Infinite Solace - Part 1

On the consolation that truly comforts, which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples in His farewell discourse.

When we suddenly find ourselves faced with unexpected, threatening situations in our lives, families, or at work, we wonder how we should live going forward. Where can we find direction? In the Bible. And John 14:1-3 concretely provides an answer in the form of a very personal invitation. The Lord extended it to His disciples when explaining how they should behave in the face of challenges, and summed it up this way: “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

This is what Jesus Christ is also calling us to do if we belong to Him: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Whatever’s going on, no matter the situation you’ve found yourself in, no matter how threatening your circumstances seem: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” You may be wondering what this looks like in practice. Should I just think positively, and everything will be fine? What if the facts of the situation are clearly saying otherwise?

Jesus addresses exactly this concern in the Gospel of John. In the first three verses of chapter 14, He gives detailed instructions for handling difficult situations and challenges: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Before we continue, I’d like to address the disciples’ circumstances at that time. Then the Lord’s fivefold consolation, which He used to comfort the disciples then, should also comfort our hearts today.

The Disciples’ Terror

The word “comfort” doesn’t even appear in John 14:1-3. So, how do we know that Jesus intended to comfort His disciples with these words? One answer appears in Jesus’ own words a few verses later: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” Other translators speak of an advocate, counselor, or comforter. Sending a comforter presupposes that someone needs comforting.

It’s also worthwhile to consider the background in which Jesus was speaking these words. Where were the Lord and His disciples? Luke 22:12 tells of a large furnished room in Jerusalem. They had all assembled there to eat the Passover meal together. However, the preparations must have seemed very mysterious to the Apostles Peter and John. Jesus didn’t give them the precise location, only the following information:

“He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, “The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there’” (Luke 22:10-12).

That evening, when they were all together, a dispute arose concerning which of them should be considered the greatest (Luke 22:24)—whereupon Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20). This served as both a unique example and a standard for true greatness. The Lord then exposed Judas Iscariot as a traitor (John 13:21-29), and Judas left the gathering (v. 30). Afterward, the Lord instituted Holy Communion: “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20). Peter (John 13:36-37) and the other disciples (Matt 26:35) went on to pledge their loyalty to the Lord, but the Lord pronounced to Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times” (John 13:38).

This was the setting for the terror that came over the disciples: the mysterious route to the Upper Room, the dispute among the disciples, the announcement of Judas’ betrayal, the prediction of Peter’s denial, and then the prediction of the Lord’s departure, death, and bloodshed … and into this situation He says, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

As part of this farewell discourse (which begins in chapter 13 and continues until chapter 16), the phrase appears again. Just before the Lord and the remaining eleven left the Upper Room to make their way through the night to the Garden of Gethsemane, He appealed to them with the same encouragement one more time. Jesus knew what would happen to the disciples over the next few hours, and so He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

These words of solace have strengthened generations of Christians, dried many a tear, and encouraged many a despondent and fearful heart to remain calm and composed, even in turbulent times. Christians are the only people who can truly be calm in a troubled world!

The next verses show us what a wonderful Comforter the Lord is. They show us how God takes away our fears. Even today, these are still valid principles for how we can have hearts free from fear, even in the most uncertain and precarious times. Taking these principles to heart also protects us from being “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). Or worse, from giving false comfort to others, which could have dire consequences.

First Consolation: Believe What Scripture Says

“Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1b).

The only way to overcome fear and uncertainty is to believe. We must have faith. Not in any way we want, or in anything we want, but in the eternal God. Our faith in God actually testifies to just one thing: I’m not an atheist. Nothing more. Our Christianity only comes alive through personal faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35b). “Whoever believes has eternal life” (v. 47). “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25b). And finally, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me” (John 12:44). This makes John 14:1b the logical consequence: “Believe in God; believe also in me.”

All of these verses from John lead to a single conclusion: Jesus is God! Do we truly realize who was sitting with the disciples in the Upper Room? But faith also means that we follow where the Master sees fit to go. “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also” (John 12:26a). “Follow me” is stated 15 times in the Gospels. It’s a matter of doing the Master’s will. “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). That’s faith according to Scripture.

What was the point of all of the alarming announcements Jesus made? Above all, they were meant to achieve a single purpose, as we read: “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe” (John 14:29). After all, that was also the reason John wrote this Gospel under inspiration from the Holy Spirit: “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

Believe in God, and believe in Me!—The most important consolation for difficult times, and a remedy for all our heart’s restlessness. It’s what remains when everything seems dark, hopeless, and without purpose. Believe what Scripture says.

Second Consolation: Look Toward the Goal

“In my Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2a).

The Lord’s specific intent in this verse is to change the direction we’re looking. Away from the visible, frightening, threatening, and uncertain, and toward the invisible yet certain. “My Father’s house” doesn’t mean an earthly temple but heaven, God’s eternal dwelling place—the precise place where Jesus ascended after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-11).

Someone once described the Father’s house like this:

“In heaven there will be no more tears, no fear of death, no painful separations, no terrible diagnoses, no unemployment, no burden of aging, no schemes, no bullying, no fear of the future, no depression, no hatred, no painful soul wounds, no guilt, no disparity between people, no despair, no loneliness.”

There are many rooms there. This refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, every believer’s future heavenly abode. We’re first introduced to this residence as a metropolis of enormous proportions in Revelation 21. The New Jerusalem is like a gigantic cube, with each side 2,220 km (1,380 mi.)—dimensions that are ultimately inconceivable to us. And its external appearance is remarkably splendid: golden plazas and streets, city walls made of precious gemstones, and city gates made from precious pearls. It’s the very embodiment of an abundance of security and peace, of goods and culture, of cheer and vitality. This giant city is the goal of human longing and divine plan. Although our present-day metropolises are life-threatening, socially chilly, and anonymous, God is creating the exact opposite in the New Jerusalem. Finally, there will be a large city in which no one will be overlooked, oppressed, or lonely, and where every success is possible.

Nevertheless, the vision of God’s new world isn’t limited to this image of a huge city. Revelation 22 speaks of a stream of crystal clear water flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb. Its water gives life from which the most abundant growth and rich blessings emerge: The trees of life on both sides of the river bear new fruit each month in almost inexhaustible abundance. The vision of the new world also includes undamaged, lush, fertile nature.

Finally, Revelation 21:23 sums up the city’s true glory: “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” What a tremendous consolation it is when we look to the goal!

“In my Father’s house are many rooms.” And so, hold on! Persevere! Overcome! “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1).

And then, the Lord adds with strength and urgency, “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2b). Yes, His Word is truth (John 17:17), and His decrees are trustworthy (Ps 93:5). There is an apartment waiting in the Father’s house for everyone who is truly reborn. But the key to our eternal dwelling had to be purchased for us, because our sinful and corrupt nature completely bars us from God’s presence.