Jump Start # 3515

John 14:9 “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 do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’”

The section of John 13-16 is very powerful. Multiple times Jesus tells the disciples that He is leaving. Not only is He leaving, but they cannot come with Him. They have had Him for a good while. He has calmed storms when they were scared. He has fed massive crowds when they were hungry. He has sent demons fleeing. He has boldly stood His ground against critics, accusations and charges. But now, He is leaving.

You can imagine what was racing through the minds of these confused apostles. Who will take care of us now? Who is going to calm the storms? Who is going to deal with the Pharisees? How are we going to get along without You being here.

As the fourteenth chapter opens, Jesus tells them “don’t be troubled.” Peterson says, “Don’t be rattled.” Phillips says, “don’t be distressed.” There are a lot of things in life that causes one to become rattled, distressed and bothered. One of the greatest things is change. And life is always changing.

A new job. Moving to a new city. A new preacher. Going to a different congregation. Last of the children have moved out. Death of a spouse. Bringing a parent to live with you. All of these things speak of changes. Routines change. Schedules change. Life changes. And, for many, especially as you get older and have become very accustomed to certain things, these new changes troubles, bothers and rattles us.

Personally, I’m not a great adventurer, even though I have jumped out of an airplane. I drive the same route to work every day. I generally eat lunch at the same handful of places every day. I have a morning routine that I like. Comfortable. Relaxed. Accustomed. Normal. That’s a sure and safe place to be.

Not long ago, part of the highway I drive every day was closed. I had to take a different route. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t normal for me. And, throughout Scriptures we find changes. Adam and Eve lost their first home, Paradise. Moses died and Joshua was the new leader. He wasn’t Moses. Different judges. Different kings. And, for these apostles, everyday they woke up, Jesus was there. He was always there. Life was good, because Jesus was there. There were moments when they became frightened, but somehow Jesus took care of it.

Now, the word throughout John 13-16 is that Jesus is leaving. How will they get by? How will they survive? How do we get by when things change? How do we survive?

First, before the opening sentence of chapter fourteen ends, Jesus tells them to believe. Even though He will no longer be with them, believe. And, there are layers of reasons to believe. Jesus has proven Himself. Over and over He has shown that He can redefine the word “impossible.” His works, verse 11, has demonstrated who He is. But more than that, Jesus has shown Himself to be trustworthy. If it were not so, I would have told you, He says. That’s the relationship they had with Jesus. He is the truth, because He always spoke the truth. When Jesus said something, they could count on it.

Second, as our verse states, Jesus says, you ought to have known Me. And, so should we. The character of Jesus was compassion and goodness. When Peter tells Cornelius that Jesus went about doing good, that doesn’t surprise us. That’s nothing new to us. That’s how we know Him. Jesus never made fun of the disciples. He never wanted to see them fail. He was about doing good.

Believe Jesus. Trust Jesus.

Third, His promises are true. That’s what He means when it is stated, “I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (14:3). How could they be sure about that? Because Jesus could be trusted. Because they knew Jesus.

So, when you and I face life’s big changes, these same three elements will help us. Believe Jesus. Know Jesus. His promises are true. Promises such as, I will never desert you. Promises such as even though you go through the valley of the shadow of death, I am with you. Promises such as with every temptation, there is a way of escape. Promises such as Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. While life is always changing, Jesus doesn’t.

The disciples were told that the Lord was leaving…but He wasn’t leaving them alone. Important thoughts for a changing world that we live in.

Roger