1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In 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? 3And 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. 4And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.
John takes us to the time before the crucifixion and resurrection, except now everything looks different. These words come from Jesus’ farewell discourse—an extended goodbye that includes warnings about persecutions and difficulties but seasoned with the assurance of God’s abiding presence. Here in chapter fourteen, Jesus makes it clear that he is going; yet even though he is going he is preparing a place for his disciples so that they will never have to leave God’s presence again. The problem—both for us and the disciples—is that we may not be sure how to get there. Thomas voices our question, “Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” It feels like that sometimes. We may trust in God; yet God may be hard to see in the midst of suffering or hardship or worry. How do we know the way to make things better? But Jesus turns it around. The way is not something we have to do so that we can follow. The way is a person, a life. Consequently our life following in this way is life in the presence of God. We want to go ahead and find God and avoid the things that trouble us. Jesus’ promise is that God has already found us in our troubles. Rather than leaving us a map and a flashlight, he decides to take us by the hand and lead us out of the darkness.
Let the light of your love shine on us, Lord, that we may be saved. Accompany us in our difficulty, that in discovering your presence we may discover our way, truth, and life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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