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‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. (John 14:1-14)
Although I have used this text many times at funerals, this is a text for our everyday life. It was a special eye-opening revelation to the disciples as it should be for us. After Jesus shared with the disciples that He was to go to Jerusalem, suffer much, then die; which I believe stopped the neurons in their brains from working, Jesus speaks of life beyond this life. Number one, our hearts should not be troubled. If we believe in God, we should also believe in Jesus. And if Jesus says that in His father's house there are many dwelling places, it is so. And Jesus further adds, if this wasn't so, why would He have said that He has gone to prepare a place for us? And the beauty of this is that Jesus desires us to be there with Him, if we but follow the way. Thomas, remember him? He asks, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how can we know the way?" No bad or silly question, especially if asked of Jesus, and Jesus replies, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Stop and ponder this in your heart. Jesus is the way. He is the path that leads to life, life in abundance, life without end. What He taught and left for us in the gospels are the way we should live. Secondly, what Jesus has shared is truth. Jesus does not lie. Jesus speaks as one with the Father, and God is holy and pure; we can go to the bank with what God shares. And lastly, Jesus is life. Jesus always spoke about God being the God of the living, not the dead; He spoke of why He came back in the gospel text of last week, John 10:10.
Jesus then shares His desire for us to believe and to be open to being led by God to do God's work here in the earth. And we can expect to do even greater works because Jesus is with the Father and will do whatever we ask in HIs name so that God may be glorified in Him. Hear this and write it on your heart: "If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."
Our desire is to ask to be put to work in the Lord to help bring about the Kingdom on the earth.
PRAYER: Use me, Loving Lord, to be Your servant here on the earth. May our actions reveal and reflect that we know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Empower us with Your Spirit to do great things for You. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
