Jesus, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?"26 Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast"; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out; and it was night.,John 13:21-30 (RSV)

It is interesting how the Holy Spirit causes the writers of the Bible to describe real events in such a way that there is an underlying deeper meaning.  It was literally night-time when Judas left.  But over and beyond that, the awful night of satanic opposition and activity was closing in on the Son of Man and His remaining disciples. Spiritual darkness was increasing and thickening.  

 

The story develops as Jesus tells Peter that he cannot follow where He, Jesus, is about to go.  36 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward."37 Peter said to him, "Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times. John 13:36-38 (RSV)  Put very simply Jesus tells Peter that in his immediate future Peter is going to go into a courtyard to warm himself by the fire and by the fireside he is going to betray Jesus. In contrast Peter is volunteering to lay down his life for Jesus.  Tradition tells us that he did not succeed in this ambition until he was an old man.  Legend has it that Peter insisted on being crucified upside down because he was not worthy to share exactly the same death as His Lord.  It took Peter the journey of his lifetime to get to the point where his faith and devotion and courage matched his desire in the upper room.  Reader how about you?  How do you measure up?  Are you all empty words?  Or do you mean what you say where the things of God are concerned?  I feel I am often too much like the younger Peter - saying things, but not seeing my promises to God through.

 

Jesus now senses that the Disciples are anxious and worried by what He has just said to them.  So He says, 1 "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

4 And you know the way where I am going."   John 14:1-4 (RSV) Put simply He says “Don’t worry.  I am going to Heaven to prepare a home for you to live in when you die.  When I have arranged for your home I will come and get you.  Then we can all be together for all Eternity.”   Then He says And you know the way where I am going.  If Judas’ exit got them worried, this statement certainly got them asking questions.  Let’s list the questions.  

 

5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"John 14:5 (RSV)

 

and

 

8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied."   John 14:8 (RSV)

 

On the one hand Thomas understands that Jesus is going on a journey and that he has invited all of them to follow on afterwards on the same journey.  On the other hand Philip wants to put an end to all uncertainty. He wants to see God with his physical eyes.  I once met a man many years ago who told me that if God would stand on the edge of the earth and wave His arms about for everyone on Earth to see he would believe in God.  But this man couldn’t, or wouldn’t, believe in things he couldn’t see.

 

Our latest poster is a re-design of a much earlier one. The earlier one features road signs but in this version a mountain range blocks the traveler’s path.  There is no obvious safe way through. In fact there is now through-route apparent at all.  A notice carries the simple direction “The Way”.  The notice casts a very feint shadow showing the way through.  

 

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. John 14:6 (RSV). The sentence starts with a play on words.  “I am,”  was the name that God gave Moses centuries before from the middle of the Burning Bush.  10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "But I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain." 13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"  Ex 3:10-14 (RSV) This name might seem strange to Western European ears. But Jesus was a man of the Middle East and he uttered seven great statements about Himself that began with the words I am.  “I am the Bread of Life”, “I am the Good Shepherd”,  “I am the door” and so on.  Each tells us about a ministry of Jesus but suggests powerfully that He is more than man, that he is the Son of God, that He is God the Son.  

 

In this particularI am statement He begins by saying that He is the Way.  The sense is of the unique way.   He has said that He is going away.  Thomas has said that he wants to follow on to where Jesus is going.  So it is natural that Jesus should say that His whole life, ministry and death is the way to God.  If sinful people want to know how to find God and how to come to God and how to please God the first thing we must realize is that Jesus is the Way. “Jesus does not merely show the way: He is himself the way.  It is true that he teaches the way….guides us in the way…..and has dedicated for us a new and living way (Hebrews chapter 10 verse 20); but all this is possible only because he is himself the way.”  (W Hendriksen – Commentary on John’s Gospel)  Hendriksen goes on to talk about the fact that Jesus doesn’t just talk about the Love of God but that, because Jesus is God, he himself is the Love of God.  This can be applied to all of God’s marvelous characteristics or attributes.  Patience, Holiness, Compassion and so on. Jesus in Himself is all these things.

 

Jesus also says that He is the Truth.  Man has long sought for the truth.  Various religions claim to have the truth.  Many philosophers have spent a lifetime seeking the truth. The word by Jesus is a noun that means "the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter" (Cremer).  But we must go on to notice that the Truth is not a system of teaching, philosophy or doctrine, but a living person.  Jesus makes truth known simply by being Jesus.  John starts his Gospel by telling us 18 No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.  John 1:18 (RSV)  Jesus answers Philip’s request "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." with a question 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who 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 in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. John 14:9-11 (RSV) If I want to know the Truth I need to study the life of Jesus.  

 

But more than that I need to get to know Jesus personally by receiving Him as Lord and Saviour.  Jesus did not stay in the Tomb.  The Father raised Him from the Dead.  Jesus is now in Heaven at the Father’s Right Hand.  If we pray to Him He will answer.  In fact Jesus made that very point for Philip’s benefit.  12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.   John 14:12-14 (RSV)  We are to embrace the Truth by faith not by scientific proof.  

 

Jesus concludes by saying that He is the Life.  He uses the word from which we get our word zoology.  Jesus is the absolute source of all life.  Without Jesus there can be no life at all.  He is the Life because he assisted the Father in the work of Creation.  The Living Bible tries to unravel the mystical beginning to John’s Gospel as follows  1,2 Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God.3 He created everything there is--nothing exists that he didn't make. 4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.  John 1:1-4 (Living Bible)

 

He is the source of life because He keeps this Universe moving.  Beneath the science of atom and cosmos is the active personal will of Christ.  Speaking of Jesus the writer to the Hebrews says - 3 He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe [as it moves] by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,   Heb 1:3 (RSV) Words in brackets denote the meaning of the Greek.

 

But more important than any of this Jesus is the source of spiritual and eternal life.  John’s Gospel abounds with verses about eternal life.  Perhaps the most exciting is 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.  John 10:10 (RSV) Our verse ends no one comes to the Father, but by me.  We could end this study by considering Jesus’ sanity in saying such a thing.  We could consider how this fits in with a multicultural, multi-faith society.  But if we did we would miss a vital point.  You and I need to come.  We need to come to the Father via Jesus.  Sin has separated us from God.  It has been often pointed out that on the Cross Jesus stretches out both hands.  We may take the view that with one hand He welcomes you and I.  With the other He reaches out to Father God.  For this reason he is called our Mediator.  He makes peace between God and man.  He invites you and I to come.

 

The penitent’s prayer is so important here. “Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me on the Cross.  Thank you for taking God’s punishment for all my sins, for all the wrong things I have done. I am sorry and want to turn from my sins.  Please help me.  Come into my heart. Come in today.  Come in to stay.  I invite you to be my Master, my Lord, my Saviour and my friend. Please wash me in your blood, give me a new life and the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen”  If you haven’t done so and you want to get right with God before please pause and pray the prayer above.  You need to really mean it.  If you have prayed please phone Jeff and tell him what you have done.

 

If you would like any help at all please phone Jeff or speak to a pastor or vicar at a Bible believing church. If you do not know where to find a bible believing church please email billturner@tiscali.co.uk

 

Bill Turner.  February 2008.