John 14:1 — NASB
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”
Greek text
Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία· πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν θεόν, πιστεύετε καὶ εἰς ἐμέ.
Mē tarassesthō hymōn hē kardia; pisteuete eis ton Theon, pisteuete kai eis eme.
Let’s take it phrase by phrase.
1. “Do not let your heart be troubled”
μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία
mē tarassesthō hymōn hē kardia
The key word is:
ταράσσω — tarassō
= to trouble, disturb, agitate, stir up, unsettle, throw into confusion.
It was used for something being stirred up or thrown into disorder.
Interestingly, the Greek is in the present passive imperative:
ταρασσέσθω — “let it not be troubled / disturbed.”
Jesus is speaking to the heart:
ἡ καρδία — hē kardia
In biblical Greek, kardia is more than our modern idea of emotions. It refers to the inner person—the center of thought, understanding, will, and affections.
So Jesus is essentially saying:
“Do not allow your inner person to become agitated, disturbed, or thrown into confusion.”
And notice something important:
Jesus doesn’t tell them, “There is nothing to be troubled about.”
He had just told them that He was going away and that Peter would deny Him (John 13).
Instead, He gives them the antidote to troubled hearts: faith.
2. “Believe in God”
πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν θεόν
pisteuete eis ton Theon
πιστεύω — pisteuō
= believe, trust, have faith in, rely upon.
But notice the preposition:
εἰς — eis
Literally, “into.”
So this is stronger than merely believing that God exists.
It carries the idea of placing one’s trust in God, directing one’s faith toward God.
You could paraphrase:
“Keep trusting God.”
3. “Believe also in Me”
πιστεύετε καὶ εἰς ἐμέ
pisteuete kai eis eme
καὶ — kai = also, and
ἐμέ — eme = Me, emphatic form of “I.”
Jesus puts Himself alongside God as the object of the same faith:
“Believe in God; believe also in Me.”
That is an extraordinary statement.
Jesus isn’t merely saying:
“God can help you, and I can help you.”
He places faith in Himself alongside faith in God.
This fits immediately with what He says in verse 6:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” — John 14:6 NASB
The flow of Jesus’ thought
Troubled heart → Trust God → Trust Jesus → Peace
The issue isn’t that the disciples have no reason to feel pressure. They do.
The issue is where they place their trust when their circumstances are being shaken.
And there’s another beautiful connection.
Jesus doesn’t say:
“Don’t have a troubled heart because nothing bad will happen.”
He says:
“Believe.”
Faith doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of circumstances.
Faith means the heart has found its resting place in God and in Christ despite the circumstances.
ESV
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
AMP
“Do not let your hearts be troubled [distressed, agitated]. You believe [confidently] in God; believe [confidently] also in Me.”
That word “agitated” in the AMP captures tarassō very well.
John 14:1 could therefore be expressed:
“Don’t allow your inner world to be shaken into confusion. Keep trusting Yahweh; keep trusting Me.”
And that leads directly into John 14:2–3: Jesus then tells them why they can trust Him—“I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and receive you to Myself.”
