John 14

Pounding Sand

Posted on by Betsy

Growing up on the East Coast allowed me to experience the Atlantic Ocean from many vantage points. We were campers, and every summer weekend and the long awaited, blessed two-week vacation (cue the Doxology!) saw us hauling a trailer anywhere from Canada to Florida. But our favorite place was a small campground on the Indian River Bay in Delaware called Sandy Cove. My memories of those days are filled with laughter, sunlight, fresh seafood that we caught ourselves, and my mother.

Most days we piled into the car and drove a few short miles to the ocean. After settling in with umbrellas, chairs, blankets and towels, my mother and I would walk the beach, sometimes for miles. We camped with a group of families, and these private walks were a moment of respite for both of us. We explored, gathered seagull feathers and shells, tickled our toes in the cold water, but mostly we talked.

We planned my college days and my wedding on that beach. We dissected what was wrong with other members of the family … never US, just the rest of the gang. She taught me about life, love, and politics. Every walk was a history lesson as my brilliant mother put the world into context for me. Those moments with her are forever woven into my memory, my personality, and maybe even my DNA.

My mother is gone now. There is no more wisdom to glean, but the part of her that loved the beach and those precious mother-daughter times lives on in me.

Now, I walk with Jesus. I am daily reminded of his promise, “Do not let your heart be troubled, and neither let it be afraid. I will not leave you orphaned.” Losing my parents made me feel like an orphan, but Jesus reminds me that he is always present and has prepared a room for all of us. My parents are there, and Mom is waiting for me to come and pound the sands of heaven with her someday.

John 14 has beautiful words of assurance for all who wait. Jesus was speaking to his disciples, getting them ready for his death and departure. Of all that is precious in that chapter, this might just be my favorite part:

John 14 (New International Version)

“Peace I leave with you. MY peace I give to you, I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and neither let them be afraid.”

Where is Jesus speaking peace into your life today? Don’t be troubled. Jesus is here.

Walk With Me

I Am the Life

Posted on by Betsy

We finish our study of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse today as we focus on his statement, “I am the life.” We will read it in the Amplified Bible:

John 14 (Amplified Bible)

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe[confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.”

 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

I very much appreciate this translation’s use of “the [real} life.” What does “real life” mean to you? Are there different ways of living, and should we be seeking the real life that God offers? Is there a difference between earthly life and eternal life?

Consider this passage from John 17:  “This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent” (John 17:3). Notice that John says, “This IS,” not “this will be.” For John, eternal life was a quality of life lived in the here and now. Eternal life began with the advent of Christ’s birth on earth and continues to the very end of time. Jesus’ self-revelation of “I am the life” harkens back to the Lazarus story and claims God’s life-giving powers for Jesus. Thus it is Jesus who brings God’s gift of life to the world.

In the Greek language, there are several words used for life. One is “bios,” referring to “existence,” and another is “zoe,” referring to a special quality of life, a zestful life of hope and abundance that only Christ can bring. It is an eternal life that is in the present reality of living. Guess which Greek word Jesus used in this scripture? Zoe.

 Let me ask you this. Are you living a zoe life, or a bios life? Is your life a joyful expression of one who is living an exuberant life, or are you merely existing? 

 I think many of us live a bios life because we think that this is all there is. We hold earthly life so dear and precious that we forget that eternity is a lot longer than the average 83.5 years of life on earth that you get. If you think about it, earthly life is just a blink of an eye compared to living forever, yet we let so many things defeat us every day: sin, selfishness, petty jealousies, habits we can’t seem to break, addictive behaviors, social media nonsense, gossip, bitterness, arguing, needing to be right all the time, needing to control everything …. there is no zoe in that, just mere existence.

 Friends, Jesus died on the cross so that you could have Zoe here and now. In John 10:10, he stated that he has come so that you may have zoe and have zoe abundantly. He died on the cross so that you could have zoe for eternity. One life blended into the other, with just a thin veil separating the two. Praise God!

Waters of Life by Hannah Cornish

I Am the Truth

Posted on by Betsy


Today’s Scripture is a continuation of our study this week of Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse,” which runs through John 16:33. Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension were imminent, and he explained the significance of the events that were about to unfold and tried to direct his disciples to the life they would soon be living without him. If the first verses of John 14 sounds familiar to you, it is because they come from one of the preferred readings in our United Methodist funeral liturgy. If you’ve been to funerals in your church, you most likely have heard this passage read.

In a very real sense, Jesus was preaching his own funeral.

John 14 (The Message)

1-4 “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

5 Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

We struggle today with finding and knowing the truth about many things. Biased news reporting, social media substituting for “truth,” bent politicians who habitually lie to keep their power … what is truth, and where can we find it? John would point us back to the only absolute truth, which happened when the Father was revealed in the Son. It is an everlasting truth, and the only truth we can count on.

The epiphany Jesus hoped to reveal in that moment was that he was the incarnate God, the Word of God made flesh, and in him all truth could be known. The word “truth” in this passage is taken from the Hebrew understanding of truth, which implies an intentional commitment and connection to God’s righteousness and the absolute guarantee of God’s promises. God’s steadfast love was fulfilled in Jesus on the cross, where the truth of God’s plan of salvation was finally revealed. Thus nobody gets to the Father without Jesus, as it took knowing the son to understand the father.

The mystery of the incarnation confused the disciples and may be confusing to us as well. We can see by Thomas and Philip’s questions that the truth of Jesus’ relationship with his father was still troublesome. John 3:16 assures us that God loved the world so much that God sent his only son. But in the moment of standing in front of this man named Jesus who had been their friend and had led them for three years, the disciples still couldn’t receive or process the truth.

So Jesus asked them simply to trust him. To trust what they could not see; to trust what they could not know; to trust what they could not understand. God-made-flesh is a beautiful mystery that requires faith and an unencumbered belief, because seeing it is not possible. Perhaps that is the best kind of epiphany: One we see with our heart, not our eyes.
Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father? Do you trust him with all your heart?

God’s Beauty by Michelle Robertson

I Am the Way

Posted on by Betsy

This week we are going to study Jesus’ Farewell Discourse from John 14. As we move though Lent to Easter, we want to be focused on Jesus’ last weeks, activities, and words. Today we will consider what Jesus meant when he told his disciples that he was “the way” to the Father:

John 14 (Common English Bible)

14 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”

5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

  Jesus is the way to the Father just as surely as the front door is the way into the house. Because of that one, single, profound action of taking the sins of the world upon himself, Jesus is the only way. Without that moment, our sins would never be forgiven. In its essence, sin is separation from God. Without Jesus, there is no entryway of repentance/forgiveness/grace. All who believe in him will be saved.

We can see in this passage that even toward the end of his ministry, Jesus still struggled with his disciples for understanding and acceptance. He was not the Messiah they had been looking for, and so they still were unsure about exactly who Jesus was. The mystery of the incarnation was still confusing to them. How could Jesus really be the Son of God?

The disciples didn’t yet know the end of the story, but we do. We see all the promises of God, the foretelling of the prophets, and the works of Jesus himself come together in this passage and we know without a doubt that Jesus made good on his word. He returned to the Father to get the house ready for our arrival. And because he lives, we shall live also.

We can glean a deeper meaning from “way” by studying John’s use of the word “hodos.” Hodos is more than just finding a route to a location, but rather a way of living that leads to eternity. In the Psalms, the word “way” is used as a metaphor to describe a life lived in accordance to doing the will and desire of God. Thus the “way” describes a person of faith’s connection to God.1 Jesus is not just the path, but the lifestyle that must be adopted in order to reach the Father. Jesus’ proclamation that he is going before us to prepare things is a direct invitation to follow him in all of his “ways” by following his teachings and example.

In John 15, Jesus makes the way crystal clear: “This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you” (John 15:12). When we love each other in the way that Jesus loves us, we know our feet are on the right path.What is God asking you to do in order to follow his way? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there a task yet undone, or some loose end to tie up?

 I hope this brings you a moment of joy today. Even when things seem very dark in this world, knowing that Jesus is holding the front door of heaven open gives us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Jesus reminds us that he is in the Father and the Father is in him: This is the way. Is God asking you to prepare yourself for the home Jesus has prepared for you? Best get to it. You know the way.

The Way by Kathy Schumacher

The Way In

Posted on by Betsy

This summer was a wonderful time of family visits for me. Both daughters came to the Outer Banks for a week and we re-enacted their childhood vacations. We took their children to all of their favorite places: the Currituck lighthouse, the sound beach in Colington, the Jolly Roger restaurant, the aquarium on Roanoke Island, the Christmas Shop … I lived those days through the present lens of introducing my grandchildren to their mother’s favorite spots while looking through the lens of the past, remembering their mothers as little girls all those many summers ago. It was heaven. I pray that no matter where my grandchildren live when they grow up, they will always return to the Outer Banks and bring their own children.

As I prepared the house and their bedrooms for their visit, I was washed in the nostalgia of my time as a young mother. I still have the bedsheets and some of the furniture from my children’s rooms growing up, and making the beds and decorating the rooms for their visit brought me such joy.

John 14: 1-14

14 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”

Thinking of Jesus preparing our rooms for our trip to heaven is a glorious thought. I wonder if it brings him the same joy it brought me as I anticipated my family’s summer visit. Does he smooth out the comforters and carefully arrange the throw pillows? Is he humming while he vacuums?

One thing is for sure … I bet the Son of God knows how to fold a fitted sheet.

5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is the way to the Father just as surely as the front door is the way into the house. Because of that one, single, profound action of taking the sins of the world upon himself, Jesus is the only way. Without that moment on the cross, our sins would never be forgiven. In its essence, sin is separation from God. Without Jesus, there is no entryway of repentance/forgiveness/grace/faith. All who believe in him will be saved.

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. 12 I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. 14 When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.

We can see in this passage that even toward the end of his ministry, Jesus still struggled with his disciples for understanding and acceptance. He was not the Messiah they had been looking for, and so they still were unsure about exactly who Jesus was. The mystery of the incarnation was still confusing to them. How could Jesus really be the Son of God?

The disciples didn’t yet know the end of the story, but we do. We see all the promises of God, the foretelling of the prophets, and the works of Jesus himself come together in this passage and we know without a doubt that Jesus made good on his word. He returned to the Father to get the house ready for our arrival.

And because he lives, we shall live also.

I hope that brings you a moment of joy today. Even when things seem very dark in this world, knowing that Jesus is holding the front door of heaven wide open gives us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. What is God asking you to do before you go? Is there someone you need to forgive, a friend you need to witness to, a task yet undone, or a loose end to tie up? Best get to it. You know the way.

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow by Rena Farrelly

Truth

Posted on by Betsy

Truth. What an elusive word. Truth is very much on trial these days. The twisting and manipulating of facts to fit political agendas is so rampant that we don’t trust anything, and we question everything…as we should. What is the truth? Can we ever know anymore?

God’s word is the last remaining truth, and yet we see even scripture being used to forward agendas. Clever people can argue a scripture “both ways” in order to push a personal perspective. It happens at all levels of ecclesiastical structures, the government, and even from your local pulpit and Sunday School class.

I think we have forgotten that God has sent us an advocate who is the only one capable of speaking truth into a situation. The Holy Spirit, referred to as a Companion in this translation, was given to us by Jesus upon his departure from this earth so that we might know the truth. But notice how this passage starts:

John 14 (Common English Bible)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever. 17 This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be with you.

Jesus is making a direct connection between keeping the commandments and knowing the truth. The commandments are something else we have forgotten. In a world that doesn’t know or follow God’s rule of living, truth becomes muddled and unobtainable. And while the Ten Commandments still stand as foundational to our society and even our laws, let us not forget what Jesus said are the greatest ones:

Matthew 22 (New International Version)

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The TRUTH of the matter is, if we were to do just these two things, truth would be revealed. If we were actually capable of loving God with ALL our heart, soul, and mind, we would contain the truth within ourselves. Loving God with all our minds would mean there is no room for hate-talk, vitriol, prejudice, bias, or ostracizing the “other.” The truth would render us incapable of doing and saying much of what we do and say today. The truth would enable us to truly love our neighbor, and in so loving, all political and personal agendas would cease.

Notice how Jesus refers again to keeping the commandments:

John 14 continued…

18 “I won’t leave you as orphans. I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Want to know the truth? Try being the truth. Try filtering all of your thinking through the commandments. And where your thinking doesn’t measure up to loving God and loving what he loves, change your mind. If your words and deeds don’t measure up to loving your neighbor, change your behavior. The Holy Spirit enables us to love as God loves. That’s the truth.

The Truth Will Set Us Free by Barbara Hudson

Reunion

Posted on by Betsy

This is the time of year when our thoughts naturally turn to summer plans. The month of May typically includes the winding down of the school year, and Memorial Day weekend signals the beginning of summer. Vacations, trips to the beach, watching the sun set, and traveling to family reunions are just some of the things we anticipate. Or did, before the pandemic.

This year there will not likely be a big family reunion at the Haas farm outside of Pittsburgh. Run by my third-removed cousin, the “other” Betsy Haas, this glorious location sits nestled among the hills and valleys of green fields and picturesque farmlands. Our family reunion is filled with story telling, (some of them are even true!) hugging, laughing, and most of all, EATING. Popular family recipes show up every year, and we get our annual fill of fresh-from-the-garden three-bean salad, Aunt Judy’s Lemon Lust, and hot buffalo chicken dip on salty Fritos. It is a gastronomic delight. Hay rides and blueberry picking round out the day, and we delight in the company of family.

It always makes me think that heaven must be exactly like that. A big family reunion, a warm summer day, lots of feasting at the heavenly banquet, and seeing people we love from whom we are separated by distance and time.

John 14 is a common funeral text, and it references the place we will go upon our death as a family reunion of sorts. The dwelling place that God has prepared for us has enough room for the entire clan:

John 14:1-14

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

In the midst of reminding his disciples that they already know the way to their heavenly reunion when their time comes, Jesus clarifies that the host is his Father, who is the one who sent Jesus to show them the way:

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Coming home at the end of our lives will be a reunion with the Father and the Son, and all of our loved ones. This is why Jesus begins with “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus will come and take us to a homestead that he has prepared for us himself. No matter what trouble the world gives, these things are guaranteed: a heavenly family reunion, a feast of good things, and the comfort of a home made ready by the Lord himself.

I wonder if there will be Lemon Lust??

Maybe Next Summer by Tim Neal