Today we will be reading from John 14:1-7:

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.”

Today’s passage is probably the passage that I have preached from the most in my ministry. This is one of the main readings that is used in a funeral. I’ve probably used this passage in some form in every funeral I’ve done for the last decade. It’s a powerful text, it’s an important text, and it’s one that means a lot to me, as well as all of us. 

Jesus shares this with His disciples as He is preparing to go to the cross.  He will be leaving them soon. He knows that the time, pre-Pentacost, will be very difficult for them.  He knows they won’t understand.  They won’t get it.  It’s going to be hard. 

He needs them to trust.  

You know me.  Would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you if I did not intend to do it?  Believe.  Trust.  Hope. Where I am going, you will go also.  

Where?  We don’t know the way.  I am the way, the truth, and life. I alone am the way to the Father.  They don’t know the way. But they do know THE way.   They need to trust when they do not understand. 

That’s a good word for us today.  We need to trust when we do not understand. We may not know the exact way.  We may not know how everything will happen and how it will all go. We may not know all things. 

But we know Jesus. And if we know Jesus, we can trust Jesus. He is going before us into whatever uncertainty we face. Into whatever trials, worries, concerns, doubts, fears, and life we face.  We can trust.  Even if we do not know, we can trust.  

Believe in God, believe also in me.  

Do you trust Jesus today?  Even if the way is hard, we can trust. Because He is good. And He goes before us, walks beside us, and is with us. Always.  

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