Jesus said “trust in God, trust also in me” (John 14: 1)
I couldn’t help but watch yet another documentary on the
assassination of JFK. No new evidence, no new leads, same old conspiracy theory. Made me think of the recent, and extremely expensive, investigation in the death of Diana. No new evidence, no new leads, same old conspiracy theory.
I do not doubt that those who feel that something is not as it should be are genuine in the feelings, but there comes a time when we simply have to accept the facts as they come to us and trust.
Mind you, I can sympathise to some degree with those who are caught up in an issue that is contentious, especially if one of the parties is the government. Trust is vital if we are to deal with contentious matters which tend to arise every now and again. Yet who today do we trust, very few I would guess. Time and time again we have been let down by those who we are looking to for honest leadership.
I know there are certain issues that need to be handled sensitively, and that sometimes means not saying anything until all the facts are known or the plans put into place. But very often we are being fed half truths, near truths, or blatant lies. And that is not good enough. It is that kind of dishonesty that gives room for the conspiracy theorists to manoeuvre. And then trust goes right out of the window.
So how do we respond when we hear the words of Jesus who says “trust me.” Can we trust Jesus. The answer is simple, yes we can.
Mind you the road to trusting Jesus is never an easy one, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. It comes over a period of time and often through times of doubt and uncertainty.
The disciples of Jesus often exhibited uncertainty, the gospel stories are full of examples. Yet they continued to follow Jesus, even though they didn’t always get it. And perhaps the biggest test for them came after Jesus had been crucified and died and was buried in the tomb. The disciples had expected Jesus to lead them into a new way, a new era, he would be their king and the would be his friends, as Jesus had promised them “… I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15: 15). Had their trust been misplaced? Where the promises of Jesus empty?
No! Jesus showed that his words were both trustworthy and true when in that room where the disciples were gathered Jesus came and stood among them and said “Peace be with you.” (John
The outcome was not what the disciples were looking for, the kingdom they would inherit was not of this world. Their security came not in the accumulation of power but in Jesus, the risen Lord.
There are many things in the Christian faith that seem to us to be, frankly, beyond the grasp of our understanding. How can Jesus be both God and man? What does it mean we will have a resurrection body? How can God know me in the vastness of the universe we know, never mind that which we don’t know? Yet sometimes we just need to accept the facts as they come to us and trust.
Jesus said “trust in God, trust also in me” (John 14: 1)
We must learn to trust in Jesus. And let’s be honest here, we aren’t too far removed from the disciples who just didn’t quite grasp what it was that Jesus taught them. Like the disciples we may fail to fully understand everything about God. Like the disciples our failure to understand might lead to uncertainty. Yet, like the disciples we will know many blessing if we learn to trust Jesus and give ourselves over to him because his words are trustworthy and true.
In a world where we struggle to trust anybody or anything, let us find hope and comfort in the promises of Jesus, our rock and our salvation, our Lord and our Saviour. Amen.