Throughout John’s Gospel there is never a doubt that Jesus is the true image of the Father. Jesus as the Incarnation of the LOGOS continually points his disciples to the father and offers them the promise of life eternal.
John devotes three full chapters to Jesus’ instructions to the disciples on the night of the Last Supper. There is also a fourth chapter where, as Jesus prays for the disciples, they receive yet further instruction from him.
Two of the lesser known of the disciples dominate the conversation with Jesus in this part of the Gospel. Thomas and Philip both challenge and question Jesus so that they might more fully understand his teaching.
They have followed him now for three years. They realize that the crowds have turned against Jesus and there is dissention even in their ranks. There have already been some attempts on Jesus’ life so they are understandably nervous about being in Jerusalem during the Passover.
During that time of high stress and uncertainty Jesus, realizing their anxiety, offers what are words of comfort to the disciples. Of course, like all the teaching of Jesus this one, too, comes with a challenge.
We wonder how the disciples after all of that time could still be uncertain about who Jesus is and what his life and mission were all about. Thomas and Philip Phillip stand in the presence of Jesus asking him some of the most probing questions which are placed to him: “Where are you going?” “Are we going with you”? “Who are you?” “Why do you not just show us the Father?”
These and many other questions must have occurred to them over a long period of time but now, at this critical moment in their lives together – just hours before he is to be arrested and put to death – these disciples pose those most crucial of questions to Jesus.
Jesus responds: “In my Father’s house there are many mansions;” “I am the way the truth and the life;” “whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” and “do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”
Yet, it seems that this does not completely alleviate their doubts. Just a few days Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus has appeared to the disciples as the Risen Lord.
We often struggle with the meaning of our faith and with these very questions. Sometimes faith seems too easy. Life is going along well and it appears that God has laid a primrose path down for us to walk. Then there are those times when it all seems to fall apart. The actions of our best intentions blow up on us. We are afflicted with suffering, illness, death, loss and pain. We see loved ones drift away from the church. The world seems to be in more turmoil than peace some 2000 years after Jesus spoke these words.
It is precisely in those moments when we need to abandon ourselves and to hand ourselves over to Jesus as he instructs.
We have seen God because we have seen Jesus. We know that in his house are many mansions. We know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It just isn’t always easy to live it. Yet, like Thomas and Philip, we must always strive for deeper understanding so that our faith can be enriched and that we might go where Jesus is leading us – with him to eternal life.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.