This is the way
by Libby Krahling
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Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1).
Read John 14:1–14
It’s the Last Supper. Jesus has just made it clear that he will be put to death very soon, and the disciples won’t see him for a while. One of them will betray Jesus, and one will deny he even knows him. It’s a lot to take in.
Now Jesus tells them, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me’ (verse 1). He reassures them that while he will die, he is going before them to heaven to prepare a place for them. They might not understand what he is saying now (and they clearly don’t), but what they need to remember is that anyone who knows Jesus knows God. God will welcome them into his kingdom because they know Jesus.
The disciples struggle to understand everything Jesus is telling them. Thomas wants to know how to get to this big palace in the sky. Jesus explains that he, Jesus, is the way, the truth and the life and that anyone who wants to get to the Father needs to go through him. They still don’t get it. Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Again, Jesus explains that he is God, and he has been with them the whole time. If they know Jesus, they already know the Father.
I imagine the disciples’ heads are about to explode at this point. In verse 11, Jesus says, ‘Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves.’ In other words, if this is too much for you to comprehend right now, look at what I’ve done – all the miracles, the healings, the fulfilment of prophecies.
As people living on this side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we might be tempted to scoff at the disciples’ lack of comprehension. We know that Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that the Father no longer counts our failings against us. Through faith in Christ, we have eternal life and can know God as our loving Father.
How often, though, do we live even more cluelessly than those disciples? They at least asked Jesus to explain and sought to understand his words. They may not have understood the big picture, but they did trust Jesus, even in the midst of their confusion. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death or feel lost in the desert, may we remember that we know Jesus, too. Even if we don’t understand what’s happening in our lives or our world right now, we know the most important thing – Christ Jesus and him crucified. If you are overwhelmed and struggling with doubt, fix your eyes on what Jesus has already shown you. One step after the next, keep walking the path. Through it all, Jesus will show you the way.
Lord Jesus, forgive us when we forget who you are and trust in our own strength and reason. Help us to walk in your way, knowing your truth and bathed in your light. Amen.
Libby Krahling and her husband Phil are members of St Petri Lutheran Church, Nuriootpa, in South Australia. They have two adult sons. Libby runs the Worship Planning Page, organises the Daily Devotions, and this year is currently working on the Worship and Devotional Life in Lutheran Schools and Early Childhood Services project for Lutheran Education Australia. In her spare time, Libby loves to cook, read and paint.
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