Author: Jeff Englund

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

This may be one of the toughest challenges of being a Christian that I know. As Christians, we are in the world but not of the world. The world tends to be hostile to Christians. More so today than at any time in my life. In the midst of hostility, and sometimes just the everyday challenges of getting along with others, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled…”

How do you do that? How does one turn off the “being troubled” switch on the heart? The answer to that question has to do with faith.

Faith is all about trust. If you trust Jesus, and if you believe that he is the ultimate power in the universe, then what is there to worry about? Even short term pain and setbacks here on earth are insignificant when compared to eternity with our loving God.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Well now, there is an interesting thought! The way that Jesus gives to a person is different than the world’s way. How?

Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

One of the things I appreciate most about God’s creation is its logical nature. Everything of a material nature works according to the laws of physics. These laws have been in place since the beginning of time. The history of science has been one of discovering God’s laws in nature. Once understood, there is a comforting predictability about the nature of the physical world.

In verses twenty-three and twenty-four, Jesus explains another “law” if you will. It is a truism, a principle. He begins, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” He continues with, “Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” Then he adds that these words come directly from the Father.

Why does he tell us this? Why is it important?

Jesus replied, ”Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Today we complete the verse that we started in yesterday’s post. Jesus promises that love for Him opens the door to He and the Father coming into your life and living there. The last five words add a flavor to this verse that I find appealing. Jesus says that He and the Father will come and “make our home with them.” The God of the universe is willing to move into your life and take up residence!

Jesus replied, ”Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.”

Obedience is a tough thing. We humans are not naturally obedient. Oftentimes we tend to the opposite end of the spectrum. When we do “obey” it isn’t always because of love.

In my work as a traffic engineer, I study the behavior of people who drive cars. Have you have ever seen two little black tubes stretched across the street when you are driving? Those are what I and other traffic engineers use to keep an eye on what you are doing. The amount of information they collect is amazing.

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

By my count, the word, “love” shows up in some form in John’s gospel fifty-seven times. I’m thinking that many occurrences might indicate a theme.

Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” If I love Jesus, I would want to please Him. Obeying His commands fits in with that desire to please Him. So what did He command?

God’s command is to love God “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The second command is like it, “… love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 36-40) In John 13: 34 Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Taking all three of these commands together, Jesus says in effect: Show your love for me by loving God the Father above all else (as Jesus does), loving your neighbor as yourself, and love others who believe in me just as I have loved you.

It seems like it would be a very good idea to know what Jesus means when he uses the word, “love.”

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

A new day is coming! It is a day when the disciples understand what Jesus is telling them. It is also a day when the world does not see Jesus, but somehow the disciples do.

What kind of day is this going to be? When is this day going to be?

The day Jesus said this was the day before he would be tried, flogged, and crucified for claiming to be the person he was. Two days later (the third day) he would come out of the tomb, alive. Was that the day Jesus was talking about? After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit had come upon the disciples with signs and wonders, the disciples were filled with the power of God. Was that the day they knew that Jesus was in them?