John 14: 6-14 & 1 Peter 2: 4-10
Roger Lynn
June 19, 2016
(click here for the audio for this sermon)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to God except through me.” (John 14:6) At first glance this seems both clear and powerful – a path to God. And then upon closer examination questions begin to surface – concerns start to cloud the matter. What does it mean to say that “no one comes to God except through me”? This particular passage in John’s Gospel has been weighed down with centuries of interpretive baggage which seems to make “I believe in Jesus” the only acceptable password that will get us past the front gates of heaven. In the wrong hands it has even led some to violently impose their brand of “faith” on others.
But I’m convinced that it does not have to mean this at all. To begin with, it’s important to remember that all of the Gospels, and particularly John, are really theological rather than biographical in nature. This means that John is using the story of Jesus to present an understanding of who God is and what it means to be in relationship with God. Thus “I am the way...” is about the path to God which is represented by the whole of Jesus’ life and teaching. It’s about what Jesus stands for – loving enemies, washing feet, accepting the outcasts, healing and wholeness, and all the other qualities we see revealed in the picture of Jesus which John paints for us. That is how we recognize God’s presence, John is telling us. And what happens when we come to know God in this way is that we begin to take on those qualities in our own living. “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do...” (John 14:12) Even the part about asking for things “in my name” isn’t about using the name “Jesus” as a kind of magical incantation that will insure our prayers get answered. In the ancient world names were understood to represent the essence of something – the true character of that which is named. So to pray “in Jesus’ name” is to pray with the same character, the same quality of living, which we find revealed in Jesus. In short, we are called to follow the path of faith to which Jesus points us with the whole of his life. It is no accident that from the earliest days of the Church the community of those who are seeking to follow this new way of life are referred to as “the body of Christ.” We are literally called to be Christ in the world.
Admittedly that seems like a rather tall order. OK, “completely out of reach” might be a more accurate way of putting it. And that would be true if we had to do it on our own and by ourselves. But we’re not. Such a vision can only be transformed into reality when we remember that we are, in fact, not on our own and we are not by ourselves. God is with us and we are with each other. The writer of 1st Peter put it this way, “...and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood...” (1 Peter 2:5) By ourselves we are just one rock, sitting in the dirt. But in the hands of the Master Builder, and in the company of other rocks, we become something far greater than the sum of the parts – we become a powerful force in the world for sharing the transforming Good News that God is with us right here and right now, working to restore us to full, rich, abundant life. When we allow ourselves to be shaped by the creative working of God’s Spirit among us we find meaning and purpose and direction. Again in the words of 1st Peter, “...you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of the One who called you out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people...” (1 Peter 2:9-10) We are blessed so that we might become a blessing. We are called so that we might participate in the calling. By our living we can make a difference in the world. When we follow the path of Christ, loving those around us, welcoming the stranger, letting go of hate, opening ourselves to the God who is present in everyone we meet, then we become a house of living stone – a shelter where people can find peace and safety, and experience life with God.
It isn’t about conformity. It isn’t about sameness. It is about allowing our unique gifts to be brought together into the one house of living stone. I used to enjoy watching “Northern Exposure” – the TV show from the 80s that was set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska. In one of those episodes Dr. Fleishman’s beloved uncle died down in Florida. and Joel promised his aunt that he would say the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. According to tradition, this prayer requires the presence of ten Jewish men. And so the whole town sets out to help find nine more Jews so that Joel can say the prayer. This being Alaska the search spreads out over a lot of territory, but slowly they begin to have success – an engineer from the pipeline, an out of work lumberjack, even a native Alaskan who had converted. But then Joel comes to realize that it isn’t what he wants. He doesn’t really know any of these people. The original point of the requirement was so that a person in grief would have the support of their community. He didn’t have a connection with any of these people. The thought of saying a deeply personal prayer for his beloved uncle in front of strangers left him feeling empty. So in the end he gathers in the local church with residents of the town – his community. It didn’t matter to him that they weren’t Jewish. What mattered was that they were there with him and for him. He stands in front and invites them to pray in their own ways, perhaps remembering someone they love and care about, while he recites the Kaddish in Hebrew. The scene which followed brought tears to my eyes. Shelly expressed her Catholic upbringing by crossing herself. Ruthanne held hands with the people next to her. Chris and Bernard stood up out of respect. Maurice folded his hands and bowed his head. Someone raised their hands. A native woman in the back moved her hands in circles in the tradition of her people. Another woman could be seen mouthing the words to some traditional prayer. None of them prayed in the same way. And all of them were there together – a house of living stone, God’s own people.
Back to John’s Gospel. “No one comes to God except through me.” If we are called to be “the body of Christ” then this statement becomes a powerful and exciting challenge for us because we are literally a part of the “me” to which Jesus refers. What might it mean if we understood this passage to be speaking directly to each of us, and to all of us together? God is always and forever seeking to restore the world to wholeness, and we can be a part of that process. People will see God revealed in our living. It won’t happen by trying to be the same. It will happen when we dare to share the unique gift of ourselves as together we live into our common heritage as God’s own people. It will happen when we begin to look around us, right here in our own community, and discover those needs which are crying out for the healing balm of our unique gifts. How can we, with our words and our actions and our living, proclaim to the world that everyone is included in God’s all-inclusive house of living stone? Let the construction begin.
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