Gospel: John 14:1-14 (Easter 5: Series A)
Even when you are not sure where Jesus is going, you are on the way, because you are with Him: The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is right by your side.
Years ago, I took a trip with my best friend to his hometown in central Illinois. It was a small town filled with large memories.
While he was a child, his parents moved four or five times. So, he had an abundance of homesteads to visit, schools to drive past, parks to point out, and paper routes to trace. As we drove through the streets, he would pause and tell me stories of what happened in these places.
Now, I could have taken this trip on my own, all I needed was my phone. My friend could have given me the addresses and, after entering them into Google maps, I could have driven around the town and seen all of these places. I would have seen them, but I would not have known them in the same way.
For this trip to have any meaning, I needed to be in the presence of my friend. Without him, I would only see the surface of things. I would only be surrounded by buildings and places. With him, however, I would hear his stories and experience the fullness of life in this place.
I thought of that trip when I read the words of Jesus in our text for today. Jesus says to His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). What does it mean for Jesus to be the Way?
I would like to suggest it is more like having a companion who reveals the depth of meaning in the journey rather than having an itinerary with places you need to see. Jesus is revealing to us that He is the way. It is not a list of sites we must visit but a person we travel with who gives all life meaning. Jesus invites us to stay close to Him, because only through Him do we experience the fullness of life in His name.
Sometimes, people approach Christianity as a do-it-yourself journey. They know about our buildings and services. So, they come to church, and they participate in activities, but they do it on their own terms... and it rings kind of hollow.
They learn there are teachings of the faith. So, they read up on what Christians believe and they try to put these beliefs into practice. But they do it without cultivating a relationship to Jesus. As a result, the teachings and the practices of the faith seem shallow and disconnected from life.
When Christianity becomes just a list of activities or an assortment of teachings, Jesus knows we are missing out. We are not experiencing His love, His life, which gives everything meaning. So, He calls us today to come closer to Him. Only when you are with Him will the way He leads you in this world have any true depth or life-giving meaning.
Only when you are with Him will the way He leads you in this world have any true depth or life-giving meaning.
For the disciples in the text, Jesus knows the way is going to get rough. He is about to be crucified and He knows His disciples will struggle with following. His disciples are troubled in spirit (14:1). Strange things have been happening. Resistance to Jesus has been growing. Rumors have it that the religious leaders are seeking to kill Jesus and not just Jesus but even Lazarus whom He raised from the dead (11:53, 57, and 12:10). The life Jesus brings (1:4) is now leading to His death and the disciples are distraught. They are anxious.
Jesus has just washed his disciples’ feet, celebrated His last supper, identified His betrayer, and predicted Peter’s denial. He is about to go the way of the cross. But before He goes, He wants to comfort His disciples so they can continue to follow in the struggling days to come.
For this reason, Jesus offers a farewell discourse. He speaks words to comfort His disciples. At the heart of these words is this “I am” statement. Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (14:6).
In these words, Jesus invites us into a close relationship with Him. That relationship guarantees us life and love wherever the journey should lead. Jesus might be calling you to follow in a way of suffering; like when your best friend dies, or you begin to call the oncology floor your home. Jesus might be bringing you to a place of testing. It could be a place where you, like Peter, end up in denial as the pressures of the world bear upon you and in weakness you cave.
Regardless of the places on this journey, however, the most important point is that you are with Jesus. He is the way, which means this journey is a saving journey grounded in His love for you.
The way of Jesus is the way of forgiveness. He bore His Father’s wrath so that no sin can ever separate you from His love. His way took Him through the grave and brought Him to life so that no threat of the Devil, no force of evil, not even the cold stone of death can take you away from Him. Jesus has risen and rules over all things.
So, as you are on life’s journey, remember, Jesus is the way. He walks beside you and with His word He talks to you, revealing the fullness of joy that is present in this place. He will keep you close to Him as you follow until finally you experience the joy of everlasting life in Him.
So, do not be discouraged. Even when you are not sure where Jesus is going, you are on the way, because you are with Him: The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is right by your side. And when you are walking with Jesus, you can rest assured that your path, no matter how difficult, is filled with true life in Him.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out our previous articles on John 14:1-14.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching John 14:1-14.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach John 14:1-14.
Lectionary Podcast-Dr. Charles Gieschen of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through John 14:1-14.
