I am sure many of you have heard
this reading before. This is quite a popular reading for those occasions when
we lose a family member or friend. I have read this passage quite a bit in the
last year. But, today, we hear it in a whole different way.
Today, I want to break this Gospel
reading down into two sections. So let’s look at the first section of the
Gospel. Jesus is telling his disciples “let not your hearts be troubled.” Jesus
is trying to put them at ease because Jesus knows what is about to happen the
next day; he is about to be handed over to the authorities. We all know what
happens then. Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that he is going to his
Father’s house and there are many dwelling places. Guess what? Jesus is telling
us about the end.
He
is telling us about going to heaven and telling us that there is enough room
for everybody. He is also telling us that he is coming back to take us to
himself; and where would that be…heaven! So Jesus is telling us what is at the
end. It is like seeing the end of the race first or reading the last 10 pages
of the book before reading the beginning of the story (and I have heard that
some people read books that way). So here we have the ending first.
So
what is the second section of the story? The second portion of this Gospel is about
how we get to the ending and it comes very quickly in the second section.
Thomas, we all know about him, wants to know how do we get to that ending…how
do we get to the glorious place, heaven, that is Gods house? Thomas says they
don’t know where he is going and How can these disciples know the way?
Jesus
responds “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father
except through me.” And that is where we all take the proverbial or literal
sigh and say AMEN! So let’s do it…let’s say AMEN! But now I want you to think
about these words that Jesus says Jesus is the way the truth and the life. That
is the way to get to the father’s house. That is the way to get to heaven. But
what does that mean? Does it mean that Jesus speaks the truth about God’s love
for us? Are we supposed to listen to everything Jesus says and if we just
listen then everything will be alright? I we have to do is do what Jesus tells
us to do and everything is gonna be sweet because we know where we are going?
We know how it is going to end. Are we just supposed to believe that Jesus died
and is risen for us to give us that eternal ending?
The
simple answer is yes. It is easy to say yes and be done with it. I have said
yes to those questions so now I get the happy ending. I want you to close your
eyes. Imagine a pathway. It is a dirt pathway and there is this long trellis
that goes up and arches over the pathway. They are covered with your favorite
flowers and at the end of this path there is a light and listen to these words
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Sounds good doesn’t it? Now open your
eyes.
You
are in reality. How many of you have had a path as easy as that? Some of us, if
not all of us could equate the journey OR the path of our faith as more of a
Rocky road with many twists and turns; I bet there would be some pot holes,
boulder, hills, and valleys. Our lives don’t go as smoothly as the vision we
created. Our lives are full of rough patches when it comes to employment, the
beginning or ending of relationships, loss of loved ones, addictions, good and
bad choices; and those questions we said yes to; if it is so easy to say yes to
Jesus then why do we constantly say...I think I know better?
We
all do this at some point because we want our lives to turn out the way we want
them to. We want that glorious kingdom on our terms and THAT IS WHERE WE GO
WRONG! When Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life” he is saying
that even his road was not some lovely path with trellis’ and beautiful
flowers. There were people all around that mocked him, scolded him, conspired
against him, and flat out rejected him. There were people that made his life so
difficult that, maybe we all would just want to give up and quit; say it is not
worth all this trouble.
But
Jesus did not do that. He did not give up because his calling was to bring God
to the earth, to show people how much they were loved by God. He came to show
THEM and US to have faith in the God who delivered Abraham, Moses, and all the
people of God into a new life; that despite the bad things and the sad things
that happen in our lives, there is a loving God here beside us. Jesus came to
show us that God’s love brought crucifixion, death, and resurrection to GOD’S
ONLY SON so that we all will be transformed and have that glorious ending in
our Father’s house with many dwelling place.
Jesus
does not promise us an easy way in our faith lives or our daily lives. We all
have potholes, winding turns, bumps, bruises, and forks in the road and worst
of all we are human. We will make bad choices, Good choices, we will say and do
hurtful things to ourselves and others. God calls us in our turning and
twisting paths to be transformed by the gift of Jesus; his teachings, his
words, and his actions…by his death and resurrection; so that we think about
the choices we make, the words we say, and our actions; and we try harder to
keep Christ at the center of all that we do: AMEN!
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