The Way, the Truth, and the Life

As a boy growing up, my family moved a total of thirteen times. We moved to seven different cities in four different states The first few moves made little impression on me. My father would called the family together and announce that we were going to move to Knoxville, or Nashville or Memphis, and It sounded rather cool to me. Memphis was where Elvis was, after all. We had moved before, and we always made new friends. The longest we lived anywhere growing up was in Memphis. We lived here seven years. We lived there through the Kennedy assassinations, the king assassinations, and moved just before we landed on the moon. In Memphis, I made some of the closest friends I ever had. I was involved in school council. I dated and kissed my first girl. I started getting there a sense of belonging. Then one day, my father came home and announced “We are going back to Knoxville,” This time it was much, much harder. I went back to my room and cried. It was a separation from a life I loved and from people I loved. Unlike when I was younger, I knew what separation was. That’s why I identify with the disciples’ feelings when Jesus told his disciples that night in Jerusalem that He was going away. For three years, these disciple had lived together, traveled together, laughed together, and argued together. They had been their own separate world, and the center of that world was Jesus. They had left their families, homes, and jobs to be part of that world. Now it was all about to end, and they would go their separate ways. Jesus had told his disciples before that he was going away, but it didn’t register in their brains--any more than it does in the mind of a child when he is told that everyone will die someday, including Mom and Dad. In the child’s mind, life goes on forever in the same way it is today. The thought that one day, life and death will separate us from those we love does not seem real until we actually experience it. Jesus had often left them before to go pray in secret, but he always came back. But they were encamped near Jerusalem, under the noses of their enemies who wanted Jesus dead. They knew that Jesus was in immediate danger the whole time he was there. Now, when Jesus said he was going away, they could see it in their minds the how and why of it. They all knew what it meant and they were sad. What would happen to them after they died? What would their world look like when He was gone? So after Jesus announced his leaving, he gave them another message He said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." When we move on, what is left? Memories and hopes. We can remember the good times that are past. We can hope in good times to come when we are reunited. But all this is temporary. Memories fade over time. People we think we will remember forever are forgotten in the passage of the years. We forget so we can move on. In England there is a statue to a little terrier dog—Greyfriar’s Bobby. The dog belonged to a town watchman named Grey. Bobby was his inseparable for two years. Then Grey died, and was buried in the local cemetery. For fourteen years that dog stood sentinel over his grave. When the local dogcatcher wanted to take him to the pound, the mayor of the city and the town council bought him a license. The dog became the symbol of the city. When the dog died, a statue was erected to him in he local cemetery. The inscription read “May he always be an example to us of unswerving devotion.” It sounds touching, but we have to wonder if this really was what was best for the dog. Would it not have been better if someone had adopted that dog as a pet? Would that dog not have been happier getting on with his life? Some people hang on too long to memories. Nor does hope always warm us, either. When we move, we always promise to write. But things happen. People forget, and what the reunion we crave often does not come. When my family left Memphis, I called my friends whenever possible. I visited in the summers. My entire class once came to visit me in my new home. But they left. But these reunions did not last forever. I struggled to adjust to my new life, The hoped for visits and contacts became fewer and fewer. Jesus did not simply say to his disciples “Remember me.” (Though he did elsewhere, and gave us communion to remember him.) He did not just say “I’ll write.” (Though He gave us His words to study and remember.) His message was simpler than that. He said “I’m coming back for you. You’ll live with me again, Believe it.” Actually, he goes beyond a mere promise of return. He also promises that He will stay with us through the spirit. “You believe in God, believe me, too.” Believe not just in the future reunion but in his present guidance. It was not just a promise of a mansion in heaven, but a friend on this earth. He wanted them to keep living together, and He would still be with them. On hearing of Jesus’ departure, he disciples must have had many fears. But their greatest fear was this. They had been called out their lives and their world, and had been immersed in a new world—the Kingdom of God. Jesus had become their home. Once he left, they lost their home. When he was gone, would life go back to what it was before—would they again be only a band of fishermen and tax collectors, broadened a bit in the mind but still living lives of pettiness and insignificance? Jesus says no. He will always be with us. “Whereever two or three are gathered, there I am.” One day, that spiritual presence will be translated into a physical presence. “In my father’s house are mansions,” the King James says--but it this is a mistranslation. What Jesus actually says is “In my Father’s mansion are many rooms.” We will live together with Him in His Father’s house. What is it that comforts us about home? It is being with those we love. There is something about us that craves the tenderness of a body beside us, the sound of other people’s breathing, heartbeats beating in unison. We are social creatures created to society. He society we now have is a pale example of the society we have in heaven. That’s where he was going—to prepare the mansion. Then he said something curious. ‘And where you go, you know. And the way you know.” Most of them said nothing. They were used to Jesus saying things that they did not understand. Half the time, they did not understand what Jesus was saying to them They would just pretend that they knew what he was talking about, like students do in school, or people listening to a sermon But Thomas (who is unfairly called doubting Thomas) spoke up. "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" A fair question. Suppose your wife goes to visit a friend. She asks if you would like to join them later for lunch. Maybe you want to, or maybe you don’t, or maybe you are not sure. She says “you know where she lives.” But you don’t know. How would she know if really wanted to be there? If you didn’t ask for directions, then you didn’t want to come. If the world really wanted to go to heaven, they would be asking for directions, too. Btu most of the world doesn’t know Jesus, doesn’t know where He lives, and isn’t sure they want to. One hour of walking with Him is enough to bring a lifetime of devotion, but the have never had that hour. So why should they want to join Him in heaven? So if we say we are going to meet Jesus, and that anyone can come along, we shouldn’t be surprised if people don’t flock to join us. But those who are really interested in knowing God will ask, and will know. But if a person wants to know God and to experience God, they will want directions. Recently, I heard a radio interview with an artist who had created an illustrated book of Genesis. The interviewer asked if he believed in God. He called himself a “Gnostic” not an “agnostic.” An agnostic he said was someone who did not know whether there is a god, and doesn’t much care. He really genuinely wanted to know. My heart went out to him. He would ask directions. Most people don’t. So, how do you get to heaven? Jesus answered: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So simple and so profound. If you want to get to heaven, Jesus will show you. People wonder what religion has the path that leads to heaven. The answer is surprising. No religion, not even Christianity, has the path that leads to heaven. Jesus is the path. We do not go looking for God. God came looking for us. W do not follow a set of instructions to heaven. We must b escorted to the gate by Jesus Himself. Go to church, Read your Bible, Pray daily. Don’t drink. Don’t curse. Be nice to your mother. We do all this because we think it makes us good people, and that good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell. That’s not what Jesus says. Anyone, good or bad, can go to heaven, if they will just trust Him, and have a continuing relationship with Him. Jesus is the way to heaven. We love Jesus, hope in Jesus, and follow Jesus. We look for his guidance ever day. In ever situation we ask “what would Jesus do.” (Yes, I know it’s a cliché, but it still works.) Our lives are long roads that lead to heaven and to our reuniting with Jesus. As long as we keep our eyes on the Lord, we will get there. Jesus is the Truth for us. We recognize him as not just God’s son, but as God, he Son. He is God’s incarnation on earth, the living proof of his love. Jesus and God are one and the same, and when we trust in one, we also trust in the other. God cared so much for us, that he gave Himself in human form as a sacrifice for sin, that we can stand proudly before Him in heaven Jesus is Life for us. Day by day we live in he light, illuminated by the presence of our Lord and Savior from the moment our heads rise from the pillow in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night. Everything in between we live in the love of Jesus. Throughout the changes of this world, one thing remains the same—Jesus. We can lose our homes, lose our jobs, lose our families, even lose our freedom, but we cannot lose Jesus. That’s why we can in all things be content. Life is not about owning or experiencing, losing or keeping, but holding to what can never be lost, The rest does not matter, because Jesus is ours.

Who Do You Say That He Is?

Who is Jesus? This is the most important question you or I will ever ask. Everything hinges upon the answer. Most of us, I’m sure, would answer this question the way we’ve been trained to answer it. We would say that Jesus is God’s son. Not only this, but He is God the Son—the second person of the Trinity, which is to say He is really God. That is the only Christian answer. But why is it so important that we believe this? Why does anyone care who a man who lived two thousand years ago really was? Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator. If you believe Julius Caesar was the emperor of China, I probably would not even bother to correct you. It doesn’t matter to me whether he was Roman or Chinese. It makes no difference. But Jesus what we think of Jesus makes all the difference in the world. It is the central point of the Gospel. I remember a conversation I had with a friend back in high school. He said dthat Jesus never claimed to be God. Over the years, I have heard other people make the same comment. Where in the Bible does Jesus claim to be God? He claimed that he had read the Gospels and that nowhere in it did Jesus Himself clam to be God. Think about how devastating it is to the Christian en if He did not! If Jesus Himself did not believe He was God, why should we? We are not he first to ask this question, of course. It was reason for the fourth Gospel. When we read the first three Gospels, there is no strong statement that Jesus is God. There are some good reasons for this. Jesus did not say it often. When He did, he couched it in terms that could be ambiguous. He would say “You have said it.” Or else He would talk abou Himself in the third person—“The Son of Man has some.” “Son of man,” “Christ,” Son of the living God” are all appellations that mean God, of course, but there is some room another interpretation, because of His enemies. The first three Gospels are very similar. Matthew and Luke borrowed a great deal from Mark, and they have much the same structure. But John was written later--at a time when those who had witnessed the ministry of Jesus had mostly died. Only John was left out of the original Twelve. He wrote to set the record straight. What was implicit in the other three becomes explicit in John. But even though the first three Gospels do not say it explicitly, we know that they believed it. It is critically important to Matthew, Mark, and Luke who Jesus was. Take Mark, for example. It was probably the first Gospel to be written. Peter’s confession of Christ is the hinge of the whole book. Until Mark 8, Jesus’ ministry is mainly to the crowds. After Mark 8, Jesus turns his attention to preparing the disciples. Peter understanding who He was changes the direction of His ministry. It happened like this. Jesus and His disciples had been hard at work. It was time for them to take a vacation. Like many of us, He headed for the mountains. The place they retreated to is called Mt Hermon. It towers over the landscape for miles around it. Mt. Hermon is very important, because it is the source of Israel’s drinking water. It is always covered with snow. As it melts in the summer, it runs off into the sea of Galilee, and from there to the Dead Sea. Around the base of the mountain is place of great beauty. Waterfalls and rapids run over ancient black rocks. Flowers and greenery grow almost all the time. It was there that Jesus’ disciples went to rest and pray. While they are there admiring the view, Jesus judged it would be a good time to ask them “the question.” “Who do you say that I am?” That’s all that Mark says about it. But Matthew and Luke add a bit more. First he asked “who do people say that I am?” In response, they came up with some ridiculous answers. Some thought He was Elijah, others Jeremiah, and some John the Baptist. The disciples are avoiding the most important question. So Jesus asked them “who do you say that I am.” Sometimes, a simple declaration can make all the difference in the world. “I love you.” “I am leaving.” “I quit.” All these can be said in the heat of passion, but they have repercussions for years to come. The disciples’ very lives will depend upon how they answer this question, and they knew it. What if thy said He was just a man? In time, they would have to leave the group. They could not stay if they did not believe in the one they followed. What if they said he was the Son of God?” Then for their entire lives, they would be hunted, hounded, and haunted by those who disagreed. There would be no place on earth they would be safe, except among those who were fellow believers. Wives would leave them. Parents would disown them. Children would forsake them, all for this one little word. They all hung back, afraid to say what was on their heart. Finally, Peter broke the silence.” You are the Christ.” Now, Peter said more than that. Some versions of the Gospel of Mark include him saying “you are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Matthew and Luke said “you are the Christ of God.” Whatever his exact words, Peter became the first believer. It is curious that we do not have anything about how the other disciples responded. Some let Peter speak for them. Others were not sure who Jesus was even then. At least one disciple did not believe at all. Why didn’t the Gospel writers include the confessions, or lack of confessions? Because they did not matter. There are only two people whose confession really matters. The first person is Peter. At the moment Peter spoke, the church began. There was someone out there who believed his message. It was there that Jesus called Simon Peter for the first time. He said, “upon this Rock (Peter) I will build my church. So when Peter made the first profession of faith, he became the first official member of Jesus’ church. Because of Peter, there is a church on earth. Then there was another one whose confession mattered. Let’s talk about that confession later. Consider what Peter actually said. “You are the Christ of God.” Calvin points out that this statement was not unknown to the ancient world. “Christ simply means, “the anointed one,” which was a title for a king. The believed kings were made by the hand of God. The same might be said by other people of Herod or Caesar. Peter may have understood that He was addressing God, the Son, or he may not. He certainly thought he was addressing the Messiah of the Jews. The Messiah was the only hope of salvation that the Jewish community had. To him he was the messiah, and that was enough. Which would have been the better confession—to call him King, or to call him God? At first, it would seem that the latter would be the most important. But I am not convinced that this is the case when Peter spoke it. Many people today believe Jesus is God but do not take Him as king. It is possible to acknowledge Jesus as God without claiming Him as our King. The Devil does it all the time. He knows he is God--and trembles. What if we take Him as King and not as God? In that case, we may be assured that one day we will call him God. Jesus claimed to be God, as we will see in the following weeks. If we believe and follow Him we must eventually accept His divinity. But what if we accept Him as God, but not king? Many people do. Sure, He is king of Sunday. But is He of Monday? Sure He rules our religious life. But does He rule all life? Have we given Him our eyes, our hands, our feet, our mouths, our tongues, and our bellies? Or have we withheld from Him key portions of our lives in order to run them as we wish? Which brings us to the second person who’s confession matters. You. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God? The eleven disciples looked on as Peter declared Jesus Christ. They may even have agreed with Peter. But it didn’t matter until they said it themselves. Knowing that He is God is not enough. We must take Him and our Lord and king. Suppose we go to a wedding. We hear the bride say “I do.” We hear it, and believer she is now a married woman. Nevertheless, this does not change our lives, unless we are the groom. It really doesn’t matter to the groom either, unless he confess his commitment o her. Suppose we have strong opinions about politics. We can fuss and fume all we want about it, but it won’t make any difference, unless we are willing to express ourselves in the ballot box. Suppose we witness a crime being committed. We can believe a criminal to be guilty, but our belief does not matter, unless we are willing to swear to it. Suppose we are patriotic, and believe men should muster with the army. Who cares what you believe, unless you are willing to defend it. We could go on and on. Belief without commitment is meaningless. Millions believe that Jesus is God. But where are they when it counts? When the call goes up, do they come down? We must join our voices to Peter’s voice. We must confess for ourselves that He is Christ, the son of the Living God. Not just God, but king as well. We must acknowledge Him to be our king. Jesus is calling us, as he called His disciples to commit themselves to learning, following, and serving. What do you say? Who is Christ to you? You must decide.

Whose the Leader?

Remember the old game “Simon says”? Everyone plays it as children, but few play it later. You can tell the moment we go from playing Simon Says and not playing it. It’s the moment we start asking, “Who is Simon, and why should we do what he says?” As children, we are taught to respect authority. Then we discover it can be dangerous to blindly follow someone who sounds authoritarian.. Sounding right doesn’t make you right, and whenever somebody says “trust me.” we have every right to be suspicious. People had this same suspicion of Jesus. He claimed he was the Son of God. So how could Jesus claim this and expect people to believe Him? Today, the rest of the world is asking this about us. The scientific world questions our faith. They live by a creed that says nothing is true unless it can be quantified and tested. Scientists believe there is no truth without science to back it up. Politicians define truth by polls. If the majority believes it, it must be true. Lawyers define it by legality. If something is not written, then it cannot be true. Religious leaders define truth by creeds and confessions. The Reformation broke away from the Catholic church by denying the authority of a thousand years of papal pronouncement. Then there’s tradition--if we heard it as a kid, it must be true. The final answer to every argument is “That’s not the way I learned it.” Against so many different authorities, Jesus asserts His authority. He claims to be above all human authority and cannot be proven by any of them. Instead, He asks you to accept on faith--the most fragile of all proofs--and let him prove Himself.. The Gospel of John is full of places where Jesus asserts his authority. But the longest and boldest passage is John 8:12-59. where Jesus argues with the Pharisees When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid." Jesus boldly asserts that He is the light of the world, and the giver of eternal life. The Pharisees went by the Law which said. “By the witness of two or three people is a testimony to be confirmed.” You cannot be his own character witness. Where are the other witness? Can Jesus call up even one other witness, to say that He is the light of the world? Therefore, His testimony is not valid. From a human standpoint, it makes sense. The skeptics make this same point today. Where is the hard evidence, the scientific proof that Jesus is the Messiah? By scientific evidence, they mean evidence that can be quantified and measured by scientific standards. Where’s the cross? Where’s the empty tomb? Where are the photographs? of Jesus coming out of the tomb? Jesus offers no such proof. Instead, he makes another kind of appeal—to God Himself! Vs. 14-18 "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself. My other witness is the Father, who sent me." Jesus has no proof by human standards, but that does not mean what He says is untrue. Jesus’ greatest evidence of his divinity is the cross and empty tomb, and they haven’t happened yet. Sometimes, evidence is not available. Times like that require faith. Philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote a book called The Critique of Pure Reason. Using rigorous standards He proved there is very little we can know. By pure reason we cannot know whether or not there is a God, whether morality exists, or even whether we exist. Then he wrote another book called The Crifizue of Practical reason where he proved we cannot function purely on reason. Judging the methods what we use every day, he showed that God exists, morality exists, God exists, and we exist.. We cannot prove by pure reason that the Jesus is God. But then we can’t prove a great many things. We believe because it is the only practical thing to believe. Can we prove love exists, or beauty? It is not logical to fight a war, but if we don’t fight to defend ourselves, we will all die. What I cannot prove I take on faith. The irony is that the religious leaders who were arguing with him also wanted to be taken on faith. They wanted people to believe in their version of Judaism. When two people who must be taken by faith square off against each other, then the contest between them is a little like playing poke. Which one do we believe has the real goods? Jesus continued upped the ante, in vs. 19-20 Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." . . . Faith is a form of madness. It asks us to take leave of our senses, and embrace the irrational over the rational. In fact, the only thing madder than having faith is not having faith. If we do only what is certain, we will make no progress. Madness is doing the same thing over and over, in spite of getting no results. Like washing out hands to remove guilt, and getting no relief. The Pharisees had been saying to the people for years they should have faith in the law, yet it produced no happiness or joy. When we live without faith, we continually seek for relief from despair, but get none. There is a way to find eternal life, but it requires more than knowledge. It requires faith in Jesus. He is the only basis for a life that makes sense. What would an airplane trip be without faith? If we didn’t think the plane would make it, would we ever get on board? Why would we buy anything on e-bay or from a catalogue without hope? If we didn’t think we would get the product, would we pay the money? There is no rational basis for believing, yet we believe. So it is with God. We need faith to reach out to Him and faith to continue with Him. Faith may sometimes fly in the face of reason,. But without faith, there is no hope of rewards. In the face of justifiable skepticism, Jesus says “trust me. And trust My Father also” St. Augustine once said that we do not understand in order to believe. We believe in order to understand. Without belief ad trust, there an be no understanding. Jesus is playing poker with the Pharisees. He is not showing them his cards, but he ups the ante again in vs 23-28. Is he bluffing? "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. . . . if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins." "Who are you?" they asked. "Just what I have been claiming all along,". . . "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” Instead of backing down and trying to prove, Jesus made larger claims. Now he says that if they do not believe, they will die in their sins. Furthermore, he claims, that when they lift Him up, they will know he is right. They had no idea what He was talking about, but he was talking about the cross and His resurrection. There is a story about a philosopher who once appeared before the emperor Napoleon. He claimed to have invented a new religious that could become the basis for Napoleon’s new empire. Napoleon smiled and him and said that it sounded good. In order to get the religion started he would order his guards to take him out and shoot him. When he rose from the dead, his new religion should begin. On the cross, Jesus will show whose bluffing. The resurrection of Jesus is the only proof that made sense to prove He was of God. In verses 30-46 Jesus calls the Pharisees bluff. Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" . . . "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." The authority of the Pharisees was based on the premise that they were the true followers of Abraham. But Jesus tells them they are doing what Abraham did, so how can they be followers of Abraham, Their real “father” or rabbi is Satan, who they follow truly. But if they follow Him, they will be set free by the truth He teaches. The Pharisees answer with sputtering and inconclusive argument. In verse 48, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" Jesus just continues to raise the stakes in verses 49-51 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!” The Pharisees sputtered in verse “Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham?. . . Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied in verse 56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." The Pharisees answered in vs. 57"You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!" 58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Jesus lays his cards out on the table. I Am is the literal translation of YAHWEH, the name of God. Jesus claims to be God. How can Jesus prove that? He can’t by words. He can only prove it by actions. How can we prove this to the world. We can’t. But by believing, He can prove it. When we treat Jesus as if He were God, and honor Him as God, then he an prove that he is God. The cross is one way he proved that. Today He continues to prove He is god by every answered prayer, every miracle, every gift of strength and endurance. What is the greatest witness to Jesus we can give to this world. We witness by words, to be sure. But there is no reason for a person who is one of us already to believe our words. We must witness by deeds of strength, love, and power. It is in the doing that Jesus proves Himself, not in the saying. Do you believe Jesus is God? Then treat Him as if He were God. Obey Him. Honor him. Praise him. An most of all follow him. When we follow the leader, other will want to follow