I preached this sermon at Kurume Christ Church on May 14th, 2017.
John 14:1-14
If you knew you were having your last conversation ever with those you love, do you know what you would say? Perhaps you’ve thought about it before… perhaps not. But sometimes circumstances beyond our control require us to think about such things. Today we have read from the 14th chapter of John, and what we find there is a portion of Jesus’ final conversation with his disciples before his crucifixion. Yes, although today is the 5th Sunday of Easter, curiously our lectionary text takes us back to the last supper. John’s treatment of this event is unique because of the incredible detail. It begins in chapter 13, and then continues thru chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17! Five entire chapters are dedicated to this final meal. That is almost one third of John’s entire gospel! Jesus’ words are recorded in great detail. I guess we can safely assume that for the author of this gospel, that final meal with Jesus made a profound impact. Jesus had a lot to say; five whole chapters worth. So what did he have to say? And why did he say what he did?
The greatest force at work in the hearts of the disciples that evening, and in the days to come, was probably fear! At this point they still hadn’t really figured out what was going to happen, but it certainly didn’t sound good. I think it’s safe to say their hearts were filled with fear and confusion. They didn’t understand what was going on, they didn’t know what was going to happen next, and whatever it was going to be, they feared it wasn’t good. Just look at what they had already heard during this final meal with Jesus. They were gathered for a meal; not just any meal, but the Passover meal. And yet this was unlike any Passover meal they had ever experienced. First, Jesus suddenly got up during the meal, stripped down and proceeded to wash everyone’s feet. The disciples were completely perplexed, but when Peter tried to object Jesus gave him a rather ominous warning… that if he didn’t let Jesus wash his feet Jesus would have nothing to do with him. Then Jesus spoke of his imminent departure and predicted that one of them would betray him. One of the twelve! A member of this tight knit group that had been thru so much. And sure enough, Judas slips away, disappearing into the night. Jesus goes on to speak more about leaving his disciples. He directly tells Peter that he cannot follow him. Not only does he reject Peter’s desire to follow him, he astoundingly predicts that Peter will also deny or betray him! Peter! The leader of the twelve; the most fervent and committed of them all! So perhaps we can begin to see why the disciples were afraid and confused in chapter 14. It must have felt as though everything was about to fall apart. In that moment of fear and uncertainty, Jesus spoke words of great comfort. READ v.1-4 Don’t worry; just believe in me. Believe in God, and know that I’m not going to forget about you. I’ll come back and lead you to something wonderful! These words have continued to bring comfort to the hearts and minds of Jesus’ followers for centuries. The setting in which we most frequently encounter these words is Christian funerals. The Christian faith includes a deep hope that goes beyond this life here on earth. And so when we bid farewell to loved ones whose time on earth has come to an end, Jesus’ words of comfort and anticipation for that which lies beyond speak powerfully to us. There is a very real sense in which so much of what we do as followers of Jesus involves waiting. This world is still in darkness and God’s kingdom is not yet complete. We are called upon to participate in that work, but when it comes to seeing the finished product, we simply have to wait. We are also in the process of being transformed ourselves. But that is also something that will not reach completion right away, so once again, we are called upon to wait. In this text Jesus speaks of going away to prepare a place for us, and then returning to take us with him, to the Father. Once again this sets us up to wait for Jesus’ glorious return. We would love to see God’s glory revealed right now; God’s kingdom completed right now; and our own sanctification perfected here and now… we would love to see Jesus in the flesh again, right away. But we are called to faithfully wait, with hope and anticipation.
But as we carefully listen to Jesus’ words on the eve before he was arrested and ultimately taken to his death there is a very clear message that is counterpoint to the call to wait. A moment ago we read v.4 in which Jesus boldly claims that, “you know the way to the place where I am going”. But Thomas objects. “No we don’t! We don’t even know where you are going. How can we possibly know the way!” Thomas is a straight shooter, frank and to the point. He likes things to be clear and doesn’t tolerate fuzzy stuff. “I’ll believe when I touch the wounds in his hands and put my hand in his side wound!” While Jesus’ reply may sound like a scolding, it is actually one of the most incredible and liberating proclamations ever recorded. 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. First and foremost, these are words of comfort. Thomas feels lost, fearing that he is about to be abandoned. Thomas wants a map to show him the way. Thomas feels the need for a navigation system. But Jesus’ words are deeply comforting; because in essence Jesus is saying, “you don’t need any of that stuff Thomas. All you need is me.” Just keep your eyes on me like they are right now, and you will be fine. You will find your way and I will be with you. Don’t worry; you already have everything you need for your journey. So comforting; so reassuring! While this is a bit of a side note, isn’t it a shame how we have lost our appreciation of the true meaning of this verse and turned it into something completely different? John 14:6… one of the key verses used by Christians in their pre-packaged personal evangelism courses; along with Romans 3:23 and John 3:16. The assumption is that John 14:6 is given to us to make clear that all other paths are wrong. Human efforts to get closer to the divine have been with us since the beginning of time. When Christians pull out this verse they often use it as a tool of exclusion, as a way of proving that all other paths besides Jesus are wrong. But that isn’t what this verse was about at all! These were Jesus’ words of comfort to his worried, frightened and confused disciples. Jesus wasn’t trying to narrow or limit their path to God. Quite the opposite, he was saying, “don’t worry… all you need is me!” Just keep your eyes focused on me and everything will be OK. Please don’t misunderstand me today because I am not suggesting that I think all paths, all attempts to reach God are the same. Not at all! But what I am saying is that using this verse to try and exclude other paths, other faiths, or other understandings of God is completely out of sync with Jesus’ intent when he spoke these words.
Secondly, Jesus words in v.6 focus our attention on the present. He doesn’t say, “I will show you the way”. He doesn’t speak of future developments. He speaks in the present tense. “I am the way, the truth and the life!” And he takes this emphasis on the present tense even further in v.7 14:7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. Here he speaks in the future, present and past tense all in one verse. You will know God, you do know God, you have already seen God! We’re always locked in our linear understanding of time. That’s the only way we humans can process things. There is the stuff of the past that informs the present and the present that shapes the future. But in God’s economy of time, all of that changes. God is present, in the past, in the present and in the future… all at once! God is not bound by a linear time line. In God’s economy of time a day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day. While we struggle to wrap our heads around that, Jesus is very clear that we need to spend more time focusing on the present than the future. God may be able to experience past, present and future simultaneously, but we can’t. The only way we can experience the future is in our minds… our thoughts… our imagination. Excessive focus on the future leads to fairly fruitless mind games. So instead of just placing our hopes on some distant future in which all of this world’s problems will somehow disappear, Jesus calls us to be totally engaged in the present. I AM the way; I AM the truth; I AM the life… right now, right here, in your midst! Don’t ever miss the incredible significance of the present because you’re distracted by dreams of the future!
Next is an objection from Phillip. 14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Once again Jesus replies in a similar manner. 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. In other words, everything we see in Jesus is a reflection of God. Jesus’ presence on earth is a revelation of God’s will. So if I were to paraphrase or summarize in my own words, this is what I hear Jesus saying. Don’t waste your time trying to figure out the future. Don’t bury yourself in dreams of the future as a way of coping with the difficulties of the present. Don’t think that your primary goal is to line things up correctly so that when you die you’ll arrive at the right place. No! If you can see me right now, right here, standing in front of you then that is all you need. If you see me, you are seeing God.
Then we get to v.12 where Jesus gets to the practical part. Since I am the way, the truth and the life; Since by knowing and seeing me you are already knowing and seeing God; Since I am the reflection of God and my work is God’s work… Then if you are my followers, this is what you should do! 14:12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. So get to work right now. Do the things I’ve been doing. Continue my work. I am the way to God, right now, right here. Look at me, follow me, imitate me right now and you will be in the presence of God.
Finally, there is no way I can preach this text without pausing to think about v.13-14 While these are some pretty amazing promises from Jesus, if we are completely honest with ourselves and one another, I think we have to admit that these verses present some problems. They are difficult words because sometimes it feels like they just might not be true. 14:13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14:14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. Every Christian has experienced the pain and disappointment of unanswered prayer. And preachers are often all too quick to try and offer easy explanations. We come up with things to explain this, usually words that blame the “unsuccessful” prayer for not being fully in Jesus’ name. Or we say the person wasn’t praying in accord with Jesus’ will. Or we suggest that the person praying was actually doubting, or being impatient, or not being able to see the real answer to prayer. These all may be accurate, but really not very helpful. Unanswered prayer is painful. I know that first hand! So perhaps I need to avoid simple explanations and admit to being confused and concerned. I don’t know why some of my most sincere prayers continue to go unanswered. Is being confused such a bad thing? After all, doesn’t it put me in exactly the same position as Thomas and Phillip? They heard Jesus’ words but they were still confused. Thomas insists, “No Jesus, we don’t know the way. Please show us.” Do you think Jesus answer of “I am the way, the truth and the life” was completely satisfying for Thomas? Do you think it dissolved all of his uncertainty and cleared up all of his confusion? Probably not. Then in response to Jesus saying 14:7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Phillip says, “No, actually I still don’t think I can really see God, even though you, Jesus, are standing right here in front of me. So please Jesus, show us God so we can see God in plain view.” In spite of Jesus’ words Phillip is still finding it difficult to see God. Jesus proceeds to simply repeat the same words. 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. In response to Phillip’s honest words of concerns, essentially all Jesus says is, “just believe!” Do you think that cleared everything up for Phillip? Probably not. So yes, I admit, I confess that I am still confused. I am troubled by the fact that some prayers appear to go unanswered, when Jesus promises that he will do whatever we ask. It isn’t easy; not knowing why prayers don’t get answered; and not knowing why Jesus doesn’t appear to be keeping his promise. And it isn’t easy admitting all of this from the pulpit. But I guess that just brings me back to Jesus’ first command in this passage. 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. And then again in v.11 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; Jesus invites us to believe in him. We have a choice to make. Will we choose to follow these words of invitation or will we not. As confusing as it is; as unclear as it may feel; and disappointing as it may seem at times; I stand before you today to give a word of testimony. I for one, choose to continue believing in Jesus. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; so I will continue to follow Jesus all the days of my life. Amen
Speaking the Word 