“Trust Me”
John 14:1-14
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 18, 2014
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text, “[Jesus said]: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in
God; believe also in me.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
What do you mean when you say, “I believe in God the
Father Almighty”? We pass by the words so quickly, perhaps we
forget to really think about what they mean. What does Jesus mean
when he says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God”?
Does He mean, “Acknowledge the existence of God”? I tend to think
that’s how we sinners interpret it… so that when we confess the
Creed we think we are first and foremost saying, “I believe in –
acknowledge the existence of – God the Father Almighty.” Isn’t that
how you often interpret that first phrase?
Here’s the problem with that interpretation: Jesus looks at
his disciples and he says, “Believe in God; “believe also in Me.” Now,
if you are sitting among your twelve closest friends, those in whose
presence you’ve eaten, those with whom you’ve shared the last
three years of your life, those to whom you taught the most
profound truths… do you really need to say to them, “acknowledge
my existence”? As soon as Jesus says to the Twelve, “believe also in
Me,” we must remove from our minds the notion that he’s pleading
with them to believe in the existence of the Father or the existence
of Himself. In the same way, then, he does not call on you to – nor
do you in the Creed – merely acknowledge the existence of God the
Father Almighty or the existence of Jesus Christ, His only Son, our
Lord. As the apostle James quips, “You believe that God is one; you
do well! Even the demons believe [that]!”
Foundational to our doctrine (“The Church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord”) is not only acknowledging the Truth of
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but also trusting our God’s good and
gracious will. As important as it is to confess that we believe the
historicity of the Scriptures, the words of our lesson are not about
acknowledging the existence of God. Rather, this is a text in which
Jesus pleads for you to trust Him. Trust the Father’s care of you.
Trust Jesus’ Word and promises to you. “Believe in God; believe also
in me.”
Yet, we live as if believing in God is more a head knowledge
about His existence than it is trust in His Word. We confess the Creed
(according to the Small Catechism, it is meant to be a daily
confession to guide our daily lives) but, we confess the Creed with
our lips, then with our hearts and lives we doubt and despair and
take matters into our own hands, acting as though such Creedal
confession of the lips was insincere, habitual, or done only because
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the liturgy tells us to, rather than because we actually trust God’s
Word and promise.
And, even if we lie to ourselves and think that
“acknowledging God’s existence is the same as trusting His will,” our
sins against our loved ones, our hesitation to confess Christ in word
and deed before others, it exposes our self-deceit. We may be able
to convince ourselves that acknowledging God’s existence is the
same as trusting His will, but those around us – whom we offend
with our selfishness… those around us – who can see how little we
trust Christ and how often we transgress His will – they are not so
convinced by our constant doubting and despair that we actually
believe in God and believe also in Christ. For, as Christ himself says,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me (trusts Me) will
also do the works that I do.” And Jesus goes on, whoever trusts in
Christ will ask Him in His name… in other words, will call upon him
and pray.
Now, it’s easy for us self-righteous sinners to start trying to
justify ourselves, “But, I pray. I do good works. Look how much I
believe in Jesus!” But, you know what? The disciples prayed, too –
“Lord, teach us to pray!” – they had asked. The disciples also desired
to do good… even compared notes as to who had done the best and
deserved to sit on Jesus’ right and left.
But, Jesus sees through the disciples’ façade, and He speaks
to their uncertain hearts and skeptical souls, just as He calls you to
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drop the act, for He knows your trembling weakness: “Let not your
hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me,” Jesus says.
Not only does Jesus know our hearts’ weakness, but He also
anticipates our response, “How am I supposed to trust you? Why
should I trust you?” After all, trust can only be demanded by
someone who’s earned it!
And, how does Jesus reply? “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?” In other words, Jesus says, “You have my Word.”
Friends, you have Christ’s Word (life-giving; trust-producing Word).
What reason has Christ given you to doubt His Word?

My spouse (or parents) died: Didn’t God’s Word tell you that
would happen? “Dust you are and unto dust you shall
return.” And yet, that same Word comforts: “Your [loved
one] will rise again.”

My life is full of heartache: Didn’t Jesus himself tell you, “In
this world you will have tribulation”? But, that same Word
comforts: “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

My family, this world, seems to hate my faith: (“With a
scornful wonder, the world sees her oppressed”) Didn’t Jesus
predict the same, “If the world hates you, know that it hated
me first.” But He also comforts, “The gates of hell shall never
prevail against [the Church].”
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And so, “Trust Me,” Jesus says, because he’s’ not unrealistic/naïve/
“fantasaical” in his promises… He’s very candid, direct. And so, when
he says, “Your sins condemn you,” believe him. And when he says, “I
forgive you your sins,” trust His Word!
But, the skeptic is insistent: “Why should I believe your
Word, Jesus?” And Jesus responds in our text, “Believe me that I am
in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of
the works themselves.” …On account of the works themselves.
What are the works of Jesus? Philip asks to see the Father,
and Jesus says, “Look at Me… believe my words and my works.” So,
what are his works? Are they nothing short of fulfilling His words? He
promised you that He would suffer and die and rise again from the
dead, and He did. He promised you that He would fulfill all the
prophecies of Old that spoke of Him, and He did. Jesus’ death and
resurrection guarantees that all of His promises are true. Jesus’
death and resurrection adds gravitas to all the works that come
before and after those climatic three days. After all, when He said to
the Twelve, “believe on account of the works themselves,” He hadn’t
yet died… this events of our text happen during Holy Week. But,
could the Twelve not think on him raising Lazarus from the grave;
could they not think on Him quieting the stormy seas or changing
water into wine, or healing the sick, or giving sight to the blind? And,
then, just a few days after Jesus speaks these words (and, especially
as John recalls those words and writes this Gospel), believing on
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account of the works themselves is seen much more clearly through
the lens of the cross, even after all these twelve had run for cover in
the hour of the cross, why? - because they did not trust His Word!
Jesus’ word is trustworthy and true. He has proven Himself
by overcoming the grave, and that quiets any doubt or question we
would have about any of His Words and promises. And, if there is
still any doubt, do we not have the further testimony of the early
Church, who would rather sacrifice their lives than give up their faith
(their trust in) Jesus? Consider our first reading, and Stephen, the
first of a long line of martyrs. That word “martyr” comes from the
Greek word martyria, which we translate “witness.” We have the
witness – the testimony – of generations of Stephens – from the
early Church, through the days of the Reformation (when the princes
told the Roman court to strike off their heads because they refused
to recant the gospel), even unto the present day (for, keep in mind,
those 300 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by extremists
were kidnapped for one reason: they were followers of Christ, and
not of Islam.)
What a cloud of witnesses surrounds us, testifying to the
truth of Christ. And yet, had we none of them to encourage us, it
wouldn’t matter. For, Christ doesn’t appeal to them. He appeals to
Himself… His works, His word. After all, remember just last Sunday,
we heard Him say, “I am the Good Shepherd. The sheep know my
voice.”
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So, what are we to say of the Good Shepherd: “I
acknowledge His existence”? Or, “I trust Him and His promises”?
Thus, Jesus exhorts us, commands us, saying, “Believe in
God; believe also in Me.”
This also presents a helpful little tangent for us to consider:
what is the relationship between a command and a promise? Does
Jesus here command us to trust him? Yes! This is Law! The call to
believe on the Lord Jesus is Law. But, why the call? Why the
command? Because it points us to the promise (Gospel).
Martin Luther picked up on this in His Large Catechism’s
discussion on prayer. He said that we should pray, first, because
God’s command should not be mocked. He commands it; we do it.
But, why does He command it? Luther says, “If God did not intend to
answer your prayer, He would not ask you to pray and add such a
severe commandment to it” (LC III, 18).
In other words, God commands things of you because He has
great promises for you, and He knows that – in your sinful
independence – you won’t take Him up on the promise by our own
strength: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus
Christ my Lord or come to him.” And so, He calls out to you in what
sounds to your sinful ears like strict, domineering commands. And, to
be sure, He does ‘command/instruct/tell you’ to come… to come and
benefit. (It’s no mere invitation, but a command!) He commands you
to pray. He commands you to put away your independence and be
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baptized into adoption that depends on the care of the heavenly
Father. He commands you to repent of your sins. He commands you
to “take, eat; take, drink.” But, in none of these commands does He
say, “If you do this, you’ll earn my favor.” But, rather He says, “Trust
me. I have great benefits to bestow upon you.” He commands you to
yield to your way and trust His way… not so that you’ll please Him,
but because He promises great blessings.
And sometimes, by the way, the command upon one is for
the promise of another. Parents, He commands you to raise your
children in the Faith, not for your benefit, but for theirs. Children, He
commands you to listen to your parents… for their benefit, that they
might be able to raise you in the Faith for your benefit! Husbands
and wives, love one another – for your spouse’s benefit… and live
according to God’s design for marriage, because He promises you
great blessings. Single folk and widows/widowers, do not despair,
but hear the voice of your Good Shepherd: “believe in God; believe
also in Me.”
“Trust Me,” He says to every baptized child, “for I am the
Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for his sheep. Trust Me, for I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one benefits from the love
of God through any other avenue; but through Me, you have His
every promise, benefit, and the full inheritance of heaven.”
So, friends, we can dutifully live according to God’s
commands, because they point to His will, His Word, and His
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promises. And we can joyfully cling to His promises, for they deliver
to us and carry us to every good gift of heaven, for He has held
nothing of Himself back from us, but given us everything in Christ.
And so, we can say, “I believe in (I trust) God the Father
Almighty, who made me and still takes care of me. I trust Jesus
Christ, who died for my sins and in whose resurrection every other
Word and promise of God is vindicated. I trust the Holy Spirit, who
gives life to Christ’s Church and sustains me and all Christians even
unto the day of resurrection. This is most certainly trustworthy. This
is most certainly true.”
In the Name of the Father
And of the Son
And of the Holy Spirit.
+ AMEN +
Rev. Mark C. Bestul
Calvary Lutheran Church
May 18, 2014
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