JOHN 14.1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (ESV)
The events in the upper room prior to Jesus speaking the words of verse one above must have been arresting, disconcerting and even troubling. Jesus taught them that leadership in reality is serving. Judas had left the upper room abruptly after Jesus spoke of being betrayed. And they learned that Peter would deny Jesus in the future.
Peter was probably to a significant degree a hero figure to the other disciples. Peter had walked on water and he spoke the great confession that Jesus is, “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And for Jesus to say that Peter would deny Him three times must have been troubling. I believe that the three denials symbolically meant that Peter will deny Jesus completely.
So the events in the upper room prior to the moment recorded in verse one above had been exceedingly troubling. And in the face of these things and the impending suffering of Jesus on the cross, Jesus commands His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled. I believe what Jesus is saying by this exhortation is that a troubled heart is a matter of choice, not a matter of circumstance. Jesus would have His time of agony on the Mount of Olives where His sweat would be like drops of blood, and even so, He would not be troubled in any such way so that He would doubt God the Father.
The encouragement of Jesus, “let not your hearts be troubled” is what He lived out during the time of His suffering. His complete trust was in God the Father and God’s perfect will for Him.