Even though we are in the season of Easter the lectionary has us returning to John’s gospel, to review Jesus teachings in the days before he is crucified. These teachings have come to be known as The Farewell Discourse. This farewell discourse is four chapters long, there’s a lot in it and it’s deep stuff. These are a very special series of teachings, “a privileged conversation” [1] given by Jesus for his disciples, because Jesus knew that his time on earth was soon to end. Jesus is trying to help the disciples understand how to continue to live as his disciples, even after his death, when he is no longer there in person to guide them. As one of the commentators I read suggested, these are the words of one who is, in effect, on his death bed. These are words that must be listened too, respected and adhered to, death bed words are sacred words, they are to be revered and remembered.
Last Sunday’s gospel we heard the teachings Jesus had for the apostles on the day we now call Maundy Thursday—he tells them to love each other just as he has loved them, (remember he’s just washed their feet, a job reserved for the most menial of servants). Imagine how these disciples must have felt. Their teacher, the one they had come to know and love, the one who was much more than gifted teacher, but whom they now knew to be the Messiah, was telling them he was soon to die. First he washed their feet, then they ate their final Passover supper together, and Jesus gave them bread and wine, telling them this was in essence his body and blood sacrificed. He was telling them he was going to leave them. They would have been devastated; this isn’t how they pictured that their Messiah, the Saviour of their people’s life would go! How would they carry on without him? It’s like separation anxiety, it’s pre-grieving. It would be like us, sitting vigil at the deathbed of someone we dearly loved. And what is Jesus doing? He’s teaching them how to continue without him. He is giving them resources to help them with their grief, their anxiety of being deprived of his presence, he’s reassuring them. Simon Peter asked Jesus where he was going, and could he come too? And Thomas wanted to know how to get there. Philip asked Jesus to show them his Father. And our gospel reading today begins with “Jesus answered him”, so, Jesus responding to even more of their concerns and questions.
Today’s question is not the first time Jesus has been asked to clarify himself. And this is important to consider. Jesus’ followers, the ones who knew him most intimately didn’t always get it, they didn’t always understand what he was teaching them. And they weren’t afraid to say so, to ask him just what he meant. Jesus was a Rabbi, a teacher, questions are expected by teachers! And he always answered them, and didn’t chide them for asking. I find that reassuring somehow, that Jesus’ teachings aren’t always easy to understand, and that it’s ok to ask questions, to seek out answers to those questions we have. I mean, honestly, if the disciples who were right there with him didn’t always get it, well, how do we figure we should get it right all the time, or instinctively know what Jesus means just by reading the bible. Each of us is all at different levels of understanding, depending on our spiritual maturity. And we become more spiritually mature by asking questions, by seeking answers, thereby deepening our spiritual understanding. And what all these questioning disciples tell us is that it’s not only reasonable but perfectly acceptable to ask those questions; and to seek answers of our faith, to question our religious beliefs.
Ok, so back to this latest question asked of Jesus. Let me set the scene. Jesus has just reminded them that those who love him will keep his commandments, and even if he is no longer there, he will reveal himself to them. What an incredible statement Jesus is making. Even after he’s died, he will still be there; his presence will still be available to them! A disciple named Judas—and John clearly tells us it was not Judas Iscariot, asks Jesus how that’s going to happen, how will he reveal himself to them? I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty fair question! While in one way it sounds wonderfully reassuring, even though Jesus is dead, he will still come to them, but how, I mean, dead is dead, right? And typical to how John writes his gospel, Jesus provides spiritual answers to worldly questions. The response itself has more in it than first meets the eye, it’s deep and multi-facetted. So, let’s break it down.
Jesus replied: “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.
If you love Jesus, you obey his teachings and God will love you and in so doing you are opening yourself up to receiving their love. It’s pretty simple, really, stands to reason, because if you don’t believe in his teachings, you’re not going to live by them. By obeying Jesus’ teachings, it shows your love of Christ, and of the Creator God, that’s the ‘we’ in that statement—God in Christ are one here— they will come to you. It’s a bit like when you really love someone, you take the chance –you become vulnerable when you truly love--and open your heart up to them, you take a chance in being vulnerable to someone you truly love. When you live your life according to Christ’s teachings, you are open to Christ’s love, Jesus can come and make his home in you. When Christ is with you, you have Christ’s strength in you.
25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Jesus knew his time on earth in a physical body was limited—and he wanted to impart as much knowledge as he could. He knew his believers would feel lost when he was gone, that even in his absence, they would need his presence, his strength, his support to keep them going in the faith he had taught them . So the Holy Spirit, another aspect of God and of Christ would be available to them, to bring them the care, support and knowledge they’d need to carry on with Jesus’ ministry.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.
Even though he was leaving them, he had a very special parting gift. The presence of the Holy Spirit gives us peace of mind and peace of heart—the kind of peace only Jesus’ Spirit can bring, which is unlike anything we can do for ourselves. It is God given, God’s gift. It’s not a peace we can negotiate, bargain for or buy. If you’ve ever watched and waited with someone who was dying, I imagine you would have a sense of how the disciples might well have received this news, considering all they were going through: they were this pre-grief stage as they anticipated Jesus’ death. They were feeling the anxiety of going it alone without their leader and Messiah, the man they had come to admire and love. They may even have been concerned about what kind of lives they would have once he’s gone; a myriad of emotions, thoughts, worries, anxieties. Their lives would be in an uproar, everything was going to change. And in the middle of all of that, Jesus offers them his peace, telling them they don’t need to be troubled or afraid. He didn’t say that their life circumstances would change; they would still be in the situations they were. But they didn’t need to be afraid, troubled or anxious. Because they wouldn’t be going through it alone, God was with them; the Holy Spirit was with them, and would be their advocate, their comforter.
Two thousand years later, that message is as true now as it was then. Life still sends us curve balls, unexpected, and often unwanted happening that throws us for a loop, things that can throw us off-kilter and create problems, worries and anxieties. Life is like that, we go through periods where life seems on a relatively even keel, and then times of challenges—sometimes intense ones! But we don’t need to go it alone. Let God, let Jesus make their home in you, invite the Holy Spirit in. It’s an amazing feeling, this peace of God; and hard to describe. It’s a sense of reassurance in the middle of the mess, the pain, the confusion. It’s like the lifting of an emotional burden, a bit like the feeling of a hug from a dear, dear friend, yet different-a very unique feeling! It touches you in a different place somehow. It feels like some of the burden is lifted, it alleviates the overwhelming feeling of stress, so you can think straight again. It’s different things at different times, to different people, but it’s real and it’s true. And it’s available to all who believe and are sincere in the asking and choose to live by Jesus’ teachings.
Truly, you do not have to let your hearts be troubled, and you do not need to be afraid. The Holy Spirit will bring you comfort and Jesus will bring you peace. It’s all there for the asking! Amen
[1] William R. Herzog II in Exegetical Persepctive for John 14: 23-29 in Feasting on the Word Year C Vol 2 (WJK Press: Louisville Ky 2009) 493