Focus: The Bleeding Comforter

Text: Jh.14:1

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."

One great quality of a leader is his ability to encourage others while going through hell himself. A good leader keeps himself from passing aggression on others or the people he leads. He avoids projecting his negative emotion or energy onto others.

Jesus is facing a tough time and imminent death. He looks around, and all He sees is the cross. He is encountering oppositions from the Jewish authority. Judas Iscariot, His own disciple and treasurer, is now in the camp of the enemy, collaborating with the Jewish leaders to do Him in. He finds Himself in a season of trouble. He says to the Jewish leaders, "This is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Lk.22:53). In that horrible moment of His life, Jesus Christ declares, "Now is MY SOUL TROUBLED; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour" (Jh.12:27). John 13:21 says, "When Jesus had thus said, he was TROUBLED in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me" (Jh.13:21).

It is in this hour of trouble that Jesus Christ turns to encourage His disciples. They are feeling the horror of the moment. The thought of their master leaving them is causing them unbearable pain. They are feeling confused, uncomfortable, agitated and devastated. They are really in a bad mood emotionally. But Jesus Christ sits them down and says, "Let not your hearts be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me." In John 14:27, He says again to them, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (Jh.14:27). 

Faith in God and in Jesus Christ is the cure for trouble in the soul. Faith is cure for fear.

He tells them to have faith, and also, He gives them hope. He says, "I go to prepare a place for you." In other words, death is not final for Jesus. He would conquer death and bounce back to life. He would head back home to His Father and make room for them to be together with Him. He feeds them with hope. He tells them that in His Father's house, there are rooms enough for each person. And to cap it all, He says to them, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (Jh.14:18). Yes, He is the comforter! He has the right words for His people in every situation. 

The word 'comfortless' is 'orphanos' in the Greek. He would not leave them as orphans. He sees them as His family. He promises to come back to them, and He did come back to them after His resurrection. He appeared to them, dining and fellowshipping with them. For forty days, after His resurrection, He had time with them, and after making it back to heaven, He sends another comforter, the Holy Spirit, to continue the work of comforting His disciples (Jh.14:16,26).

Jesus comforts. The Holy Spirit comforts; and Paul calls God "the God of all comfort" (2Cor.1:3). That means that the three persons of the Trinity are all comforters.

While Jesus was bleeding inside, He was comforting His disciples. He demonstrated leadership. He inspired faith and hope in their hearts. He made them promises, and He fulfilled them.

After the temptation He faced at the start of His ministry, we read, "Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and MINISTERED unto him" (Mt.4:11). Also, in the hour of the cross, we read, "And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, STRENGTHENING him" (Lk.22:43). In the hours of temptation and trouble, we see God's angel attending to His need. Now He ministers to and strengthens His disciples. He helps them through a tough moment. Amid His own trouble and sorrow, He is getting His own disciples out of their trouble, calming their anxious hearts and quieting their fears.

There is a disciple of Jesus Christ in your corner in need of your encouragement. Find a sister or brother to help. Go out of your way to help someone else navigate through a crisis. God will take care of your pain as you help another person overcome His. While you are hurting, find someone who is hurting to offer help. Paul says, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2Cor.1:3,4). We bless others even as we ourselves bleed. We extend the comfort of God to others. Be an encourager today - be a blessing even while bleeding!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter