!”

While we should be embarrassed by Phillip’s audacious behavior, we must remember how desperate the disciples felt that night. Between the triumphant entrance into Jerusalem and the hushed words of crucifixion at the Last Supper was a transition that could debilitate even the strongest believer.

Jesus’ retort is sharp and to the point (the truth often must be); “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Phillip’s rebuke is akin to the rebuke of Thomas after our Lord’s resurrection:

John 20:29

Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

In both cases the verb, ‘seen’ [GSN3708 horao], is used. We studied this word under the last heading; but let’s examine it in a little more detail. The word has three major uses:

1) To see;

2) To perceive; and

3) To attend to.

It is possible to see the historical Jesus without perceiving he is Lord and I can perceive that Jesus is Lord without attending to his commands. The damned in Matthew 25:31-46 both see and perceive that Jesus is their Lord, however, they did not attend to Jesus’ commands; they did not do as he commanded. The most sorrowful words in eternity may well be: “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You [Mt 25:44]?’”

Phillip had been with Jesus throughout the Lord’s entire public ministry. Phillip saw Jesus but when the “pagan Greeks” came to the temple seeking an audience with the Lord; Phillip failed the test. He passed the buck to Andrew; he remained just a middle-man.

Does that define me? Do I avoid the controversial arenas of faith; am I afraid of being caught out in the open with the pagans? How much more proof am I demanding before I will see, perceive and attend?

Lord, don’t let my life be caught in the middle, perceiving but not attending.

At one time, Phillip—the fourth disciple—brought his brother, Nathaniel, to Jesus with the words; “Come and see [Jn 1:47].” Then, he went on—as did all the disciples—to see, perceive and attend to the Lord’s call. Tradition tells us that Phillip preached the gospel in Phrygia until he finally met his death while talking of the Savior he loved at Hieropolis in Syria.

It is a blessing to know that Jesus does not cast away his followers for their denial, doubt or even their impulsiveness. Only Judas is cast out—and that is because of his deceit. We can be mad at Jesus, we can doubt him and even deny him and he will not close the door. Yet, we cannot deceive Jesus; for he knows the heart of the sincere believer.

“I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me”

Our Lord offers Philip and the other follower’s three reasons why they should trust in him:

1) Consistency of character;

The more we study the bible the more we can see how the Old Testament points toward the New. The character and prophecies of YWHW and His word find fulfillment in Jesus and completion in the church (through the Acts of the Holy Spirit). We can look at Jesus and see the embodiment of God; we can read God’s word and see it’s fruition in Jesus. Elsewhere John explains this mystery:

John 1:18

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

The Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father.

2) The words of Jesus;

Jesus states; “I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”

This is like saying; “All of my words are initiated by God.” You could measure all the words of Jesus’ ministry and they would point towards God because they came from God. The words of Jesus are inerrant truth upon which we can entrust our lives. Jesus challenges Philip to find an inconsistency in his testimony: his words and his deeds. The words and deeds of Jesus point to God because they came from God.

How can I strive each day to make my words and deeds consistent; less self-initiated and more God-initiated?

3) Finally, the actions of Jesus testify to his claims.

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.” The miraculous acts of Jesus are a historical fact attested to not only by the Gospels but also by Jewish and Roman historians. The chief priests could not deny the works of Jesus; their goal was to discredit Jesus by stating that the source of Christ’s miracles was Satan not God.

The weakness of their attacks was easily pierced:

Luke 11:17-20

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Character, words, and actions: Jesus invites Philip (and all seekers to question him; to search for his consistency on every level. Jesus’ life points consistently to the Father because he and the Father are one.

John 17:22-23

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

Search his wounds, weigh his deeds, examine his character, test his words; Jesus invites us to sincerely do the research. “Do whatever it takes to help you believe in me,” he basically tells Philip. But, once we have made a decision; then we must act on it. We cannot weigh the evidence of Jesus’ claims and remain inactive; neither can we manipulate Jesus into being the God of my whims (as Judas attempted). Complacency or deception has no advocate in the courts of heaven. If we are going to fail; let it be on the side of passion.

John 12:12-14

[12] “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. [13] “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

“Greater works than these he will do.”

Here are the unadulterated words of Jesus Christ: Whatever works he did, he will empower us to do if it is in his name because he has direct access to the Father. No mediators, no mitigation, no protocol, no degrees, no special gifts, talents, or blessing, no hoops to jump; just ask in his name.

What is it that Christ did and what is “in his name [NT3686 onoma]?”

The works of Jesus—what Jesus did—were called signs [NT4592 semeion] and it is the ability to perform signs that Jesus passes on to us:

Mark 16:14-18

And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. “

All signs point to something and the signs of Jesus pointed towards God; they elaborate on the character of God. The character of God is His name. What Jesus freely gives to us is the ability to perform signs that will elaborate upon God’s character; that will point towards the nature of God. Just what then, is God’s nature?

1 John 4:7-11

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

If the nature of God is love; then what signs can we perform that point towards Him? Let’s read the rest of the paragraph from 1 John 4:

1 John 4:11-21

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Fearless love… that is the sign that points to God, it is what we are called to do! These are the actions that God gives us the strength and power to perform.

“Greater works than these he will do…”

Does that define me? Does that sound like my life? Do I know what Jesus is saying and have I resolved myself to act upon it? Can I discern the words of my Lord and take heed to perform his commission? Will my life be defined by the two words: “Fearless Love?”

Do I have confidence enough to obey?

Copyright Notice

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.

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