I love a
good story, don’t you? I like historical novels based on true stories and biographies
that tell the story of someone’s life. This weekend we’ve been celebrating 75
years since Victory in Europe was declared. I particularly enjoyed hearing
people’s wartime stories. We all have stories to tell.
Each week,
as part of our church service we hear snippets of the greatest story ever told.
It is a story that has a lot to teach us.
So, let’s
set the scene for our gospel reading this morning. It forms part of what has
become known as the Farewell Discourse. It was the
night of Jesus’ arrest, the last supper had been eaten and Jesus was trying to prepare
his disciples for his imminent death. He’d told them that one of them would
betray him and that Peter would deny him three times and now he was saying to
them ‘do not let your hearts be troubled’ I can just
imagine their reaction…something like ‘you’re kidding, right?’.
Their world
was falling apart and there’s Jesus telling them he’s going to die but not to
worry, just keep on believing in him and in God. It’s a big
ask, isn’t it? The death of a loved one can often mean a make or break with
God. I have seen people come to faith because of bereavement but there again, I’ve
also seen people turn away from him too because of it.
So, there’s
Jesus trying to give his disciples a picture of life beyond death. He tells them
that he will prepare a place for them and that they know the way. It must all
have been very confusing for them. It was down to Thomas to ask the big
question and if I’m honest it’s the question that we all want to know the
answer to…
So, how do we know the
way? Jesus tells us – he says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Philip then
chips in and wants some proof. He wants more. If what Jesus is saying is true,
then surely he can show him what God is like. Just a sign and he’ll be
satisfied. We all have
moments like that, when we would like a glimmer of hope or some reassurance
that we’re on the right track.
When Jesus
replies he’s actually reiterating what John had written right at the beginning
of his gospel…’ In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God…so in other words he is God, they are one and the same. To know
Jesus is to know God. But Jesus
takes it a step further, he tells them “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."
That’s quite
something, isn’t it? He’s not
just talking to his disciples. He is talking to each one of us. So, what does
he expect from us? Are we expected to start healing people or perform miracles? That would
be the talk of the town, wouldn’t it? Jesus wasn’t
expecting his disciples or us to outdo Jesus or to try to bring glory to
ourselves. If we think
about it, yes Jesus did all the miraculous things but his aim was to bring
people to God…to show us what God’s love was all about and to help people get
to know him.
Jesus was
going to the Father and he would send his Holy Spirit so that with
his help, just like those first disciples, we are to be sent out in Mission. It isn’t
just about sharing the message, it is about trusting and believing in the
message. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.’ Believe that
and we’ve got a place prepared with God…forever. It doesn’t get any better than
that!
I love a
happy ever after ending to a story.
Amen
‘I am the way, and
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John14:6
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