Jesus, the way to the Father

John 14.1-10 (NRSV)

Jesus the Way to the Father

¹‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ ⁵Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ ⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ ⁹Jesus 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”? ¹⁰Do 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.

I am indebted to Barclay and McPolin for inspiration as I prepared this reflection.

The opening verses of this reading reveal so much about our Lord as he relates to us. Notice how he does not say “Don’t worry ...” but “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus knew the difference. There are some things that get to us deep down at the core of who we are.

The disciples were terrified. Things had not been going well for them, as Jesus had come under greater threat, and he had just finished explaining to them that, in the future, it was going to get worse. There are times in all our lives when we experience similar things, when we are unsure as to what the future holds for us and it seems as though our present difficult situation is only going to get worse. The disciples were especially downcast because they were warned that they were in fact going to fail their Lord – and this disturbed them deeply. We too, especially in times of failure, sink very low. At times like these, we can hear the voice of Jesus telling his disciples (and us): “Do not let your hearts be troubled ...” He goes on to explain how to make this theory become real for us: “Believe in God, believe also in me.” William Barclay comments:

There comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and accept where we cannot understand. ... If in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.

Jesus is proof that God’s love is so great that he is not willing to hold anything back from us when we turn to him; we know this because he gave us his only Son.

The essence of human existence is knowing if there is any purpose in life at all. If we are merely here as a matter of chance, and all that we have is this life, then we need to find meaning in what we do and experience in the here and now. And if a life is cut short or there is any tragedy, it is devastating. This would all be true if there is no God. But we know that there is a God – one true God – and we also know what God is like because he has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Jesus, we know that God is love; so, the purpose of human existence becomes clear – it is to love and to be loved – or as Jesus put it: “Love God and love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

We do not need to philosophise about the existence of God. We do not need to explore the great mystery of trying to find out what God is like – God has been revealed to us in the greatest embodiment of love – Jesus. This is very clear in our reading, where Philip asks Jesus: ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ (verse 9) Isn’t this the truth of the matter? If there is a God and if God loves us and our ultimate destiny is to be with him, then we too can say: “Show us God and we will be satisfied.” John in his first letter writes: “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16) Paul put it this way: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15). The author to the letter to the Hebrews explained: “³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus responded to Philip: “I am in the father and the Father is in me.” To Thomas, Jesus replied: ‘⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

William Barclay comments:

... in Jesus we see the picture of God ... in the face of that amazing love, it becomes ... at least possible to accept even what we cannot understand, and in the storms of life to retain a faith that is serene.

The disciples thought that Jesus dying and leaving them was the greatest tragedy, but Jesus explained that he was going, so that he could be with them in an even more special way; he was going to prepare a place for them, and he would return to be with them forever.

Jesus explained that where God is there are many dwelling-places and that he was going to prepare them for his disciples. This is a wonderful truth. Once again we are reminded by the author of all the dangers involved in being fundamentalist and only reading the Bible literally, for to do so would imply that Heaven is a place and that it is just somewhere for us to go to in the future, after death. Barclay explains that the Greek word used here is monai, and while it does refer to an abode, Jesus gives it its true meaning and that is in Heaven there is space for everyone. An earthly house is finite and there is only room for a certain number of people; but in Heaven there is space for everyone for – as Barclay writes – “... heaven is as wide as the heart of God and there is room for all.” The Father’s love and life present in Jesus are so immense that no one need be excluded.

We can take comfort, because we have irrefutable evidence that Jesus tells the truth. He said to his disciples in verse 2: “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” But not only is it true that God loves us, will never leave us and that our destiny is to be with him forever, Jesus also tells us the truth that this life can sometimes be difficult, can include persecution, hatred and even death. This is true for all people, and this is why some see life as so tragic. The difference is that without God, this can lead to despair, but with God’s presence with us now, even these things can be used for good. Barclay writes: “Jesus was not a leader who tried to bribe men with promises of an easy way; he tried to challenge them to greatness.”

And we have been shown the way.

Time and again Jesus had explained everything to his disciples, but they so often didn’t understand. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Moses reminded the Israelites that they must walk in the ways of God. Jesus takes us by the hand and walks with us when we allow his Spirit to guide our lives. The Psalmist in Psalm 86 prays: “Teach me your way so that I can know your truth.” We know that real truth is more than mere intellectual assent, it must be demonstrated by example; Jesus is the only one who could ever complete this revelation by the example of his life. And all of it has the purpose of finding the ultimate goal, what it means to live and not merely exist. Barclay writes: “Our search is not for knowledge for its own sake but what will make life worth living.” He adds: “What we take for ourselves gives us a living, what we give to others gives us life. Life comes alive when we love one another.”

And then a verse that is so often misunderstood – “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is not up to any human to decide who is and who is not saved and this is a verse where some make this claim. This is God’s decision. What we do know is that it is only in Jesus that we see what God is like and he alone can lead people into God’s presence without fear and without shame.

Like Philip, we can find this all difficult to grasp – and so Jesus helps us along the way. Jesus did not only leave his words – he left the example of his life – his works. Actions speak louder than words – as recorded in verse 13: “¹¹Believe 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.” We know what God is like and what his relationship is with us – because Jesus did not only tell us – he showed us.

Our lives matter to God. Jesus’ earthly ministry was God living our life. He chose an ordinary life, and an ordinary way of earning a living. He knows of the struggles, temptations and difficulties as well as the joys. Barclay writes: “... common work is tinged with glory for it has been touched by the hand of God. The life of Jesus shows us, not the serenity, but the struggle of God ... God goes through the struggle that we must undergo.” But more too. As McPolin writes: “The person who looks closely at the works of Jesus with the eyes of faith will see that they are the works of someone who lives in intimate communion with God.”

The way to believe in God and also believe in Jesus is not to argue about Jesus, but to listen to what he says to us; but we must also see what Jesus did. Just as the blind man was restored not only to sight, but also to insight – to see with the eyes of faith – we must also listen intently, and hear with the ears of faith. Barclay claims that, if we do this, ‘... the sheer personal impact will compel us to believe.’

And then to end with some challenging verses – 12-14. What did Jesus mean by works greater than what he did? He gives us a clue by adding at the end of verse 12, the words ‘... because I am going to the Father.’

Jesus was going to leave behind the limitations time and space imposed on him by the incarnation, now he can work more freely and universally as his Spirit moves in the lives of people in history. Most importantly, this means that, in every generation he has a mass of agents working on his behalf – scattered throughout the world. God is active in the world when we are active on his behalf, enabled and equipped and inspired by his Spirit. As McPolin explains: “In this way the faith and love of Christian disciples make visible the invisible presence of the glorified Lord.” Our experience of this life includes with it the experience of a foretaste of what is to come. Jesus is real to us now, not just when we die and our souls go to heaven.

We close with the challenge to pray in Jesus’ name. This is not an offer to use the name of Jesus as some kind of magical invocation like some evangelists have done and continue to do. Our prayers are not shopping lists or demands that suit us or others; they ought to come from being immersed in a deep communion with Jesus and the Father. This prayer needs to be the result of a living communion from within the depths of our being united with God’s being as the Spirit moves in our lives. McPolin speaks of our participation in the prayers of Jesus himself and explains ‘... the more one’s life is penetrated by the teaching and example of Jesus, under the inspiration of the Spirit, the more unselfish, free and assured does our prayer become.’

Life has meaning – life has purpose. Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us – and we experience that place now – because Jesus comes to us and makes his presence real to us as we study his Word together and hear his teaching, and as we reflect on his works. Doing this transports us into the realm of where God is. This is our future hope and also our present reality.

Jesus put it this way: “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Amen.