John 14 verses 1-10 I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. Today’s Gospel contains another of Jesus’ great I AM claims - I am the Bread of Life; I am the True Vine; I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Light of the World; I am the Resurrection and the Life; and last week’s I am the Gate to the Sheepfold. They all give us insights into how the first Christians saw Jesus and his ministry on earth. They tell us something about how our relationship with him may grow and flourish, even in our time of lock-down. John 14 took place in the Upper Room, on the night when Jesus was arrested and his trials started. He washed his disciples’ feet and gave then a new commandment - ‘Love one another as I have loved you. In the other Gospels this Last Supper saw Jesus giving his disciples the Holy Communion as a way to remember him and to remain part of his redemptive project. John 14 has a lot of teaching about Jesus’ relationship with his Heavenly Father. In our section of it Philip, whom we met last week, asks to be shown the Father. This draws the gentle rebuke from Jesus that surely the disciples have learnt the close relationship between Jesus and his Father means they have already seen the Father. Thomas asks Jesus to show them where he is going. This brings the response - ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.’ We remember that in the early days Christianity was not known as a separate religion; it was known merely as The Way. The image of journey, of pilgrimage, of way is familiar to us today, even if we are prevented from making long journeys at the moment. We remember the walk to Emmaus and how the disciples learnt about the resurrection as they walked with Jesus. Our life is a journey of discovery like that. We are learning all the time. The journey leads us to truth, the truth that God loves us and stands by us in all we experience. This is true for all of us at the moment. As we struggle to come to terms with our changed world and all the restrictions that brings we need to be reminded that Jesus is walking with us. That is a truth worth holding on to. It is a journey that leads to an enriching of our lives. It may not feel like it at the moment, but it is the truth. Our friendship with Jesus enriches all our experiences, even in lock-down. How many of us have been shopped for or phoned up? How many have been treated to impromptu cocktail parties over the garden hedge (at a safe distance, of course!)? So many. Let us thank God for it and promise to continue this when this awful time is over and we are free again.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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