For some time now we have in the evangelical world we have emphasized the need to be “relevant,” to be connected to the here and now, “to be of some earthly use.” No doubt this teaching was done to motivate the church to greater usefulness. We must ask ourselves if this is a Scriptural emphasis? 

Have we not been commanded to be a heavenly people? To have the mind of Christ? To love not the world? To seek those things which are above? To wait for His Kingdom, To long for to the extent that the desire for its arrival fills our prayers. Are we not to hunger and thirst for righteousness which is the same as earnestly desiring the arrival of His Kingdom? 

In this modern thinking have we not almost abandoned our hope in Christ for a glorious future? Does not a people need to hold on to a future hope?  

Is heaven real to you? Do you long for it? 

The disciples were overcome with fear and confusion. Truly their hearts were in turmoil. They were experiencing many emotions. They were extremely troubled at the discussion of the death of Jesus, the betrayal of one of their own (13:21-30), and the predicted denial of Jesus by Peter, who was one of the three (13:36-38). 

The discussion of Christ’s departure alone would be enough to send the true, though immature, disciple into a terribly troubled state. 

This was a time that the disciples’ faith was being severely challenged and there was more to come. Our Lord saw the need to strengthen the faith of his disciples, not merely their faith in God but mostly in him as the Messiah. This is the main idea behind the text and the key to understanding the Lord’s comments. Many are the trials of the righteous, Scripture says. The life of faith is very often a life filled with endurance and patient waiting for the Lord’s help. Very often our longing for joy and comfort in this life is robbed from us. God brings this into our lives to starve our attachment to this world and to feed our expectation for our heavenly residence. 

We are no different from these early disciples who were being overcome with anxiety concerning the things they were hearing. Our Lord’s preparations for us to join Him in His eternal Kingdom are to be, to us, a beacon of hope and strength amidst the long struggle for obedience and against evil in this life.  

Let’s think about what our Savior was saying in this passage.