"Let not your hearts be troubled,"
John 14:1 You've seen it on a hundred different tchotchkes. Tossed around as the ancient equivalent to, "No worries," we miss the power when we forget the context. Moments before, Peter had responded to the revelation that Jesus was going away, by proclaiming his willingness to die for his teacher,
John 13:33-38.
"Actually," Jesus responded, "You are going to fail (deny) me." "I am going away. You cannot come with me" Buried in the middle of it all, as the other disciples looked on, "Let not your hearts be troubled." Imagine. You disavow one you love. They disappear. Who wouldn't feel guilty or ghosted? With Jesus gone, what would the others do,
Genesis 50:15-21? Jesus continued. Shaken as he must have been Peter needed his master's words. "Believe. There is a plan for you. There's still a place for you. I'm getting it ready for you. I'll be back for you. I will not abandon you."
So much bigger than a flippant, "Don't worry." As Peter struggled to grasp how he could possibly make it through the darkness which lay ahead, our savior saw a broken man, who loved him deeply. Mercifully, the Lord offered assurance. Yes, the disciple would flounder. Jesus would seem gone, for a time. Even then, transgressor would not be abandoned. The Lord would work it all for good, Romans 8:28. "Let not your hearts be troubled," was not whispered to Peter alone. It was spoken for every disciple to hear. That's Worth Remembering.
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