John 14:1 Meaning of Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

John 14:1
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

Explanation and Commentary of John 14:1

There is powerful good news in this statement by Christ. Having given them many reasons to be troubled, he now gives a command that, if understood properly, should give us great hope.

Jesus makes some bold promises and claims in the New Testament. He says if we ask for anything according to his Father’s will, it will be granted (Jn 14:14). He says that we will do greater things than we have seen him do (Jn 14:12), and he says that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can command a tree or a mountain to fall into the sea (Mk 11:23). But he never promises that we will not have trouble. In fact, he says the opposite: “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn 16:33). We will certainly have trouble in a fallen world. We will be hated (Mt 24:9), likely we will be sick, perhaps persecuted, and suffer all things that you would expect in a broken and fallen world full of broken and fallen people. We ourselves bear the treasure of the Holy Spirit and a regenerated heart in the clay jar of our old flesh, which is not yet transformed as it will one day be (2 Cor 4:7-9).

But yet, Jesus seems to believe that we have some power over whether-or-not we will have troubled hearts. He thinks that our hearts can only be troubled if we allow them to be troubled. He commands us to take authority over our own hearts and have peace. He then shows us that there is a correlation between this and believing in God, and also in Christ. It is true, then, that our hearts will be troubled, no matter what is happening around us, in direct proportion to our suspension of belief in our Father in heaven who knows us, loves us, calls us, will save us, and holds the universe in the power of his hand. To obey Jesus’ command here, we must do what it takes to cultivate this belief, and we will live in perfect peace though “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand” (Ps 91:7).

Breaking Down the Key Parts of John 14:1

#1 “Do not let…”
We are created in the image of God with a will and a mandate to be faithful with what we are given. Our hearts fall into this category. The norm in our fallen state is to be ruled by the heart. This is to abdicate the responsibility God has given to humanity (Gen 1:28).

#2 “…your hearts be troubled.”
The heart is stubborn. In this context as the seat of emotions, it can be susceptible to chemical processes, lies from satan, and subconscious forecasting, all leading to emotionalism. Jesus calls us to take authority over all of it with the truth, the Holy Spirit, and abiding in Christ and his Word.

#3 “You believe in God;”
Christ had established that his hearers had a belief in his Father in heaven. He stated elsewhere that those who recognized his Messiahship were those who knew his Father, and were the true sons of his Father (Jn 8:42).

#4 “believe also in me.”
Here would be the key to control over the emotions; belief in Christ—his life, death, resurrection, and the great salvation that he brought through the manifested imputed righteousness (Ro 3:21), the boldness to approach the Father (Heb 10:19), the intercession of the Son (Ro 8:34), and the sure ending for the Christian who could say with the Apostle Paul “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

Bible Study on John 14:1

Expert Overview of John Ch. 13-21

Biblical Translations of John 14:1

NIV
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

NLT
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

ESV
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

KJV
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”

NKJV
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”