Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14
We began the weekly lectionary Bible study last Thursday and I was reminded of just how much I love exploring and wondering about scripture together in a group.
We focused on today’s Gospel, and it was interesting to see the different parts of today’s reading that drew people in: from the admonition to no let your hearts be troubled, to the image of many dwelling places in the Father’s house, to the fact that the word believe is repeated six times.
And of course, another image: I am the way, the truth, the life.
Which is a part of a larger statement from Jesus, which continues: No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.
It is that assertion from Jesus that frames the rest of the Gospel reading, as the disciples, let here by Thomas and Philip, question him and try to figure out what he means. And not only what he means in general – but what all this means in the context of what’s going on right then.
Because our reading for today is a part of what we call the Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John.
It comes immediately after Jesus’ final meal with his friends the night before his crucifixion. It comes after Jesus has spoken about his impending death, after he washed their feet, and after he gave them the new commandment to love one another.
In the midst of that confusing and scary time, when they were beginning to realize that life as they knew it was changing, Jesus was not pounding them on the head with a purity test about who was in and who was out (no one come the to the father except through me), he was offering them loving pastoral care (I am the way, the truth, the life).
Jesus was assuring his companions that his imminent departure was not abandonment, but rather a move to even deeper intimacy. It’s as if he was saying, On one level I’m about to leave you, but on a deeper level we’ll be closer than ever. Don’t worry; take heart. Trust me, and trust the One who sent me.”[1]
And he was giving them a path to follow, an image to cling to: I am the way, the truth, the life.
Jesus’ entire life and ministry demonstrated the way, the truth, the life.
The way the first thing he did in all the Gospels was to pull together a community. The way he gathered the least, the lost, and the last – breaking down societal barriers and preaching hope. The way fed people – literally and spiritually.
The way his final commandment was to love one another just as he loved them – proclaiming that it was by love for others that people would know who his disciples were.
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We are facing our own time of uncertainty, when life is changing before our very eyes.
There is grief in the loss of “normal”, but the gift of having things stripped away is that it is easier than ever to see and focus on the essentials.
The way, the truth, the life is our path forward as well.
We have only to believe – that is to trust with our hearts – in Jesus’ promise of abiding presence, and to follow his lead to love and to serve.
As we work to discern what this looks like in a world where the patterns we’ve always used no longer work, I trust that God is in our midst – and we, like Jesus’ first followers – will make a new way forward.
Amen.
[1] Salt Project Lectionary Commentary for Easter 5.