Read John 13:21-38 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. How did Jesus feel during this conversation?
2. What was He telling the disciples would happen?
3. How did Peter respond to the news that He would leave?
Reflect
John 13-17 is Jesus’s last conversation with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion. In today’s reading, He told them He would be betrayed and denied. Peter, one of the more outspoken disciples, tried to challenge Jesus when he heard the news, but Jesus’s words all came to pass. When He told His disciples – His friends – that He would leave them, they likely felt anxious, frustrated or confused.
Many of us know what it’s like to experience something that causes an unexpected change in our lives. Whether it was a devastating diagnosis, a loved one’s betrayal, or a job loss out of the blue, these moments are marked by concerned, unsettled hearts. The word for “troubled” in this passage is used for the highest levels of pain and anxiety; it’s the same word used earlier in John to describe what Jesus experienced when He witnessed Mary and Martha grieving over the death of their brother, Lazarus (John 11:33).
If you have this kind of troubled heart today, know that Jesus empathizes with you. You’re never alone in your suffering. He’s felt what you feel. Read on tomorrow to hear what comfort He gave to His disciples and to you.
Respond
What unforeseen changes have you experienced? How have you reacted to them in the past, and what helped you keep moving forward?