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.  

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

In My Father's house are many mansions

 "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 Saturday, we read that when Judas had gone out from the Passover Supper to betray Him, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.  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."  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 comments that many mansions is a word-picture.  It illustrates for us an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings, it adds, 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."  My study bible comments on Jesus' teaching 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.  It says that 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 is only in Christ that we can come to know the Father -- because Christ is the Person who is truth, and He is life.

"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."  Jesus says that he who has seen Me has seen the Father.  My study bible comments that this means that our own response to Christ will determine our relationship to the Father.  In other words, if we reject Christ, then we will not find the Father.  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 (1:12).   Although human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), the incarnate Son is Himself the precise image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ does not declare Himself to be the Father; He is not the Father.  Instead, He is declaring here that He and the Father are one in essence, and undivided in nature.  At the same time, they are distinct Persons in the 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 Jesus' remarks citing greater works that will be done indicates that Christ's working through human beings after Pentecost is greater than His performing sings and wonders directly.  These works, which are testified to in the Book of Acts, 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."  My study bible says that to pray in Christ's name doesn't just mean that we attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" at the end of prayers.  But to pray in Christ's name means to pray in accordance with His will.  My study bible uses the example of an emissary of a king.  Such an emissary or representative can only be said to be speaking in the name of the a king if he is indeed saying what the king would want him to say.  So it's the same with the name of Christ:  to pray in His name is to pray in accordance with what He wants.  My study bible adds that the purpose here is not to get God to do our will, but rather for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10). 

Jesus speaks of how those who have seen Him have seen the Father.  Over and over again, and particularly in His disputes with the leadership in Jerusalem, Jesus has emphasized His union with the Father.  He is, for us, the revelation of the Father to the world.  Through Christ, we know that God is love (1 John 4:8).  Surely the Psalms and the Old Testament Scriptures also testify to a loving and merciful God.  But Christ embodies in human form the reality of the Father for us, His Person -- although, He is not the Father.  Through His living actions, His choices, and especially His words, He reveals to us the Father.  How does this happen?  Here in today's reading, Jesus tells us Himself:  "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."   Through what He says and what He does, Christ reveals the Father.  He is in intimate communion with the Father, and lives His human life -- meets all its challenges and demands, makes every decision, and does every work -- in accordance with the will of the Father, within that communion.  Jesus goes on to promise that we also, through faith, may in fact do the same.  In today's reading, He asks Philip, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?"   In chapter 6, Jesus taught, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (6:56).   In other words, as He teaches here that He abides in the Father, so He also offers us to abide in Him.  The entire substance of His Farewell Discourse can in some sense be summed up in this theme, and particularly when we get into the verses in the next chapter.  But here is the promise, not only that we have indeed seen the Father:  we have Christ's words and His works which are given to do by the Father.  But also there is the command that extends this promise, that we may abide in Him.  We may also ask in His name, as my study bible explains, by living in accordance with His will, and do even greater works also by abiding in Him and living according to His word, so that God is glorified and revealed even through us as His disciples.  Let us consider the communion into which we are invited as we allow His words to sink down into us, and their implications for our own lives.  This is His Farewell Discourse given to the disciples, and by extension to all of us who come and seek to dwell in His house with Him, and abide in Him as well.

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 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 Wednesday, we read the words Jesus said at the Passover Feast, just after He met the Greek-speaking inquirers who'd come to Jerusalem for the festival:  "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 heart 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.   The lectionary skips over John 12:37-13:38.  In these verses we are told that despite the hostility to Him by the rulers of the Council, nevertheless many in the Council did believe in Him.  He and the disciples prepare what is called the Last Supper, at which Jesus washes the disciples' feet in an act of deep humility which teaches them His leadership.  He also identifies Judas as His betrayer.  He teaches 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."  And He tells Peter, in the face of Peter's statements that he will lay down His life for Christ, that he will betray Him three times before the rooster crows. 

 "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."  Jesus continues with His great sermon to the apostles at the Last Supper.  My study bible says that many mansions is a word-picture of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  Mansions also addresses the great multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  Once again, as noted frequently throughout John's Gospel, Jesus' words aren't mere promises.  They are couched in the language of love, connection, communion.  He will be the One to receive them to Himself; where He is, we may be also.  And they are prepared already:  where He goes, they know -- and the way they 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."   I am the way, the truth, and the life:   Here is the crowning statement of how Jesus defines Himself for us.  As Christ, He establishes the way to reach the Father in His Person and work as Son.  My study bible says that 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 because He is our life, then not even death can hinder us from coming to Him.  Only in Christ can one come to know the Father, my study bible tells us, because 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'?"  This statement, He who has seen Me has seen the Father, teaches us that our response to Christ determines our relationship with the Father.  His words convey that if we reject Christ then we will not find the Father; if we believe in Him and follow Him, then we will become "children of God" through participation and adoption, living eternally in the love of the Father (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 tells us 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 another Person.  He declares instead that He and the Father are one in essence and undivided in nature, although they are distinct Persons of the Godhead.  Again, this isn't a dry sort of theoretical statement, but a statement of love and communion at its greatest possible depth -- extending to the works themselves that He has done.  This is the relationship into which He invites us also as disciples and followers.

"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."  Jesus names greater works here.  In the understanding of the Church, these greater works are those performed because Christ works through human beings after Pentecost -- and those works are greater than His performing signs and wonders directly.  Those works, which are attested to in the book of Acts, my study bible reminds us, 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."  Praying in Jesus' names is not simply attaching the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers.  Instead, to pray in Jesus name means that we pray according to His will.  His name is an extension of His Person.  As my study bible puts it, 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, so also are we only praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose here isn't to get God to do our will, but rather for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10). 

Jesus gives His last teachings to the disciples at the Last Supper.  He teaches about the unity of Father and Son, about the works that He has done as revelation of the Father in the world.  But there are greater works that will come, after Pentecost, and the sending of the Holy Spirit.  This Third Person of the Trinity, about which Jesus will speak further in tomorrow's reading, adds yet another level of depth to the love in which Jesus couches all of His teachings about His identity, His union with the Father, and His teachings to His disciples and followers.  It compounds the sense in which we are to abide in Him as He abides in us.  Through the Third Person, the Holy Spirit or Paraclete, even greater works than He has done Himself will be revealed through His followers.  This statement reminds us of the teaching given to St. Paul, when he felt his prayers had failed to alleviate an affliction.  In prayer, St. Paul received this word:  "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  And "therefore," says St. Paul, "most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  The power of God to work through perceived "weakness" is somehow the great power of love at work as well.  One can't help but feel that the extension of "greater works" doesn't only include those tremendous things we've read about, but also the very fact of God's work through our own infirmity, as St. Paul writes to us.  Jesus' teachings throughout the Gospels include His deep care of the "little ones," those who are dependent upon leaders and others for their care and "upbringing," so to speak, in the true teachings of the Church, in the spirit and love of God that Jesus has revealed and given to us.  These teachings and concerns run all through Jesus' many sermons and many works.  That God the Father should be revealed to us through the Son is already the sign of God's great love for us, coming to we who are so limited and tiny by comparison, in all dimensions.  And yet, God does not merely come to us, but asks that we abide in Him and He in us, in the depth of love and communion, the deepest bond possible.  This bond grows exponentially through the revelation of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and through the greater works to come, those like the words of St. Paul, teaching us that God's grace works through our infirmities, so much so that he will boast in them, so that Christ's power will rest upon him.  With this understanding, we must come to look at ourselves and the world through different eyes than the sense of competition and survival gives us.  We must understand that as His followers we strive to live and dwell with Him, and He with us, all the time -- drawing on that love to teach us what is what, and how we need to see our lives and our own works and what opportunities for love there are.  That is the teaching we take with us, the life He gives us, just as there was life in the tomb.

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

 "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 you 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 Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.  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."  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 says that "many mansions is 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."  He's speaking to His disciples here, giving them His parting words in His worldly ministry.  The word translated as "mansions" -- as my study bible has indicated -- also speaks of individual dwellings or rooms, also translated as "abode" or "home" several verses later ("We will come unto him and make our above with him" - John 14:23, KJV).

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."  Of I am the way, the truth, and the life, my study bible tells us that the way to reach the Father is forever established in both the Person and the work of the Son.  Christ (the Son) is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  He is the life who became Man so that we may have life -- and because He is our life, not even death can hinder us from coming to Him!  My study bible says, "Only in Christ can one come to know the Father, for only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found."   His clear statement here is that in Him we have a revelation of the Father.

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 you can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"  A comment in my study bible tells us that 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 (see John 1:12).   But again, the emphasis here is that Christ is the revelation of the Father.   We are not only given the Son in this living ministry; we are given 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."  My study bible says 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)."  It tells us that 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."   A note says that the greater works Jesus refers to indicate that Christ's working through human beings after Pentecost is greater than His direct performance of signs and wonders in His worldly ministry.  It says, "These works, attested to in the book of Acts, include spreading the gospel throughout the world, miraculous healings, and raising the dead."  I think also we cannot exclude the power of faith that works in those who "haven't seen Him" in the flesh, and yet serve in unique ways to spread His light into the world -- the work of the Spirit in us is infinite and boundless, with capabilities as myriad as the human beings who may follow in all the centuries after Christ's earthly ministry.

"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."   My study bible says that to pray in Christ's name doesn't mean to just 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.  It says, "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, so also we can only 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)."

We read many interesting things in today's passage, important statements of theology, of our faith, that we put all our stock into.  If we've seen Christ, we've seen the Father.  He is a revelation of God the Father; His living ministry is expressing the Father in the world.  He remains the Son, but His works are done with the power of the Father, and the words He teaches are the words given by the Father.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  And He will join His Father where "many mansions" are prepared that we may dwell with them.  Everything is so that "where I am, there you may be also."   "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."  Every verse in today's reading becomes an essential part of the faith of the Body of Christ, the Church.  Each one is important and powerful.  But overall there is one message here that rings through every phrase, and that is a message of love.  Jesus says, "I am in the Father and the Father is in me."  It is a statement about identity, but much, much more; it's a statement about relationship, and the depth of bond between Son and Father.  But it's not just a lofty declaration that Jesus is making here to hammer a point home about His position in the universe as Son!  This statement is made for the benefit of the disciples and those who will follow in faith.  It is made not so that we understand only that the Son and Father are deeply entwined so that we see one in the other, via His earthly ministry.  It is a statement about our inclusion in this relationship, that Father and Son are also deeply concerned with us, our future, our welfare, our understanding, our own enlightenment, illumination.  He goes to prepare a place for us.   And this word translated as mansion, dwelling, abode, home -- it's a word that tells us there are places for each one of us.  This isn't a collective "home" -- it's a home with multiple individual permanent places for each one of us in it.  The Body of Christ isn't just a group; it's a structure of love.  It's a community of inter-relatedness that is determined by God who is love:  by the One who teaches the inseparability of each Person -- and each person.  And that's where we really start if we're going to understand Christ and what He's teaching.  The words of revelation here are astounding.  They are enough so that He will be called a blasphemer and sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin, given over to Pilate on trumped up charges of declaring Himself king with a sort of empire to build in a worldly sense.  But these inflammatory, amazing words are given to us with one full theme that runs through all of them, and it's a theme of total love, and inclusion.  It's a theme that says to us that we're not separate from God, either -- that through Him we are also inextricably linked with the Father (as we will be with Spirit), that we are held in a bond of love that goes through and in everything, if we but have the faith to which He calls us.  That's what we take home with us, even if we can't conceptualize what it is to be God the Father or the Son, or we haven't seen the many mansions of heaven, or we don't know ultimately all truth, or all ways, or the greatest heights of what it is to have life.  We are with Him, we are with the Father -- and in tomorrow's reading He will teach us that the two of them (Father and Son) may make their abode in us.  How truly awe-some can that possibly be?  Let us consider that we are not alone in our faith, that our faith connects us in and through everything.  Let us look to His words, to the light, to the revelation of the Father as the loving Person Jesus is in His ministry.  He came for each one of us, and we must consider the abode He offers, in a great mansion among those who know love.

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 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

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and there was no Gospel reading for Saturday. But today we return to Jesus' words to His Apostles at the Last Supper. We start in the text right after Friday's reading, in which Jesus told Peter that he would deny Christ three times that night, despite Peter's protests to follow Him even into death, that Peter would lay down his life for Jesus' sake. Of course, Peter will eventually do so, and his words will be true in time. See Lord, where are You going?

"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 has a beautiful note on this passage which is worth repeating: "Many mansions is literally 'many dwelling places,' a word-picture of numerous living units surrounding a central courtyard -- an abundance of living accommodations. Mansions also speak of the multiplicity of blessings which await those who enter the Kingdom of God." But in these verses we see Jesus linking Himself with the Father, and His disciples with both of them, even unto the eternal reality of heaven. He prepares a place for them -- and by extension, for us who are faithful, so that where He is, we may be also. He is announcing His departure from this world as incarnate man.

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." Once again, I will quote from my study bible: "The way, the truth, and the life is a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is so because of His perfection union with His Father. The way we reach the Father is forever established through the Son. Jesus is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father, who is the goal of our journey through life. Christ is the life, the uncreated eternal life manifest in the flesh, so that we might have life. Because of this, 'no one comes to the Father except through' the Son. While aspects of goodness and truth are found among all people by virtue of their being created in the image and likeness of God, salvation comes through Christ alone." Jesus again emphasizes His union with the Father, and that the Father is reflected through Him - that we know the Father through Him. All in all, this summing up of His life and mission is to bring us to the Father, to create union for us as well, reconciliation, relationship, love and knowledge.

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." Philip is our wonderful Apostle who asks the questions for us, and Jesus answers. Has Philip not been with Him since the beginning of His ministry, does he not know Him by now? The union of Father and Son, separate Persons, but of the same essence, is our interpretation of these words, as it is written in the Creed. Jesus' words are the words of the Father, because He serves the Father in all things, and the Father in Him does the works (the signs or miracles) He has done. My study bible notes that, "if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves become 'sons of God,' living eternally in the love of the Father." So we also recall Jesus' earlier words to the temple leadership, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods."'?"

"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." Jesus begins His departing speech to His Apostles with these words about what is to come in their lives and the life of the Church, the believers. My study bible points out something important here: "As shown in the Book of Acts, the disciples will later do even 'greater works' in spreading the gospel throughout the world because Jesus will have completed the work of salvation and they will be endowed with the Spirit. In Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, the Church makes God's salvation available to all in every age."

Jesus completes the circle of relatedness and union: He goes to the Father. But, He is saying, He will also take us: He prepares a place for us where He goes so that we may be with Him. But there is much more to it, after all. If we know Him, we know the Father -- and so, we come also to be sons of God. He draws us with Him into union, friendship, love and reconciliation. Is there any way to calculate what this really means, and all the ways this feeds us with true food in our lives? I don't think so. An eternity is not calculable, nor are the depths of that relationship and relatedness and how it impacts us in our lives, in every moment. So, think today about Jesus' mission and His departure to return again, to keep us with Him wherever He is, and to teach us also to know the Father. In this is our salvation, our joy and rest. I hope Easter is blessed for you on this day of Resurrection, as is every day.