Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. – John 14.1
Such a spiritual truth as this one famously articulated by Jesus, invites a deep pondering.
Jesus is speaking of the part within the whole; the multiplicity and the oneness. The mystery of the Trinity: the one and the three. These are tricky concepts, so it is useful to draw upon analogies to help our mind consent to the mystery conveyed.
Here is a mathematical analogy: 1,000,000,000. The number one billion conveyed numerically.
The entire sum one billion represents “faith in God.”
The set middle of zeros (1,000,000,000) represents faith in Christ. Christ is in God. The part is within the whole. The whole is comprised of its parts. While the analogy ultimately breaks down since God is an unbounded number – beyond any limited expression or circumference, it is still a useful concept to help us deepen our understanding.
Similarly, like a smaller Russian nesting doll, hidden within the larger, so too is Christ nested within God. Thus faith in God, in a certain sense is also faith in Christ. And likewise, to have faith in Christ is to have faith in God. From this vantage, the two cannot be separated.
The point is that this truth is meant to be of comfort. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” In sum, it’s as if Jesus’ message is, Relax, God’s got you. I’ve got you. We’re in this wholeness together.
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