Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Jesus Christ the way, the truth and life
John 14: 1- 7
v1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled..." 
 The Gospel of John focuses more on the persona of Jesus and his divinity more than the other Gospels, gives us a insight into the inner conversations that he had with his disciples. The conversation that we read in this passage between Jesus and his disciples took place in the Upper room where they observed the Passover; and Jesus knew that he was hours away from being arrested.
These disciples were fearful, and to some extent, they were fearful of their own lives. They knew what was going on in Jerusalem. They had heard Jesus predicting His own demise and just heard words of Jesus predicting the betrayal of one and the denial of another of those among the disciple band, and they were afraid. And Jesus says to them, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God” Now, this portion contains one of the most well known verses in the New Testament, which many of us use when we comfort the people who are going through bereavement.
When Jesus says “let not your hearts be troubled” he was adding a few reasons to that assurance:
  1. Believe in God; believe also in me: - the trust that we have in God should not wary in times of our trouble and our pains. When we know that we have an eternal unchanging God, we need to truly put our trust that he will be ever present with us.
  2. In my Father’s house are many rooms.. I go to prepare a place for you: Jesus then reminds the disciples that the God in whom they trust is not an abstract being but a loving Father who has a home prepared for us. The Home is a place where we all go to and we look forward to reach after a long journey.
  3. I will come again and I will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also – the third assurance that Jesus is giving his disciples, is his second coming again to take them and be in eternal communion with them.
  4. And you know the way to where I am going – Jesus reassures them that they know the way to Him since he had presumed that they were able to understand him as the Son of God who is the Messiah and the way of salvation to all humanity. Our ultimate destiny is in Christ himself.
However we see Thomas raising the doubt or question of  “how can we know the way?” in our despair situations we often raise the same question that Thomas had raised, since we are unable to understand why we go through terrible life situations and how we will ever overcome it. It is in this moment of despair that Jesus gives a profound assurance to Thomas “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.  Thomas A’Kempis, the author of the book, The Imitation of Christ, puts it this way, “Without the way, there is no going; and without the truth there is no knowing; and without the life there is no living.”
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus help us today to put our trust in you when we are anxious and troubled; and enable us to realise that it is only in you we will find our way, the truth we are seeking for and the life which we are longing for. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him.” (Tenney)

Rev. Thomas K. Mathew, Youth Chaplain - Philadelphia
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
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