“Let not your heart be troubled”

What things trouble you?

How do you respond to a troubled heart? Some people can’t sleep or can’t eat or eat too much. Some people pace the house or get over-diligent with their work and others  just sit in misery. No matter what our response, we can all identify with the feeling of a ‘troubled heart’.

Jesus also suffered a troubled heart.

John12:27 Joh 12:27-28  And My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this cause I came to this hour.  (28)  Father, glorify Your name! Then there came a voice from the heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

Jesus said these words during the week before he was arrested, tortured and crucified at Golgotha.

Jesus’ heart was troubled as he faced the agonies that he would suffer in the garden of Gethsemane through to his death at Golgotha. Jesus knew what was going to happen – “for this cause I came to this hour”. Everything that had happened in his earthly life was preparation towards this point. This was the main reason for him taking on human form and coming to the earth.

As the time drew near he was troubled in his soul.

What was Jesus facing that would trouble His heart?:-

• He would suffer intense hatred and cruelty from his fellow-man. –The crowds cried out “crucify him, crucify him”
• He would be humiliated and mocked and taunted. – He was mocked by the soldiers and then He hung naked on the cross.
• He would be betrayed by a friend (Judas)
• He would be wrongfully accused and suffer injustice
• He would be misunderstood and his friends would desert him.
• He would be rejected and hated by those for whom he was claiming salvation. Many of those who cried “crucify him” were later amongst the 3000 converted at Pentecost.
• He would suffer pain – ‘The Creator of the World’, ‘The Holy One’, ‘The Word of God’ was tortured and persecuted  and left to die upon a cross – beaten and torn and naked before the eyes of all- a public spectacle.
• And more horrible than all of these – His Father would turn His face from Him and pour out His anger on him.  As Jesus took upon himself the sins of all his people, his Holy Father could not look upon him “God’s ‘eyes’ are too pure to behold iniquity”. The full cup of God’s anger of our sins was poured out on Jesus. He stood in our place and suffered the punishment for our sins

As I contemplate the things that could have been troubling Jesus’ soul in that week before His death, I am overwhelmed with the number and variety of troubles that I can think of. And I am sure that I can only understand and sympathize with  a fraction of what Jesus went through.

Jesus did not sin in having a troubled heart – he was not complaining or doubting. He was expressing natural human heart feelings. 

A few days later Jesus commands the disciples to “Let not your heart be troubled: You believe in God , believe also in me” John14:1 and again later in the chapter “Peace I leave with you… Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid”

 Jesus had again been explaining to the disciples that he was going to die and that he would then go away from them (He would go to Heaven). The disciples response to this was to be troubled in their hearts. They were insecure about the future. Jesus was not doing what they wanted and expected him to do. They were now questioning what they had believed about Jesus. There hearts were troubled.

For Jesus to tell them to not let their hearts be troubled when he so recently had experienced a troubled heart himself could seem almost ‘heartless’. 

But when Jesus told them to not let their heart be troubled he gave them his reason for saying this.

He said  “you believe in God, believe also in me”

How can this calm a troubled heart? What are we to believe about Jesus that would calm a trouble heart?

Firstly we know that Jesus understands what we are going through because He suffered similar things. But Jesus is also saying that we should remember what He has promised and also what he has done.

·         If you are troubled by cruelty, hatred humiliation mocking vileness from your fellowman remember that “Jesus is love”. “Greater love has no man than this –that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13

·         If you are troubled by physical pain and suffering remember that Jesus is “The Great Physician”

·         If you are troubled by betrayal, rejection, desertion or misunderstanding from your friends remember that Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother and the one who  promised to never leave us or forsake us (Proverbs 18:24)

·         If you are troubled by injustices remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord (Hebrews 10:30)

·         If you are troubled by separation from the ones you love remember that the Lord will never leave you (Duet 31:6)

·         If you are troubled by the anger of a much loved parent remember that nothing can separate you from the love of your heavenly Father (. Rom 8:39  nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

·         If you are troubled by the guilt of sin remember that Jesus came to save sinners1Ti 1:15  Faithful is the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Jesus is saying “Remember that my heart was troubled” He understands what we feel because he felt it.

But He is also saying “You don’t have to have a troubled heart because I have already been there for you”

He will be your “ALL in ALL” and satisfy and calm a troubled heart. We are commanded to believe him.

Love in Christ

Heather

 Further thought or discussion

1. Meditate on Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane through to His death on the cross. Can you add to the list of troubles?
2. What things have ‘troubled your heart’ recently? What do you need to believe about Christ to help you through this trouble? You may want to discuss this with another Christian friend – sometimes two heads are better than one when searching for Bible verses or Christian principles.
3. Can you remember a time when you have been deeply troubled and God has brought a verse to your mind or a friend has given you a verse from the Bible that has calmed and settled you? Praise and thank God for these times.