Eventually I relaxed enough to hear one of Jesus’ most important commands: “Do not be afraid.” Always I’d been filled with terror by the verse, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). But as I studied the context of this verse, I found that the two chapters surrounding it contain only five small commands: “Trust … in me” (14:1); “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (14:27); “Remain in me” (15:4); and “Love each other” (15:12).
