John 14:1

CHAPTER XIV.

THE HOUSE OF MANY MANSIONS (John 14:1-14)

"No sooner had Judas left the room than, as though it had been relieved of some ghastly incubus, the spirits of the little company revived. The presence of that haunted soul lay with. weight of horror on the heart of the Master, and no sooner had he departed than the sadness of the feast seems to have been sensibly relieved. The solemn exultation that dilated the soul of their Lord--that joy like the sense of. boundless sunlight beyond the earthborn mists--communicated itself to the spirits of his followers. In sweet, tender communion, perhaps two hours glided away at that quiet banquet."- Farrar.

1. Let not your heart be troubled.

The darkness of night had settled down on Jerusalem and Christ well knew that before the morning dawned he would be in the hands of his enemies. Just before him was Gethsemane, the betrayal, the denial, the mock trial, the scourging and the cross, but with these in full view, such are the wonders of his love that he does not think of himself. He does not ask comfort but he gives it. His heart is full of the sorrow of his disciples over his departure. It is. disappointment of all their hopes, for they cannot yet understand it, and the last moments of this sacred hour are devoted to cheering and instructing them.

Believe also in me.

They had believed in him, but they were so confused over the prospect of his death and departure, that they stumbled. He bids them to believe in him as they believed in God; to trust him even if they did not comprehend; to walk by faith rather than by sight through the darkness of that hour. To understand these words the confusion, sorrow and despair of his disciples over his death must not be forgotten.