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I was talking with a friend who told me he keeps praying, "God, what do you want me to do with my life?" He said, "I'm still looking for God's answer." I wanted to give him something better than a bumper sticker answer.
John 14:1-14
"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going." "Lord," Thomas said, "we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." "Lord," said Philip, "show us the Father, and that's enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. "Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
After being betrayed by Judas, Jesus knows he's headed to the cross. His soul is troubled. If only his disciples could comfort him. Seeing their frightened faces in the flickering lamplight, he offered them peace. From their perspective, death is a permanent departure. But the cross, the burial, the resurrection, and the return to the Father are how the rooms get ready. What appears to be his absence is the eternal guarantee of his presence. Thomas already rallied the disciples to follow Jesus to Bethany, saying, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Jesus just told Peter that he will deny him. So, Thomas raises his hand. "I'll follow you if you will tell me where to go." But instead of giving him a map, Jesus tells Thomas he needs to know the Father. So, Philip makes his request: "Show us the Father, then. If that's what we need, then that's what we want." His request echoes Moses' prayer to see God's glory on the mountain. If Jesus will show him God, he's ready to worship. At this final meal, two more disciples are missing the point in two more ways. Thomas is locked into the physicality of Jesus' departure. Philip is looking at Jesus' face and not seeing how he reveals the glory of God. Jesus answers Thomas with his famous declaration, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He's saying, "You don't need an address. You need me." He asks Philip a question, "After all this time, don't you know me?" He's saying, "You don't need a theophany. You need me." How many times have I prayed, 'God, reveal yourself to me!'? I've closed my eyes in my office and waited for something to shift in the room. I've opened them to see the same cream-colored walls. When I'm distracted by the search for God, I miss out on the opportunity to live with God. Jesus did his works for a few years, and then he departed. Yet because he left to be with the Father, now he is with us. It's not about going somewhere, but being with Jesus wherever he leads us. In his presence, we will do greater things in his name than he did. Thomas wanted to go with Jesus. Jesus left, returned, and sent him. Philip wanted to see God's glory. After the cross and the empty tomb, he did.
Judas betrays, Peter overcommits, Thomas wants a specific destination, and Philip wants a vision. Which response to Jesus do you see in yourself?
"I am the way, the truth, and the life" is often quoted out of context. What difference does it make that Jesus said this to a disciple who was scared that Jesus was leaving him?
Where are you waiting for God to give you directions or show you something spectacular before you'll take action?
Ask a friend, "Are you more like Thomas, waiting for a map, or like Philip, waiting for a sign? What if Jesus was the answer to your search for purpose?"
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