John 14:15-29[1]
We live in a world that is more interconnected
than ever before in history, and yet those who study our life in this world
tell us that loneliness has become an epidemic. We can know what’s happening on
the other side of the world instantly, and yet we have no idea what’s going on
in the lives of our friends and neighbors. There is so much about the way our
society functions that seems to isolate us from one another. Our superficial
“connections” on social
media only make matters worse. When we see the pictures our Facebook “friends”
post of their “perfect” families, it can leave us feeling left out and
abandoned.
One of the challenges
we have with all this is that we all have expectations about how we thought our
life was going to go. And when that doesn’t happen, we have a hard time letting
those expectations go and finding the good things in our lives just the way
they are here and now. Another challenge is that what we tell ourselves about
our lives makes a huge difference in how we experience it. When we tell
ourselves enough times that we’re a square peg trying to fit into a round hole
and just never quite fitting in, we’re going to believe it. And what we believe
about our lives tends to wind up being our “truth.” When we tell ourselves
we’re left out and abandoned, we’re going to feel lonely.
This relates to our
Gospel lesson for today because Jesus was preparing his disciples for the fact
that very soon he was no longer going to be with them, at least in the physical
sense of the word. He knew that his “hour” was at hand, and that he would be
fulfilling the will of his Father that he “lay down his life” for his friends,
and for us all. This whole section of John’s Gospel addresses that. From
chapter to 13 to chapter 17, Jesus was preparing them for the crisis they would
be facing as he went through the cross, the resurrection, and his ascension to
the right hand of the Father.
Just a quick overview
of their dialogues with Jesus in these chapters makes it clear that the
disciples were confused by what Jesus was telling them. They expected the
Messiah to come and take his place on David’s throne, not die on a cross and
return to the Father who had sent him. More than that, his talk of “going”
where they could not follow troubled them. We see that in Peter’s interaction
with Jesus, asking why he couldn’t follow him (Jn 13:37). We see it in Thomas’
question, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?”
(Jn 14:5). And we see it when “some of his disciples” wondered among themselves,
“What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see
me,’ … and ‘I am going to the Father’?” (Jn 16:17).
In response to their
uneasiness about all of this, Jesus sought to reassure them that they would not
be left to carry on alone. In the first place, he told them that “Those who
love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them
and make our home with them” (Jn 14:23). This probably sounds strange to our
ears, because we’re used to St. Paul telling us that we’re saved by faith, not
by what we do. But in John’s Gospel, true faith is defined as “loving” Jesus by
“keeping his word.” It’s a matter of following Jesus’ example of loving the
Father and fulfilling the Father’s will for his life. In John’s Gospel, those
who respond to Jesus in faith will also follow his pattern of carrying out
God’s purpose in their lives.
We shouldn’t get hung
up on this and miss out on the promise here: Jesus promises his disciples that
“my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them”
(Jn 14:23). This is one of the major themes in John’s Gospel. Those who “love”
Jesus will follow his example of loving obedience to the Father. They will
“keep his word,” not in order to be loved, but because they have encountered
the love of Christ. And Jesus promises that those who follow his example of
loving God by obeying him will be enfolded into the relationship of love that
Jesus and the Father share. Far from being abandoned, Jesus’ departure makes it
possible for them to share the same relationship with God that Jesus did!
Jesus also promised
his disciples that they would not be left abandoned because the Father would
send them the Holy Spirit, who is called the “Advocate” here (Jn 14:26). I
think perhaps a better translation would be “Helper” or “Encourager.” Jesus
promises that the Spirit would “remind” them of all that he had taught them.
Later, Jesus says that the Spirit would “guide” them into “all truth” (Jn
16:13). Again, I think the point of this is to assure the disciples that Jesus’
departure would not mean that they were abandoned and left on their own to
carry on. Rather the Spirit would be right there with them, every step of the
way, encouraging them and empowering them to remain faithful and true.
I believe these
promises also hold a great deal of assurance for us. No matter how lonely we
may feel, no matter how much we may think we are “misfits,” we are not left
alone in our efforts to follow Christ and to carry out his work in our world.
Just like Jesus’ first disciples, we too share in the relationship of love that
Jesus and the Father have shared for all eternity. And no less than those first
disciples, we too have the constant presence of the Spirit to guide us, to
encourage us, and to empower us in our efforts to serve Christ. No matter how
we may feel, we are never abandoned.
[1] ©
2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm Ph. D. on 5/22/2022 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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