πιστεύω

Text: John 14:1-4

My poor dad. I must have put him through his paces when I was a kid. When I was in high school, Dad had a 1966 Ford pickup truck that belonged to my grandpa. Bear in mind, I learned to drive in a big, beautiful Oldsmobile with an automatic transmission. The day I got my driver's license, I hopped in the old Ford with my dad, looked down at the clutch and asked, "What's that extra peddle?" Now, I'm not a very coordianted person. I can't dance. Nor can I hit the clutch and the column shifter in harmony. After much spitting, sputtering and frustration (both from the truck and my dad), I finally - mercifully - gave up for the day. I didn't exactly instill a lot of confidence in my dad.

Eventually, I learned to drive Dad's pickup. And, one fateful, icy winter's night, he let me borrow his beloved old truck. The main streets were fine, but the backroads were slick. "Stay on the highway," Dad warned me. "Do not cut through the country coming back home."

"Trust me," I said, clutching the keys.

I probably don't need to finish the story. Let's just say... had to be home by 10:30. It was 10:20. I was late, which meant I was in trouble. I had to make a quick decision: go home via the highways and face certain grounding. Or, take my chances by short-cutting via the rural route and hope I didn't hit any ice.

I lost. The big boulder sitting at the edge of the "s"-curve won. The huge dent in the front bumper told the whole story.

Frankly, I blew it. It took Dad quite a while to trust me again.

Trust. That's a very personal word. When we ask someone to trust us, we are saying, "Put your well being in my hands."

πιστεύω (pisteuō) is the Greek term translated here as "trust" (or "believe" in the King James Version). And, in contrast to the story I just shared, trust is exactly what Jesus had earned with His disciples. For three years, they had followed Christ and seen Him keep His word time and again. Miracle after miracle, promise after promise, Jesus shows Himself trustworthy.

Now Jesus is leaving them. After calling the disciples to "follow me," Jesus is telling them, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now..." (John 14:36, NIV). Can you imagine how the eleven must have felt? They had given up their lives to follow Christ - for three years - and now, the one they rely on is leaving.

But Jesus appeals to them, "Trust in God; trust also in me." What they are about to see with shake their faith to its core. Peter will deny even knowing Jesus three times in a short span of time. However... Jesus has left for them the example of a legacy of trustworthiness.

People will let you down. We're all human and we all blow it. All of us at some point have been disappointed by somebody we trusted. Instead of losing our peace, put your trust in God. Trust Jesus to see you through the situation you're facing right now. "Do not let your heart be troubled." Simply trust in Christ and focus on Him. He never really left the disciples. He'll never leave you, either.