EASTER V - A - 20 JOHN 14. 1-14
The opening words of today’s
gospel sound very familiar do they not. They should, as they come from one of
the choices for the gospel reading that is often chosen as part of the burial
office.
Jesus spoke these words to
his disciples in the upper room following the institution of the Eucharist and
prior to his arrest in the garden. They are part of his farewell discourse and
were meant to be words of encouragement and hope in light of the fact that he
would soon to be taken from them.
They contain the promise that
his going away is to their benefit. “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I
go… I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you might be
also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
This time it is Thomas, and
not Peter, that raises the question. Thomas asks Jesus “how can we know the
way?” Once again, as he often does in John’s gospel, Christ responds with an “I
am” answer.
“I Am” is the name of God the
Jews of Jesus’ time would never utter. It was simply too sacred. You may recall
when Moses stood looking at the burning bush God spoke to him telling him that
he was to go for God and demand from Pharaoh that he set God’s people free.
Moses asks God “Who should I say sent me?”
God answered, “Tell them I Am sent you.” Jesus’
response to Thomas’ that he is the Way, Truth and the Life is because he is the
way to God, who is truth and life. Access to God is solely through Christ. For
Jesus to use the “I Am” in reference to himself is to say that he and the
Father are one.
However, Thomas is not the only disciple to
raise a concern in today’s passage. Phillip asks to see the Father, and then he
says he will be satisfied. Jesus cannot believe Phillip is making such a
request. “I have been with you so long and yet you do not know me Phillip?” “Whoever
has seen me,” Christ tells him, “has seen the Father.”
Finally, Jesus tells Phillip
if you cannot believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me, then,
believe the works you have seen me do. The works, which Christ does, is a valid
witness to his person and mission.
Knowledge of God is solely
through the works, words, and person of Jesus Christ. Our response to Christ
determines our relationship to the Father. To know Christ is to achieve the
goal of all those religious seekers whom Phillip represents.
The last verse of today’s
gospel reading also contains a promise. However, many of us today who profess
our belief in Jesus as the Son of God misunderstand what he says here about
prayer in his name.
“I will do whatever you ask in my name,” Jesus
tells them, “so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you
ask for anything, I will do it.” The key to this verse is “that the Father may
be glorified in the Son.”
One can only begin to imagine
all of the things that are asked of God on a daily basis. Think about how many
millions of people throughout the world today must be praying for the end to
the virus, for example. Think about the things you have asked of God, not only
in recent days, or in the present moment, but also over the years.
How many of them did you ask
so that God would be glorified? Let’s face it most of us pray selfishly. We pray for what we want, for what we
perceive that we need.
Sometimes we add a petition
or two for the needs of others, usually those closest to us. However, generally
we pray for ourselves without giving any thought to what God wants.
Although Christ knew his
destiny, while in the garden prior to his arrest, he prayed that it might not
have to be, that the cup of His passion might pass him by yet, he concluded his
prayer with not my will but God’s be done. In other words, not what I want but
what God wants.
His sacrifice on the cross
glorified God and in doing so glorified him.
God’s will was done that day
we call “good” not man’s and not the evil one.
To pray in Christ’ name does
not simply mean to attach the phrase “in Jesus’ name we pray” to the end of the
prayers expecting that in all times and in all places we will receive exactly
what we ask.
Rather, to pray in his name
means to pray according to his will.
Just as an emissary of a king
can only speak 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 (Matt. 6.10).
How often do our prayers
glorify God? I would dare say not often enough. As I would dare say that the
millions who are praying for the end to the virus today are not praying to
glorify God but for their own welfare and the welfare of those whom they love,
perhaps for even more selfish reasons.
However, if we all prayed for the end of the
world’s current crisis and asked God to end it for the glory of His name and in
accordance with His will. Would he do it? Could He do it? The answer is a
resounding yes!
He sent His Son Jesus into
the world because He loved it and to bring salvation to all trust in Him. God
loves it yet. He has no desire to see us suffer any grief or sorrow.
Rather his desire is that we
learn to live in accordance with His will trusting Him in all things and living
the new life to which we have been called in His Son, Jesus.
May God teach us through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit to pray in all things for His will to be done, on
earth as it already is in heaven, and done for the glory of His name alone.
Moreover, by His grace, may
we be given the courage to faithfully follow in the footsteps of Him who is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life, even Jesus Christ our Savior, who died and rose
again that we might have life and have it more abundantly. AMEN+
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