I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you

 

 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  

 

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 

 

 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

 

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:18-31 

 

This week the lectionary gives us Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  Here is Christ's assurance of His continued presence to His disciples, especially in the presence of the Spirit of truth, which He has just assured them is the Helper who will be sent from the Father.

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible explains that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

 

"Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost (Acts 2).  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things." 

 

  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Once again, we review that the Helper is the Holy Spirit.  The word Helper is translated from the Greek Παρακλητος/Paracletos, often rendered Paraclete.  This title literally means "One who comes to one's side when called" indicating someone assisting in defense at trial.  The title can also mean "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  My study Bible comments that we have confidence in the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  He brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  It adds that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted, who comments, "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible comments.  It says that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3).  The greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

 

 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible explains that when Jesus says, "My Father is greater than I" it does not mean that the Father is greater in nature or in essence, for the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does this indicate that the Son is created, for the Son is begotten from all eternity ("In the beginning was the Word" - John 1:1).  Instead, Jesus is indicating that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  

 

 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is a reference to Christ's Passion.  This Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper takes place just prior to Christ's betrayal and arrest.  My study Bible comments that telling these events beforehand strengthened the faith of the disciples.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil; my study Bible explains that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Moreover, my study Bible adds Jesus says that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Christ became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible says that Christ takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse in order to gain their undivided attention.  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it is suggested that their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.  Therefore we may conclude that Christ is taking them to a more private place in order to further instruct them and continue His discourse.

 

 Today's passage begins with this statement by Jesus to His disciples:    "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  He is going away, and He is reassuring them that they will not be left alone.  He will return to them.  This statement is profound in all of its implications of the reality that is to come, and in what it teaches us about transitions and changes in life, and God's terms for the transformation of life in God's spiritual purview.   What this means is that the substance of Christ's teachings to them about what is to come -- after what will transpire at His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- exists within these words.  "I will not leave you orphans" tells us once again, in yet another form, of the relationship between Christ and those who are His disciples.  It is that of a family.  In this case, Christ speaks of Himself as Father to all of them, and by extension to all of His disciples, to those faithful who will come into the world, up until the present day, and into the future for as long as the Church exists, and until His final return at the Second Coming.  "Orphans" speak to us of those who are fatherless, without protection, grieving, comfortless, vulnerable, and abandoned.  It conjures for us, as it is meant to in Christ's compassion, the greatest fears of human beings, for He indeed understands the hearts and minds of His followers found in these His disciples, and all those to come.  Christ speaks of abandonment and the pain of loss in this world that we know.  But the comfort comes in that He says He will not leave them this way, and adds with commitment, "I will come to you."  The whole of His discourse, as we have read until now, is all about the ways in which He will return to them, He will come to them.  He will come in the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Comforter and Helper.  That is, the One who will come to our sides when we call, and perhaps more to the point, the One "whom the Father will send in My name," the One who "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Christ will be present to them -- and to us in the Holy Spirit, and in so many ways described here.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the One who will bring Christ's presence to us in all the ways we need Him to be with us, to guide us and teach us, to show us His way (in His name), and who can bring all things to remembrance that Christ has said, to teach us meaning and purpose and even application in our own lives.  Jesus tells them, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  This is a solemn promise, a commitment, a covenant that those who love Him -- which is shown by keeping His commandments, His words, has a depth of communion with both Christ and the Father.  The Holy Spirit makes all of this possible through the functions Jesus names here in this passage.  Moreover, Jesus teaches them, and us, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  This is the promise in Him that He will not leave them or us parentless; He will come to us, albeit in ways different from His work and ministry as the human Jesus, Christ Incarnate.  But in His communion with us, in all the ways He will be present to us and with us, he gives us His peace.  And what He can give is given as no one else can give, as the world cannot give.  This is a peace found in our souls and spirits, in the depth of this relationship that becomes a part of us, in our communion with Him.  As we read further in His discourse, Jesus will be giving us more fullness in terms of the meaning of that communion.  Let us continue to read in the spirit of the peace He gives, and the confidence of our trust in the One who does not leave us orphans, but comes to us through so many ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  

 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  

 

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

- John 14:1-17 

 

This week the lectionary focuses on Jesus' final discourse to the apostles at the Last Supper, known as the Farewell Discourse.  He has given the disciples one final, new commandment.  He said to them, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  This is the foundation for His Church going forward. 

 

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."   My study Bible comments that many mansions is a word-picture, a kind of parable, of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  In the ancient world, it was typical that extended families formed clans in which living accommodations were spaced together, and extended as family expanded.  Hence, "many mansions" conjures a picture of a very large extended family.  See Mark 3:32-35.

 

 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."   Jesus defines Himself here as the way, the truth, and the life.  My study Bible remarks that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  Additionally, Christ is the life who became Man so that we may have life, and as He is our life, not even death can stop us from coming to Him.  Furthermore, only in Christ can we come to know the Father, because only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found.  The word in Greek translated as "way" is also used to mean road or path.

 

 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"  My study Bible explains that our response to Christ determines our relationship with God the Father.  It says that if we reject Christ then we will never find the Father; but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," who live eternally in the love of the Father (John 1:12).  

 

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  While human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), my study Bible reminds us, the Incarnate Son is Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Jesus did not say, "I am the Father," for He isn't the Father.  Instead, here He declares that He and the Father are one in essence, and undivided in nature, while being distinct Persons of the Godhead, the Holy Trinity.  

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  My study Bible comments that the greater works indicate that Christ's working through mere humans after Pentecost is greater than His performing signs and wonders directly.  These works find testimony in the Book of Acts.  They include spreading the gospel throughout the world, miraculous healings, and raising the dead.  

 

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  According to my study Bible, to pray in Christ's name does not mean to simply attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers.  To pray in Christ's name means to pray according to His will.  Just as an emissary of a king can only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say, my study Bible explains, so also we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose here is not to get God to do our will (that would be akin to practicing magic), but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).  

 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."  Helper (in the Greek,  Παρακλητος/Parakletos, often rendered "Paraklete") is a reference to the Holy Spirit.  This title, my study Bible explains, also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  The Spirit of truth is in every believer, my study Bible notes here, and we are called to know Him.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we do not know how to pray, thereby enabling us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:3-14; Romans 8:26) and giving us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).

 

Let us consider what it means to pray -- and indeed, to live -- in the name of Christ.  For one thing, as we read in Jesus' words here, where Christ is, so the Father is also.  This means, additionally, the presence of the Holy Spirit, for where One of the Holy Trinity is, there the others are also.  The word used most often for the Holy Trinity, in describing the essence of God, is consubstantial.  This means that although Father, Son, and Spirit are three distinct Persons, they are one in their essence or substance.  So, therefore, Jesus can say, in His Incarnation as the Christ, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."  Whatever we see Christ do, whatever we read that He said, the commandments He has given, and all the ways in which He has instructed the disciples from the beginning of His ministry right through this moment recorded at the Last Supper, He has reflected God the Father.  When, for example, He taught, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35), this commandment also reflects to us the Father, and indeed, the Holy Spirit.  St. John, the author of this Gospel, is also the one who wrote in one of his Epistles, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  As followers of Christ, so we are also called to participate in His life, and share in this nature; that is, to grow in "image and likeness" as we are able and through cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the Helper Christ names in today's reading.  In seeking to guide us regarding praying "in His name" we should consider that Christ Himself has said, as cited above, "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother" (Mark 3:35).  This is about a lived reality, a participation in the life of Christ.  This understanding is particularly embodied in the Eucharist, which Jesus will introduce to His disciples at this Last Supper, taking place just prior to His betrayal and arrest, shortly before His death and Resurrection.  This lived reality is so essential to the understanding of Christ's faith that we receive Christ as a gift from the Father, Incarnate as the human Jesus, so that we understand what it is to be "embodied" in His name:  just as He explains that those who see Him see the Father, and so we are meant also to grow -- through God's grace and our acceptance and participation in it -- in the same image and likeness.  Thus, His final commandment that we love one another as He has loved us -- and that by so doing, all will know that we are His disciples.  In the same sense, our prayer, if we truly pray in His name, is to reflect our "embodiment" of our faith, our participation to the greatest extent possible for us at any time, in His life and the life He offers to us.  Let us endeavor to find His way, and truth, and life for us.  Jesus begins, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."  In the Greek, to "believe" is translated from a word whose root is to trust.  Let us commit ourselves to this trust, for this is the way we learn how to live.

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  

 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?"  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 

- John 14:1-14 

 

 On Thursday, we read what is called Christ's High Priestly Prayer, which He prayed at the Last Supper.  Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.  I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.  I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."   The setting for the readings of this week is the Last Supper.  This is Christ's final discourse to His disciples. My study Bible comments that many mansions is a word-picture (a kind of parable) of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  My study Bible comments here that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  He is the One who became a human being so that we might have life; as He is our live, not even death can keep us from coming to Him.  My study Bible adds that only in Christ can one come to know the Father, for only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found.  

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?"  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  Here my study Bible explains Christ's remark ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father") as follows:  Our response to Christ determines our relationship with the Father.  If we reject Christ then we will never find the Father but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," living eternally in the love of the Father (John 1:12).  While we are human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son, is Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ does not say, "I am the Father" -- He is not.  Instead, what He declares is that He and the Father are one in essence and undivided in nature while being distinct Persons in the Godhead.

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  To pray in God's name does not simply mean to attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers, my study Bible says.  Rather, to pray in God's name means to pray according to God's will.  Just as an emissary of a king can only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say, my study Bible explains, so also we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose is not to get God to do our will, but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).  

 

How do we know what to pray for?  We know that in this world things are often unjust, and that life isn't fair.  There is a long, long history of theology in which the questions of evil in this world have been addressed, and will go on being addressed.   It is part of what we live with.  But sometimes, perhaps in our modern consumer society much more strongly than in the past, we might be tempted to think that prayer is a kind of practice in which we just ask what we want.  This can, of course, extend from the mundane to the most deeply personal and important matters in our lives.  But it is a deep effort to learn that oftentimes we don't get exactly what we want, what is "right," or "fair," or even what we think we need.  In circumstances we can't control, we know that all things are in God's hands.  And yet, there remains an evil in the world, abuses, hardship, illness, and death.  Some friends right now are deeply struggling with a tragic illness of their son.  So many are praying for them, for him, and such strong faith is always present within the efforts of his parents.  But, just like some of the tragic stories we read in the Gospels, nonetheless his life stands in danger from this illness (like Lazarus or Jairus' daughter), but we don't all have Christ in the flesh to call upon to give us a miracle or miraculous sign.  I have seen and experienced my share of the miraculous connected with prayer, but this hard circumstance of this tragically ill child is far from certain.  What I have seen from prayer in my own life, however, is a promise of Resurrection that is always present, a gift from Christ on the Cross that must be unforgettable for all of us.  And that is that our suffering is transfigured through God's grace.  Even when we might not get the outcome we want, there is always a glimmer, a light, that shines in the darkness, and this much, I am certain is true.  Through my mother's long illness I learned prayer, even when alone and feeling abandoned, and how it gave me strength, and resources, that I didn't know I could have to continue on one more day, to find the right thing to do, to do what I had to do and care for her the best I could.  These are the blessings of the light that shines in the darkness, regardless of the outcome.  The tremendous love and strength, the resources, and shared community created out of this one family's struggle and their hurting child has been extraordinary to see and to watch, their love a tremendous blessing.  But in their sadness and difficulty, and potential devastating loss, that might be impossible to see.  God's love is there, no matter what the outcome, and this is our light we can share with one another at all times, although none of us knows our outcome.  But this love we know is God's will.  It's important to know that just prior to the words we read in today's Gospel passage, Jesus has said to the disciples (minus Judas), "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  Perhaps it is in sharing that love that we do the greatest work of God we can do.  

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him

 

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  

 

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  

 

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:15–31 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the beginning of Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  He told them, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake to the works themselves.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." 

 

  "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  Let us note the significance of this statement to our faith, and to our own discipleship.  We show our love for Christ by keeping His commandments, and this He commands to us.

 

 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  How are we to know Christ's commandments?  We have the Gospels, the Old Testament Scriptures, the Epistles, and the Revelation in the Holy Bible.  We have the testimony of the saints and the entirety of the Church.  But Christ teaches also this important event, the sending of the Helper.   In Greek this word is Παράκλητος/Parakletos), a title that also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  The word indicates One who comes when called (to one's side).  This is the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus also calls the Spirit of truth, is in each believer, and that we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we do not know how to pray, enabling us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26) and giving us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).  Note how Christ indicates that in the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, Jesus is also present with us and to us:  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible comments here that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and also to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost, the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible cites St. Chrysostom, who teaches that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things."  Note once again, how closely linked the keeping of His word, the living of His commandments, is to loving Christ and in turn receiving the love and indwelling of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Conversely, Jesus says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words."

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Again, Jesus speaks of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in His name.  We recall from the past couple of readings what it means to be "in Christ's name" -- His name is an extension of His Person, which includes His will.  Therefore the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  My study Bible comments that we therefore have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  We have confidence in the Church, it says, because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted here:  "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."  Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible explains.  Perfect peace, it says, is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is a part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3), and the greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible comments that "My Father is greater than I" does not mean greater in nature or essence, as the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, because the Son is begotten from all eternity.  Rather, it means that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son. 

 

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."   My study Bible says that before it comes refers to our Lord's Passion.  Telling these events beforehand strengthened the disciples' faith.  

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil, who my study Bible says dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  It notes that Jesus said that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible explains that Jesus takes His disciples to another room or location to complete this discourse, in order to gain their undivided attention.  According to St. John Chrysostom, their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.

It's important to connect the idea of following (or "keeping") Christ's commandments and having a connection of love with Him.  Faith is not merely an intellectual act; it is the depth of entrusting someone, resting in His word, and living your life through it, that is really the product of faith.  In this sense, faith and works cannot be separated.  Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," and "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me."  As Jesus gives this such great emphasis, we must ponder it, take it seriously.  Just to make it very clear, He also says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words," adding that the word He gives is from the Father ("the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me").  So His word, His commandments, all of the things we read that Christ taught, the things passed on to us from His apostles, these play an integral and deep role in our lives of faith not only because they are teachings we try to follow, or a set of codes, or a principle.  Neither are they abstract or theoretical.  But Christ's word is in some sense an extension of His Person.  Following His commandments is the way that we show that we love Him, and it is the way that we come to Him, learn from Him, receive the Holy Spirit, and even moreover, how we in turn learn to love.  Because His word comes from the Father, and we know that God is love, it is in the discipleship of keeping His word, keeping and living His commandments, that we learn -- even experientially, in ways that touch the depths of us and all that we are -- what love is.  It is in the faithful keeping of those commandments that we, in fact, grow in faith, grow in learning what He is all about, become greater in understanding what love is and does.  And it is in the keeping of His commandments, the living of them, the love we share in doing so, that we receive not only the Helper who will help us to learn and remember and understand, who will come to us "when called" with the word we need, but both Spirit and Father, together with Christ the Son, will come to indwell us.  Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."  It is seemingly impossible to overemphasize the importance of these teachings, for this is our gateway to living life in the Kingdom, to the indwelling of Father, Son, and Spirit.  It begins, ends, and joins the future in love, for, as we said above, God is love (1 John 4:8), and it is in God's kingdom that we wish to dwell -- and in this way God's kingdom can dwell in us, even as we are still in this world.  Let us remember from yesterday's reading (above) that Christ has said that He is the way, or the path.  He is the road, the journey.  Father, Son, and Spirit may indwell and journey with us, giving us remembrance of His word, teaching us how to live it, and growing this understanding of love within us as we go.  Note also that Jesus tells the disciples, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."  (He then affirms all of His teachings about love and keeping commandments by asserting that He goes to follow the Father's commandment to Him:  "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do").   Let us endeavor to do likewise, to love Christ and keep His commandments, and to grow in that love and understanding, so that the ruler of this world also has nothing in us.  This is Christ's peace that He gives to us!

 

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  

 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  

 

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  

 

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake to the works themselves.  

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  

 

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 

- John 14:1-14 

 

On Saturday, we read that  Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake.  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

 

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  My study Bible explains the phrase many mansions as a word-picture of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speak of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life.  My study Bible says that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  Christ is the life who became Man so we might have life, and as Christ is our life, then not even death can hinder us from coming to Him.  Only in Christ can one come to know the Father, for only in Christ is the way of all truth and life found.  

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"  Jesus says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."  My study Bible comments that therefore this indicates that it is our response to Christ that determines our relationship with the Father.  If we reject Christ then we will never find the Father; but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," living eternally in the love of God the Father (see John 1:12).  

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake to the works themselves."  My study Bible explains that while human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), the Incarnate Son is Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ did not say, "I am the Father," for He is not.  Rather, He declares that He and the Father are one in essence and undivided in nature while being distinct Persons in the Godhead.

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  The greater works, my study Bible tells us, are an indication that Christ's working through mere human beings after Pentecost is greater than His performing signs and wonders directly.  These works, attested to in the Book of Acts, include spreading the gospel through the world, miraculous healings, and raising the dead.

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  To pray in Christ's name, my study Bible says, does not simply mean to attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers.  It says that rather, to pray in His name

means to pray according to His will.  It gives the example of an emissary of a king, who can only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say.  So also, we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose here is not to get God to do our will, but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).

Jesus says, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  I am intrigued by my study Bible's explanation of what it means to "ask in My name."  In Wednesday's reading, we read that Jesus prayed to the Father, "Father, glorify Your name."  My study Bible explained at that passage that the Father's name is an extension of Himself.  So it is also with Christ's name.  As the name is an extension of His Person, and all that this would indicate, to pray in Christ's name, as my study Bible explains, means to pray according to His will.  Note also that the example my study Bible gives in today's reading is of an emissary representing a king.  It would be the same with a representative of, say, the President of the United States, or one of any other leader of a country.   If a person used such a position to act with the leader's authority (and thereby the authority of the government and the people) following only his or her own will, and not the will of the leader, then we would call that corruption, exploitation, selfishness.  So it is also with prayer, if we understand this example correctly.  Therefore, when Christ explains to the disciples that He is "the way, the truth, and the life," what He is saying is that through discipleship to Him, to seeking His way, the truth He can give us, and the life He can give us, we also pray in His name, we ask for what is truly spiritually profitable and right for us.   The word for Christ's way, in the Greek (ὁδὸς/odos), means "road" or "path."  (It is used to mean "road" in modern Greek.)  It may also mean "journey."  So, this "way" indicates a span of time, a length of road to travel, a way not simply to do things, but to walk through life.  It is His path that guides our footsteps, and a path leads somewhere; deviating from that path does not lead to the Father, and it does not give the truth nor the life that Christ offers.  What this means is that we seek to walk a road in life following His commandments, learning from His teachings and living by them, and we pray in His name that we may deepen our pathway and commitment, and also to find His will for us, the place He wants us to go.  We may set all kinds of goals in life.  We are constantly distracted with "shoulds" and "musts" -- things we must have and goals we must achieve, the great things society offers us to consume, or the patterns that will make us applauded by others, or great in the eyes of the world.  We may seek approval from our families for all kinds of achievements.  But to pray in Christ's name asks us for a dedication and a purpose that sets everything else aside in putting His name, His kingdom, first, finding His way first.  It is entirely possible that Christ's way or road will lead us to all of those things that seem so desirable and good.  But the road also includes the humility to find His way, and to change our "way" if necessary.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).  In the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul says, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).  So the One who will be sent after Christ is glorified, the "Helper" who helps us to find Christ's way, and truth, and life, will also help us to know what to "pray for as we ought."  As we move forward in this week's readings, of Jesus' final address to His followers at the Last Supper, let us consider this deeply, for He will also tell of the Helper to come.

 

 

 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you

 

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:15–31 

 

 We are currently reading through what is known as the Farewell Discourse in John's Gospel.  It is Jesus' final teachings to the disciples at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught:   "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus aid to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  In the Greek, the word translated as Helper is parakletos/παράκλητος, sometimes used in English as Paraclete.  My study bible tells us that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit.  This title can also mean "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  Literally it means one who comes when called; it was commonly used as Advocate in the sense of legal representation or one who can present evidence in court to assist.  The Spirit of Truth is in each believer, my study bible says, and we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we do not know how to pray.  He enables us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:13-15; Romans 8:26) and gives us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11). 

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  My study bible comments here that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  When Jesus says, "At that day . . . ," He is referring to Pentecost.  St. John Chrysostom comments that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things."

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Again, Jesus refers to the Helper, and calls Him by name the Holy Spirit.  My study bible comments that we have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance not only the words of Christ, but also their meaning.  My study bible adds that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Ireneaus teaches, "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Peace was the customary Jewish word both for greeting and for farewell.  Perfect peace, my study bible teaches, is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to each other (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3).  The greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  Here is an important distinction regarding the relationship and unity between Father and Son.  My study bible explains that Christ's words, "My Father is greater than I" do not mean that the Father is greater in nature or essence, as the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, for, as we say in the Creed, the Son is begotten from all eternity.  Instead, we are to understand it as meaning that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  If this seems confusing, it is due to the disparity of language to include a functional understanding that regarding the Holy Trinity, we attempt to describe events that took place outside of time.

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Jesus is referring to His Passion when He tells the apostles that He has told them before it comes.  Telling them these events beforehand strengthened their faith. 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil, whom my study bible says dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  It adds that Jesus says the devil has nothing in Me because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became Man, but was never stained with sin.  

 

 "Arise, let us go from here."  My study bible comments that Christ takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse in order to gain their undivided attention.  According to St. John Chrysostom, their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear. 

 

There are many ways in which today's reading serves to give us a setting of life as a contest, to teach us that we are in an arena of some kind, as in the ancient athletic contests.  Certainly this image has been given us throughout the history of the Church, and in St. Paul's letters as well, such as when he refers to himself as in an athletic contest by saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).  But the setting for the contest Jesus describes is more than simply physical.  We are given the language of the courtroom, in which there is a contest of sides before a judge.  As Christians who seek to live in a peaceful society, we often find ourselves in a place where peace seems to mean an absence of contest.  But in today's reading, we're given a clear framework which Christ expresses as contest.  My study bible comments that Christ's blessing of peace:  "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" -- is not simply a benign wish or gift to those with faith.  It conveys, rather, that perfect peace is brought by Christ, because He reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  In this peace, therefore, is not a mere absence of struggle, but a culmination of the struggle in reconciliation to God, the ultimate Judge.  This means that true peace is the victory of God, and that we must come to understand a contest or struggle through a different lens than a purely material or worldly one.  Clearly there is a courtroom setting applied in the word used for the Holy Spirit, translated as Helper, as this word is also the one commonly used for advocate, one who can make a good judgment call, present evidence in court.  This sense is augmented in passages where Christ warns the disciples of persecutions to come, but teaches us not to worry about what we will say, as "the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:12).  But perhaps nowhere is "contest" more evident than when Jesus says, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."   My study bible comments that Jesus says the devil has nothing in Me because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  But I am also reminded of the event that defines the preparation for Christ's public ministry, in which Christ was "thrown out" by the Holy Spirit (as Mark 1:12 literally reads) into the wilderness to face the varied temptations by the devil, immediately after His Baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist.  In that contest of temptations in the wilderness, Jesus truly asserts that the ruler of this world has "nothing in Me," for He resists all the temptations put before Him.  There is no successful "hook" that can be used to catch Him and make Him stumble or lure Him in.  And this is where our contest comes in, where we can begin to understand what it means when Jesus teaches us that we must take up our own crosses in life and follow Him.  Because when we understand life as a kind of athletic struggle or contest, or possibly a courtroom in which we're called to testify, to stand before a Judge, with a Helper or Advocate on the side, we might understand better just exactly what it is that our faith calls us into.  Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, there is a contest going on, and we are at once engaged in it, because we human beings are the ground for which darkness and light -- in the language of John's Gospel -- cast their claims.  It is in the ground of the heart, mind, spirit, and strength within us that this contest takes place (see Matthew 22:37-40).  Our peace is with the One who loves us, and we contend against the one who wants to sell us a false bill of goods, a "bait-and-switch."  The One who loves us tells us the truth, and the Holy Spirit is also called here "the Spirit of truth," who will come to dwell with us and live in us.  In the Orthodox tradition, all services begin with a Prayer to the Holy Spirit (found at the top of this page).   It is when we forget that we are, indeed, in a contest, that we are likely to be caught up in something that -- like the temptations faced by Jesus -- sounds good, but really isn't.   Let us carefully read the words of Christ in today's reading; they are His farewell given to the disciples at the command of the Father, and they are His gift to us.  Let us not forget the only true place to find our peace, and to contend for that peace.   We do so by keeping His commandments, for which we are given abundant help.

I am the way, the truth, and the life

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus aid to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 

- John 14:1–14 

 

In our previous reading and commentary, Jesus spoke of the light and the darkness in this world, as He approached the certainty that the religious leaders would have Him put to death.  He said, "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.    

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."  Our lectionary readings today begin at chapter 14.  The setting is the Last Supper.  The lectionary has skipped over John 12:37-50, and John 13, which included the washing of the disciples' feet by Christ, the revelation of His betrayer, and His prediction that St. Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.  Jesus also taught the disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."    This commandment of love is new because of the standard it sets:  the love Christ shows.  He will die not only for His friends, but even those enemies who might be saved by His death.  My study bible comments regarding the image of many mansions that this is a word-picture of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus aid to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Similarly to the way He spoke of Himself as the light of the world, here Jesus speaks of Himself as the way, the truth, and the life -- the One by whom all may come to the Father.  My study bible comments that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  Christ is the life who became Man so that we might have life, and as He is our life, not even death can hinder us from coming to Him.  It says that only in Christ can one come to know the Father, for only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found.  The way is a translation of a Greek word that also means "path" or "road."

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"   On the statement, he who has seen Me has seen the Father, my study bible observes that our response to Christ determines our relationship with the Father.  It notes that if we reject Christ then we will never find the Father; but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," living eternally in the love of the Father (John 1:12).  

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  My study bible explains that while human beings are made "in" God's image (Genesis 1:26), the Incarnate Son "is" Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ doesn't say, "I am the Father," for He is not the First Person of the Trinity.  But He declares that He and the Father are one in essence and undivided in nature, while being distinct Persons of the Godhead.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the My Father."  My study bible elaborates that the greater works indicate Christ's working through mere humans after Pentecost is greater than His performing signs and wonders directly.  These works, which are attested to in the Book of Acts, will include spreading the gospel throughout the world, miraculous healings, and even raising the dead.

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."   To pray in Christ's name, my study bible says, doesn't mean simply to attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers.  Instead, to pray in Christ's name means to pray according to His will.  Just as an emissary of a king could only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say, so also we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ if we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose here, it says, is not to get God to do our will, but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).

As we go through our days, our thinking is mostly centered around ourselves.  This is natural to human beings.  What would I like to do? What are my goals?  What do I need to do right now, or what are my needs?  We are, in some sense, self-directed beings.  But Christ calls on us to augment our thinking.  Rather than being merely self-centered, we are asked to become God-centered.  As Christians, we are asked to become Christ-centered, informing our lives, and thereby living our lives, "in His name."  This is an important, essential concept to Christianity.  This does not mean merely asking ourselves, in some sort of intellectual capacity, "What would Jesus do?"  To have faith in Christ is something deeper than an intellectual decision.  Prayer involves something much deeper than a rational discourse about what I want and how I might justify it and that I desire God to do something for me.   To live as Christ is the way, the truth, and the life is to live in a much deeper kind of participation in the life of Christ.  To truly pray in Christ's name involves a mystical kind of closeness that is much deeper than the intellect can fathom.  It is not that the intellect is left out of anything in our relationship with Christ, but that the whole of the person becomes a part of this participation, not simply a part of us.  To pray in Christ's name, and to live with Christ as the way, the truth, and the life is to involve ourselves in a mystical participation in which our focus in life becomes centered around Christ in a deep way within ourselves, within the heart.  Prayer can come as close as the breath, an abiding sense in which prayer stays with us throughout the day, and we have a silent sort of assent within asking for guidance, and for the light of Christ to illuminate the way for us, our path in life, even in the smallest choices.  This is not simply a negotiation of rules or principles, or a philosophical disposition toward something.  It's not about following political or social slogans, things that sound good and virtuous just because they make us look good socially, or even in our own eyes.  The depth of conscience is much more than an embedded pattern of social participation, what is acceptable and what is not.  Rather it involves an orientation not simply to "self" alone, but orientated to Christ as the One closer to us than a breath, made closer by Christ's love and spiritual adoption.  This is what it is to live and pray "in Christ's name."   This is not even something we can do or achieve by ourselves, but as we will read in the following verses, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who will help bring us into this awareness and understanding.  It is our assent we give in a kind of mystical union with Christ, a growing closer and deeper through time, in which we find ourselves changing internally, by discarding accepted behaviors of understanding that conflict with the path Christ asks us to walk.   It is a way of living life face-to-face with Christ, who gives us a perspective on ourselves not possible otherwise.  As Christians, this is the way to find "true self" -- our image as given by Creator.  We are meant to negotiate an imperfect world with the light of Christ, and find ourselves in so doing.  In this perspective, identity -- the true sense of ourselves -- is a dynamic journey, a way of discovering, while building faith.   We find a growing dependency on God, wherein we become part of not simply our family home once upon a time, or our chosen society, but a much bigger house:  the house of Christ.  This is what it is to seek His way and live what is, in effect, a life of prayer "in His name."  People often speak of repentance as a reorientation toward God.  But a life in which we seek to "remember God" is a constant such reorientation, a reminder that we do not live to ourselves alone.  When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," He is offering to us an open hand, a journey of faith, the way to find our truth and meaning.