Let not your heart be troubled
In some copies this verse begins thus, and he said to his
disciples; and certain it is, that these words are addressed to
them in general, Peter being only the person our Lord was
discoursing with in the latter part of the preceding chapter; but
turning, as it were, from him, he directs his speech to them all.
There were many things which must needs lie heavy upon, and
greatly depress the minds of the disciples; most of all the loss
of Christ's bodily presence, his speedy departure from them, of
which he had given them notice in the preceding chapter; also the
manner in which he should be removed from them, and the
circumstances that should attend the same, as that he should be
betrayed by one of them, and denied by another; likewise the poor
and uncomfortable situation they were likely to be left in,
without any sight or hope of that temporal kingdom being erected,
which they had been in expectation of; and also the issue and
consequence of all this, that they would be exposed to the hatred
and persecutions of men. Now in the multitude of these thoughts
within them, Christ comforts them, bids them be of good heart,
and exhorts them to all exercise of faith on God, and on himself,
as the best way to be rid of heart troubles, and to have peace:
ye believe in God, believe also in me;
which words may be read and interpreted different ways: either
thus, "ye believe in God, and ye believe in me"; and so are both
propositions alike, and express God and Christ to be equally the
object of their faith; and since therefore they had so good a
foundation for their faith and confidence, they had no reason to
be uneasy: or thus, "believe in God, and believe in me"; and so
both are exhortations to exercise faith alike on them both, as
being the best antidote they could make use of against heart
troubles: or thus, "believe in God, and ye believe in me"; and so
the former is an exhortation, the latter a proposition: and the
sense is, put your trust in God, and you will also trust in me,
for I am of the same nature and essence with him; I and my Father
are one; so that if you believe in one, you must believe in the
other: or thus, and so our translators render them, "ye believe
in God, believe also in me"; and so the former is a proposition,
or an assertion, and the latter is an exhortation grounded upon
it: you have believed in God as faithful and true in all his
promises, though yon have not seen him; believe in me also,
though I am going from you, and shall be absent for a while; this
you may be assured of, that whatever I have said shall be
accomplished. The words considered either way are a full proof of
the true deity of Christ, since he is represented as equally the
object of faith with God the Father, and lay a foundation for
solid peace and comfort in a view of afflictions and persecutions
in the world.