63: Don’t Let Your Hearts Be Troubled - John 13-14

G'day, Dave.

Here.

Welcome to Stories of a Faithful God for Kids.

Have you ever thought that something was really, really bad, but then someone told you, no, no, it's actually really, really good.

Like, you can't stand the sight of certain vegetables, but your parents say, don't worry, they're actually really good for you.

Or there's a ride that you think looks terrifying and someone says, don't worry, you're actually really going to love it.

Or you're worried about going to the dentist.

But a grown up says, don't panic, it's really not all that bad and it'll be really great for your teeth.

Sometimes you might believe them.

Other times you might think, nah, you've got that completely wrong.

Well, what about if Jesus says it?

What if Jesus says something's going to happen and you think it's really bad, but he says it's actually really, really good?

What do you think?

Will you believe him then?

Well, let's find out.

Get ready for our next episode of Stories of a Faithful God for K.

At the end of our last episode, something bad was about to happen.

Jesus knew he was going to be killed very soon.

More than that, he knew that someone there in the room with him was one of his disciples who he was having a meal with was about to betray him.

They were about to leave and arrange his death.

Because Jesus knew that he was about to die.

Jesus wanted to prepare his disciples to be ready for when he leaves.

And so he showed them how they have to love each other after he's gone.

Now he wants them to know that his leaving is all a part of God's plan.

It doesn't mean that anything's gone wrong.

In fact, even someone betraying him is a part of God's plan.

He tells them it's going to happen before it does happen, so that they'll believe that he really is from God.

So that they'll believe that he really is God.

The same God who rescued the Israelites out of Egypt, the one who called himself I am, he says to them in chapter 13, verse 19, I am telling you this now before it happens.

Then when it happens, you will believe that I am He.

Even as he's talked about this happening, it doesn't seem like the disciples really understand what he's saying.

Jesus, though, is feeling really sad about it.

And he wants his disciples to understand.

He wants them to get it.

So in verse 21, he drops this massive bombshell announcement into the middle of the conversation.

He says, I tell you the truth.

One of you will turn against me.

What?

Turn against him?

Betray him.

Can you imagine the disciples all looking around the room?

On the one hand, they might be thinking, oh, gee, I never expected that to happen.

On the other hand, they kind of looking at each other and thinking, is it him?

Is it him?

Who is it?

John is lying next to Jesus.

Remember at their meals, they rested on an elbow and lay on their side?

So John's lying there and Peter's kind of nudging him and mouthing, ask him who it is.

Ask him who it is.

Have you ever seen that in a classroom where someone doesn't want to ask the teacher a question and so they get someone else to do it?

That's kind of what's happening here.

And so we're told in verse 25 that that follower John leaned closer to Jesus and asked, lord, who is it that will turn against you?

Jesus answered, I will dip this bread into the dish.

The man I give it to is the man who will turn against me.

So Jesus took a piece of bread, he dipped it, gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Do you see that Jesus isn't surprised by what's about to happen?

No matter how secretive Judas has been, no matter how hard he's tried to hide what he wants to do, Jesus is God.

He knows everything.

He knows that what Judas is going to do is all part of the plan.

So as bad as this is, Jesus knows that good will come from it.

Judas, though he doesn't have anything good coming to him, he's in a world of trouble.

By planning to do evil things to Jesus, he's allowed the devil to be his boss.

So we're told in verse 27, as soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

And then Jesus says to him, that thing that you will do, do it quickly.

Jesus knows what's happening.

Judas knows what's happening.

But none of the other disciples really know what's happening.

Judas is in charge of the money.

So they think maybe Jesus is sending him out to buy more food, or maybe he's sending him out to give money to the poor.

They don't understand that Judas is the one who Jesus has been talking about.

Judas, now fully under Satan's control, takes the bread, leaves the house, and walks out into the darkness.

Jesus tells the rest of the disciples that the time has come.

He's going to be glorified, which means people will see how great he is, and God the Father will be glorified as well.

That's really good news.

But it does mean that it's also time for Jesus to leave.

The disciples think that's the worst news in the world.

Jesus tells them in verse 31, when Judas was gone, Jesus said, now the Son of Man receives his glory.

He's the Son of Man, and God receives glory through him.

If God receives glory through him, then God will give glory to the Son Jesus through himself.

And God will give him glory quickly.

Jesus said, my children, I will be with you only a little longer.

You will look for me and what I told the Jews, I tell you now, where I am going, you cannot come.

Like we saw in the last episode, Jesus is working to show them how to live.

After he's gone, he says, I give you a new command.

Love each other.

You must love each other as I have loved you all.

People will know that you are my followers if you love each other.

But Simon Peter, he's so not interested in talking about loving one another.

He's still stuck on the fact that Jesus has just said he's leaving and they're not allowed to go with him.

He says in verse 32, Lord, where are you going?

Jesus answered, where I'm going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.

Peter asked, lord, why can't I follow you now I'm ready to die for you.

That's a really strong thing to say.

And if there's anyone who you'd believe when they said it, it's Peter, right?

This is the guy who wouldn't leave Jesus because he knew that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

He's the one to give you eternal life.

Peter's the guy who, when Jesus said, if you don't let me wash your feet, you can't be one of my disciples.

Peter replied, oh, then wash my feet and my head and my hands as well.

Wash everything.

He loves Jesus.

He's stuck with Jesus through thick and thin.

And now Jesus is saying he can't come with him.

For Peter, this is the worst news in the world.

And so he wants to prove just how loyal he is to Jesus by saying, I'll die for you.

What Peter doesn't understand yet is that he's not quite as tough as he thinks.

Even he, even the great disciple Simon Peter is not good enough for Jesus.

Even he won't be brave enough to follow Jesus.

Jesus asks him in verse 38, will you really die for me?

I tell you the truth.

Before the rooster crows, you will say thank three times that you don't know me.

That must be a really hard thing for Peter to hear if he believes Jesus, then it would make him really sad.

If he doesn't believe Jesus, then he'd be really hurt that Jesus would think he would do something like that.

Either way, it feels like Jesus is saying the worst thing in the whole wide world.

Jesus knows how sad Peter and the others are as he's saying these things.

He understands that it's really not what they want to hear.

And so he tells them not to panic, not to be worried.

He isn't dumping them or giving up on them.

He hasn't stopped loving them.

In fact, he's going away because he loves them.

And although they don't really understand what he's saying, he wants them to trust him, trust that he's looking after them.

In chapter 14, verse 1, he says to them, don't let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God and trust in Me.

Jesus wants them to know that he's not going away forever.

He's going away to do a very special job.

For the last three years, he's been showing them that he's the one who can give eternal life, life forever.

Well, now he's going away so that he can get that ready for them, so that they can actually have that eternal life living with him and his Father.

So he says to them, don't let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God and trust in Me.

There are many rooms in my Father's house.

I would not tell you this if it were not true.

I am going there to prepare a place for you.

After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back.

Then I will take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.

You see, as bad as it seems, even though it seems like the worst news in the world, Jesus going away is actually the best news in the world.

Jesus going means that they can have life forever with God the Father and with Him.

It's the best news for them.

Because at the moment, they're not ready to go and be with the Father.

They're still dirty with their sin.

They're still going to run away when Jesus is arrested.

Peter is still going to deny, even knowing Jesus.

They need to have their problem of sin dealt with, and it can only be dealt with at the cross.

They need to have their problem of death dealt with, and that can only be dealt with by Jesus rising from death.

They need Jesus to leave to prepare a place for them with His Father in Heaven.

Which means Jesus leaving is also the best news for us as well.

He didn't just go to prepare a place for those 11 disciples in his Father's house.

There are many rooms, heaps of rooms, rooms for more people than we can count.

In fact, by Jesus going back to heaven after he came back to life, he's given more time for people to put their trust in Him.

More time for people to be saved, more time for people to come into His Father's house.

If Jesus had come back a hundred years ago, we wouldn't get to be with him forever because we didn't even exist then.

Do you ever wish that Jesus was with you here, right now, in the flesh?

Do you wish that you could see him and touch him and listen to him and talk to him face to face?

That certainly would be great.

And it will be great in the future.

Sometimes, though, it can feel really bad that we don't have that yet.

But it's so good because it means more and more and more people can be saved by Jesus for eternal life.

Before he comes back.

Back in Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples something really important.

He tells them, you know the way to the place where I'm going?

And the disciples are like, huh?

What are you talking about?

We don't even know where you're going.

So how can we possibly know the way?

If they can't answer that question, though, if they don't know the way to where Jesus is going, they're going to miss out on eternal life.

Knowing the way is the most important thing you can possibly know.

So what is that way?

Well, that's a story for next time.

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Bye for now.