We
are still in the season of Easter, and will be for another 2 Sundays. During
Lent, we prepared ourselves for Easter; then it was Maundy Thursday and Good
Friday with their reflective nature, followed by the celebration of
resurrection on Easter Sunday. Then there are 7 weeks of the season of Easter.
During this time, we read some of the resurrection appearances of Jesus, and
think about how the early church was, and we are still today, witnesses to the
presence of the risen Christ.[i]
Our
reading from the Gospel of John this morning is part of the long section where
Jesus is speaking with his disciples the night he was arrested. Chapter 13
begins with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, Jess foretells his
betrayal, Judas leaves the group, then the section we heard read this morning.
This is followed by another 2 chapters, including the promise of the Holy
Spirit, more on loving one another and Jesus praying for his disciples. We will hear more from this long farewell from
Jesu over the next 2 Sundays.
Jesus
is talking with the disciples, knowing that he will not be with them much
longer. And he was telling the disciples that he will not be with them much
longer, though they did not understand.
I
wonder if they did not want to understand. Sometimes it can be easier to
pretend, to live in denial, than to deal with what is happening in our lives. it
is easy to understand the confusion of the disciples: how can Jesus be going to
leave them, he is the Messiah, the one who will free them. Their expectation
has not been fulfilled,
Jesus
is letting the disciples know what is to come, so that they are prepared.
In
response, there are questions.
·
where are you
going?
·
we don’t even know
where you are going! How can we know the way?
As
usual Jesus doesn’t always answer the questions he is being asked.
When
we are grieving, or distressed, it is usual to ask questions.
·
why
did she have to die?
·
what
makes him so angry?
·
how am
I ever going to manage?
The
answers may be helpful, but more often, what we are looking for is
understanding and relationship with someone who knows and cares and loves us. [ii]
That
is what Jesus is telling the disciples. Even though I am not going to be
around, I will be with you, and you will live in the way that I have lived. What
from the life of Jesus would you want to pass onto someone else?
What
from your life encourages and comforts someone?
What
do you hope people remember about you after you die?
The
two phrases that stand out to me in this passage are:
·
Don’t
be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me; or is another translation:
do not let your hearts be troubled.
·
I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the
same things that I am doing.
Don’t worry, sounds like the words of
the angels at the empty tomb on Easter morning: in Mark and Matthew we hear: don’t
be afraid, [ Mark 16: 6; Matthew 28:5] and later in John’s gospel, the words
spoken to the disciples behind locked doors: Peace be with you [John 20:21]
Maybe in the midst of confusion and
fear and wondering about the future of life and civilisation, we need to remember
the words of Jesus: do not be afraid, don’t be worried, peace be with you. Not
so that we are apathetic, but so that we can live, following in the footsteps
of Jesus.
The words of Jesus are not just about
his leaving, they also give encouragement and permission to the disciples to
live and to love. [iii]
I
am the way and the truth and the life, has at times been used to tell people
they are doomed to eternal damnation; but here Jesus is talking with his disciples,
telling them that he is all they need. In
him they have seen God.
You
don’t need a road map, or a secret password, or special knowledge. Jesus is
saying: All you need is me, and you already have that.
This
is a word of comfort and confidence to the disciples.
Just
as we don’t know why our parents or partner loves us, or why our friends like
us, they do. We know by their actions and words.
Jesus
is reminding the disciples that their belief in him is seen in their actions,
in the way they live out their faith, even without Jesus physically by their
side.
Even though Jesus told the disciples
that he was leaving them, they were still not prepared for what was to come. They
still went into hiding, they were not sure about resurrection sightings, until
Jesus appeared to them, offering a word of peace.
And as we read in the book of Acts, the
disciples went from being fearful and in hiding, to speaking publicly about Jesus,
seeing lives transformed, in spite of persecution by authorities.
Relationship
with Jesus doesn’t answer all our questions, doesn’t take them away, but here
Jesus is saying: remember we have been together, me dying will not change that.
How you live from now on has been changed by the time we have been together, by
our relationship. [iv]
I wonder how your living has been changed
by your relationship with Jesus?
I know some people who have stopped drinking
alcohol, others who no longer swear.
Me, I try and think about the life of
people who make my clothes and grow and package the tea and coffee I drink. I try
and give people the benefit of the doubt and work on the premise that most
people are doing the best they can in their situation. I am not perfect. And Jesus
continually calls me to greater trust, less worry.
What about you?
Where are you being called to live
differently by Jesus?
Here, towards the end of his life,
Jesus is saying to the disciples, remember how we have lived, remember what you
have seen in me, go and live and love.
Where might we see Jesus’ work and
presence in our midst?
How might we show others the very heart
of God?[v]
