Friday 4th Week of Easter A2026

Gospel

John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

Jesus had just told them he was leaving soon and Peter was asking him to take him with him. In response Jesus had told Peter he would in fact deny him.

 

So now he is assuring them they will go where he is going later and it seems they do not understand at all. I suspect they were shocked that he was leaving and couldn’t imagine Jesus not being with them.  They must have felt they weren’t ready to go forth alone yet. They weren’t ready to lose his presence in their life. His friendship and his explaining when there was so much more they had to know.

 

It must have been an abrupt revelation. Judas had just left to set in motion the arrest of Jesus and it was Jesus and the eleven there alone. They seemed as lost as ever and confused and seemed to not understand what he was saying at all.

 

All they could think about was that he said he was leaving them. And while Jesus assures them they would be with him again, the mere thought of Jesus not being there clouds their minds and they struggle to understand as their unbelief kept coloring their thoughts and words.

 

How many times have we struggled to understand Jesus when we are facing a reality we did not expect.

We have surprises all the time and many are not welcome.  But sometimes change and loss ends up helping us grow closer to understanding and realizing Jesus never left them really.

 

And he doesn’t leave us. He is always with us. He is always beside us as a friend. But we too can struggle to understand his truth and his bigger picture of things.

Like the disciple we sometimes don’t want to leave our comfort zone. We don’t want to walk in faith through life challenges that require us to not have proof of the result only that we must focus on the will of God for us and do what he has told us.

When we follow Jesus we give up a lot of things in life, good things too, that aren’t what we need. If we follow him in faith he gives us what we need so we can find our way, his way, to be with him in heaven.

 

We must remember this when we face a path that looks uncomfortable to us, that challenges us to grow in faith. For those are the steps on the way to Jesus Christ.

 

His way is not always easy. And it requires us to grow and have discipline to keep to the path he set for us. It was hard for the disciples and the saints. It will be hard for you and me who are also called to be saints.

 

Keep to the path he set for us no matter the consequences. No matter how scary it can seem. For he waits for us on the other side.