So Much More…

John 14:1-14

14‘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. 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. 12Very 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. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

It’s just been one of those years. First, we had a winter with - what seemed like - a blizzard every other week. Now, the spring comes along, and Beacon feels like a rainforest. So much rain! I’m not sure if we’ve officially set records for water accumulation this year, but it has been wet!

The other day as the rains were pounding down and my bones were getting chilled, I found myself grateful to be able to come home and dry off. And then, I found myself wondering, what would we do without a roof over our heads?!?

Shelter is a blessing we often take for granted. Those who work at our soup kitchen remind us that many of the folks who stop by for a meal on Saturday don’t have a place to call home. Shelter... a home... a place to call our own is such a gift...

…which makes Jesus’ words to his disciples in today’s scripture even more compelling. “In my Father’s house - in God’s house - there are many rooms. And, I’m going to get yours ready for you... a place that’s all yours... a home. Not only that, but I’m going to take you there.”

Our scripture for today kicks off with this amazing assurance from Jesus. You have a home. And, I’ll take you there. A gift, indeed.

What I found intriguing – as we read this scripture – is the perspective we come from as we read it. This particular scripture, from the gospel of John, comes from the farewell speech that Jesus gives his disciples the night of the Last Supper... the day before he was crucified. Jesus’ tone of reassurance makes sense in this context. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus assures them. He knows the plan. He knows he will die, but he knows that’s not the end of the story.

But, thanks to the wisdom of those who set the lectionary – the calendar of readings for the church year – we are reading this particular text today, the fifth Sunday of Easter... the season that we celebrate that Christ is risen, indeed.

It’s one thing to look at this text on Maundy Thursday... a reassurance of hope in the midst of all the suffering that’s right around the corner for Jesus. But, what does it mean to look at this text from the other side of the grave?
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” Jesus asks, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe 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.”

In this Easter season, we believe and we celebrate the work that has been accomplished. In Jesus, God has conquered death. All the anxiety and fear and doubt as the cross approached is now gone with the resurrection.
I have to confess that I have mixed feelings lifting this text up in the post-Easter perspective. On the one hand, it is a blessing because all that Jesus promised – all of Jesus’ reassurances – on that fear-filled Thursday came true on Sunday morning. On the other hand, when this particular text is shared from the post-Easter perspective, it can become much more triumphalistic than ever intended.

This can be seen in Jesus’ powerful, enigmatic interaction with Thomas.

On that night of anxiety, Thomas verbalizes what likely most of the other disciples were wondering, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus responds with this powerful assurance, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

You know the way. You know the truth. You know the life. It’s me. I am - and have been - God with you. And, that’s never going to change.

What a powerful statement of assurance and hope for these disciples! But, tragically, this text has often been used as a litmus test, as a triumphal proof-text against those who don’t see things the way we do. It is a simple formula for salvation, to be sure... and yet it’s so much more! And, it’s in the context of so much more!
Remember, the first thing that Jesus promises his disciples is a home… with him… Of course, this is a heavenly home, in a time, a space, a realm beyond our understanding. It is the great mystery beyond the grave. And yet, we have a home there… a room made for us by one who loves us. What great news… especially for those who never knew a home in this life.

What’s more, we will be brought there. We don’t have to worry about getting there on our own. In fact, what Augustine and Luther and Calvin and many other great theologians over the years have realized, there’s nothing we can do to get there on our own. It’s all about trusting Jesus to get us there.

So, when Thomas says, “We don’t know the way,” Jesus response is less about who’s in and who’s out and more the revelation that the Way has been with them all along. And the truth. And the life. The way of Jesus… the way service and self-sacrifice, the way of welcoming children and the outcasts… this is the Way. The truth of Jesus… the truth of forgiveness, the truth of love, the truth of justice… this is the Truth. The life of Jesus… the life of sight restored to the blind, the life of standing tall for those who’ve been bent over, the life after death… this is the Life.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”