Do not be troubled. Jesus and his disciples have finished the last supper and Jesus is talking to them about the future. He knows the events that will take place in the next few hours. Jesus knows that these men will be devastated, crushed, in need of spiritual renewal. So Jesus sets out to reassure his disciples. The eleven. That in spite of what will happen – they should take heart. Their world will fall apart,
but still – Jesus is the way.
Jesus offers comfort in three ways, to his disciples and to us as well:
I prepare a place; I am the way; The Father and I are the same.
Note: The disciples, and us as well, see and understand life as what we experience everyday. Anything outside that possibility is difficult to imagine or hold on to.
Story: Jungle Perspective
There was a missionary – to native people in very dense tropical forest.
He needed travel to another outpost several days journey away. The village sent a companion with him to keep him safe. When they got out of forest onto open plain, the missionary pointed out a herd of water buffalo in the distance. His village companion went nuts, “what magic you use – to make water buffalo shrink”. He had only seen buffalo up close in the dense jungle where you can see things only a few feet in front of you. It was a new experience made it difficult to hold onto. He had never seeen anything at a far distance.
Jesus – is speaking of spiritual matters, Perhaps a new perspective for some.
I prepare a place. Jesus preparation is this: His death and resurrection open up a place for us in “The Fathers House”. We have grown up with the translation – many mansions, "There are many mansions and I go and prepare one for you…." We see heaven as a permanent vacation, alone in a vast house. We are not to be in paradise alone. We are to be in paradise with, surrounded by God and others. What is better meant is found in our translation- Rooms. God has a lot of room available and He is making room for us to be with him. In other words – don’t be troubled, come what may there is a place for you.
Not like car rentals.
One time I was in Atlanta with friends at a pastors conference. I just felt funny about the car, I just knew we wouldn’t get one...so I made three different reservations at threee different car rental companies.
Only the last one was available. - Jesus isn’t like that, he has space for us for sure. It is like season tickets, they are reserved for you whether you are there or not. (In context) Addresses this to believers - The eleven and to all believers.
Jesus is clearly telling us this: There are times in our lives where the bottom will fall out on our lives. Whatever happens – there will be a place for you.
Am I really Saved? In churches today if congregation members are asked, "Will you go to heaven when you die?" Many will say - – I don’t know. Jesus reassurance here – is that if you believe you are assured. You believe, you believe, there is no turning back.
It is a myth - to lose your salvation. Don’t buy into that. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like your still saved. Sometimes every evidence seems to go away that you are saved. Sometimes you just don’t know. How does Jesus back this up? Thomas says – we don’t know where you are going
We have no idea what you are talking about. You say there is a place for me. You say you are going to make it happen. You say it is a sure thing. HOW DO I KNOW? I cannot see it.
"I am the way." Jesus is telling us how to get from the material to the spiritual.
Compare two verses: Verse 6. I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
Verse 11 – Believe in me. - Literally believe into me.
Jesus is not just a person. He is not just showing the way. He is not the map and he is not a possible route - He is more than that, he is The Way. If you want to get from the material to the spiritual - You need a way. Jesus says – I am that way.
Side note: All kinds of people claim to have spiritual experiences. Just because someone claims something – doesn’t make it valid. A neighbor tells me – I have daily discussions with my dog about the middle east. My guess is that you would not grant him the benefit of the doubt.
But if that same neighbor claims to have a spiritual experience, we don’t think of questioning it.
All spiritual experiences that people claim are not spiritual. All spiritual experiences that peole claim to have are not of God and in fact many spiritual experiences will lead you away from God.
How do we get from the material to the spiritual, the spiritual of God – that is? Through Jesus - I am the way. Jesus tells us believe into me, believe through me. You want a spiritual experience? Look to Jesus Christ.
If I believe in Jesus, Into Jesus, I have the way. The way assures me a place with him, I am sure of my salvation.
The Father and I are the same. Jesus not only claims to tell us how to get there - He claims to be the destination itself.
Story – Shells Café.
You know that Entertainment book, the thing with all the coupons in it? Well we were just married, we had very little money and in looking through the book we decided on Shells Café. Well we arrived and there were Two doors, side by side One to Shells Café & other, the Gray Fox, a bar. These places were side by side in the same building. Looking at the doors we could not tell which door was which. We chose wrong and opened the door to bar. “May I help you” this voice says sounding like Kevin Klein, says this well dress guy. "Sorry, wrong place...so we – we open the Next door. The SAME GUY greets us. "Oh we were looking for shells café". The guy replies, “It is.....one in the same”
This is quite a claim Jesus makes: Divinity. I am the way. I am it. Look no further.
But there are many roads to the top of the mountain some might say.
Or for example some might ask, could God make a object too heavy to lift. For if he couldn’t lift the object – he is not all powerful and if he couldn’t make the object – he is not all powerful. But that is the wrong question. See, God is not bound by physical limitations so the whole questions does not apply.
But there are many roads to the top of the mountain, some still might say. Again, the wrong statement. Jesus is speaking of the spiritual – not the material. There are many roads? Says who? Certainly not Jesus.
Here we have this claim: Either I am or I am not. There is no talk about options.
If I am – you are assured.
This whole thing is not fiction, or a movie script or even literature to live a moral life by.
Jesus says, I am - that’s it.
Believe into me.
There is no looking back.
