During the season of Lent, the chapel has decided to have a weekly luncheon on Wednesday where lay people from the parish give a short talk based on Jesus' final sermon during the last supper. They gave me the honor of kicking the series off this afternoon by speaking on John 14:1-14. I know many of you enjoy reading transcripts of some of my lessons, so I thought I'd post this one here. Praying the Lord speaks to you and draws you closer to Him during this Lenten season!
Lenten Lunch - Wed. February 20thJohn 14:1-14 “Jesus is the Way to the Father”Welcome, Open in Prayer, Introduce Myself
I am the protestant youth coordinator. Or, at least, I will be till the end of next week. I’ve enjoyed serving the youth, young adults, and women of the chapel for the past three years, but our time is up and we will be PCSing in less than 2 weeks.
I’m sure all of you can relate to the chaos that my husband and I have experienced recently as we’ve been preparing for another overseas move. We know for sure that we will be leaving Misawa on the March 5th Patriot, but other than that, nothing else really seems to be set in stone… We still have no orders, no pack out date, no place to stay after we move out of our house, and aside from knowing what country and base we’re heading to, we know nothing about where we’ll be living, what car we’ll be driving, or what our life will look like over there.
In many ways, I love our military lifestyle. But there is no denying that it can be stressful. We are not in control of what lies ahead in our futures. I guess that’s true of all people, but we’re kind of hyper-aware of that in the military.
Raise your hand for me if you know for sure where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing ten years from now? Twenty? We could be literally anywhere in the world doing who knows what? I don’t know if many of you are like me and really struggle with things being up in the air because you’re a planner and like to know what’s coming so you can be prepared?
I think, to some extent, we are all longing for security and stability and a clear vision of what lies ahead. Especially when things get rough, or God throws us a major curve-ball, we need the comfort and reassurance that it’s all going to be OK.
Context: That’s kind of where we find the disciples at the beginning of the passage we’re going to take a look at today. If you have a Bible and would like to turn with me to John 14, please do.
To give you a little context here, Jesus and the disciples are all gathered in the upper room for the last supper. We’re about half-way through John’s account of what happened there. Over the course of the next several weeks during these Lenten lunches, we will be taking a look at Jesus’ final sermon before his arrest and crucifixion. Immediately before he launches into this speech, though, He really threw the disciples for a loop. They thought they were sitting down to enjoy the passover feast, when all the sudden Jesus Predicts Judas’ Betrayal (13:21), tells them he’s leaving and going somewhere they can’t follow (13:33), and then predicts Peter’s denial (13:38). I imagine the atmosphere in the room was one of shocked confusion and fear. The group, that has been through so much together, has just been rocked to its core. As bad as that news was, Jesus knows stuff is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. He knows exactly what’s coming in the course of the next several hours - how He will be arrested, beaten, tried as a criminal, and killed. He also knows how the disciples will suffer and be tested. But, thank God, he does not leave it at that. No, He graciously opens today’s key scripture with some powerful words of comfort.
Read John 14:1-14 (NIV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Basically, he’s saying -
“Hey, I know things are hard now, but just wait! I am going to prepare a place for you in my father’s house in heaven, and I’ve already provided a way for you to follow me there.”
They don’t really get it and so He spells it all out for them. Ultimately, His main point is found in v. 6 where Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” and unless we know Him and are a child of God by faith, we will miss out on the amazing future He’s prepared for those He loves. V.6 is a pretty well-known verse and something that’s pretty easy to remember, so we’re going to use this statement as a framework to dissect our first “Lenten lesson” That way, later on when someone asks you what you learned today, essentially all you need to remember is “Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.”
JESUS IS… THE WAYAs we said earlier, we all long for stability, security, peace of mind, hope for a brighter future
Jesus knows that the disciples have hard times ahead, but He begins to comfort them by reminding them that this fight has already been won. He’s got this. If they can just trust in Him, the man they know - the man who fed 5,000 and walked on water and calmed the storm and raised the dead to life - and believe that He loves them and has a plan - they have no need to fear for the future.
How can they do that? By looking at the big picture. In John 16:33, Jesus says - “I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If we are able to trust and believe in Him, no matter what happens, no matter what might happen, even when we have no idea what the future holds, there is a reward waiting in heaven. If we’ve given our lives to Christ and live in relationship with Him, then we have a guaranteed “in” to a peaceful, joyful, pain-free, glorious eternity with our Maker.
Even better - what He’s promising is not just a “get out of hell free card” that gets us through the pearly gates, at which point we’ll kind of have to fend for ourselves. No - Jesus says He’s going ahead to prepare a space in His father’s house for YOU. This is a blessing we cannot even comprehend. As it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” We are not only saved, but adopted children of God. He knows us and loves us and has prepared a perfect place for us in His house. He makes this promise, not only to the disciples who walked with him, but to all who know Him. Which means that, as we sit around enjoying our soup and salad here, we could imagine that we are sitting around the table with Jesus there in the upper room, because He is speaking these words directly to us.
JESUS IS...THE TRUTHSo, we can be comforted in the middle of the uncertainty and difficulty of our earthly lives because we know that Jesus has prepared a place for those who love Him in heaven... but how do we find the way? In v.5 & 8, the disciples are still a little confused about where Jesus’ father’s house is. “OK, so this all sounds great - but practically speaking: where exactly are you going and how do we follow you there? Can you maybe draw us a map or something?”
Jesus answers their questions by saying: “I am the way, the truth, and the life… If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” Jesus and the Father are One. God reveals Himself to us through His Son - and so every Word Jesus spoke, every act, every miracle, every parable has been given to us as a way of knowing God. We may not understand how the process of getting from earth to heaven works - how our souls go from being locked inside our bodies to floating upward through the pearly gates. But that’s not our concern. Again, in v.3 - Jesus tells us He’ll take care of that. He’ll make sure we get to where we’re headed. All we need to do, is focus on knowing Jesus. Knowing His truth and following it.
This isn’t just knowing that Jesus exists and that he’s the Son of God. That’s not what Jesus is talking about here. As it says in James 2:19: “You may say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” The kind of “Knowing” Jesus is talking about here refers to a personal relationship. Like, I could say that I know Barak Obama, cuz he’s the President and I’ve heard some of his speeches and know something about his life and family… But I don’t know him… If I were to walk up to the White House and knock on the door, I don’t think they’d let me in because we’re not tight like that, know what I’m saying?
If we know Jesus, it means we have a relationship with Him. We can communicate with Him. He is an important part of our life and walks with us daily. And when we arrive in heaven, He will personally invite us in.
JESUS IS… THE LIFEA relationship with Jesus is the key to true life - lived joyfully, with purpose - both here on earth and for all eternity in heaven. It says toward the end of this passage in John that, if we know Jesus, we will not only know the Father and receive a place in heaven, but we will be able to perform many of the same wonders that Jesus did while here on earth. But in order for that to happen, they had to walk through all of the rough stuff Jesus had warned them about. He had to die on the cross and pay the price for our sins, then rise again from the dead and join His father in Heaven so that He could send us the Holy Spirit.
Now that that has been accomplished, we are all set:
- We have His promises to stand on in hard times - that He has provided a way for us to join Him in heaven one day.
- We have His truth to help us know Him intimately and walk in the way He has called us to until the end of our days. His TRUTH is that roadmap the disciples were asking for - the way to truly KNOW Jesus and KNOW how to find the way to eternal life.
- We have His Spirit dwelling inside of us, every day, providing us with 24/7 access to the Father so we can live life to the fullest every day.
He loves us. And He’s given us the way to the father. It’s in a relationship with Christ. And so my question for you today is: Do you know Him?
How well do you know Him? Is he like Barak Obama to you (kind of a distant figure that you know of but you may have mixed feelings about him and certainly can’t claim to have a personal relationship with him)?, or is he like one of the chaplains here who you look up to and enjoy learning from, but you really only interact with him on Sundays or maybe at special programs?, Or is he like your best friend, a family member, someone you love and depend on and cherish? Someone you can’t imagine living life without? Someone you know so well that you’re not ashamed to tell anyone on the street that you’re in a relationship with him?
That’s the goal - to KNOW Him - so much so that His words become your words, and His heart guides your heart, and His spirit is what keeps you going from day to day. His glory is all that matters.
Because if you don’t know Him - you run the risk of missing out on all the blessings He has in store for us. Because, as Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life - no one comes to the Father except through me.”
If you don’t know Him, or you’re not sure where you stand there, I’d invite you to pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Seek Him out, talk to me or one of the leaders or chaplains here and seek out the Truth. This life is not easy, and too often we are plagued with uncertainty, instability and hard times. But if we know Him - He will give us a life truly worth living, both here and for all eternity.
