The road to God 

John 14:1-14

¹ “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”

⁵ “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

⁹ Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. ¹¹ Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

¹² “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

In this current era of technology we can gain so much knowledge without relationship. If we want to know how to cook pasta, we can look up a recipe online rather than learning from an Italian Nonna (though after watching Andrew’s Nonna make pasta I can safely say that there are things that go in pasta that Italian Nonnas have never written down!). If we want to know about an event in recent history, we can google it rather than sitting with someone who lived it. If you’re lost, you can pull out a smart phone and check where you are rather than asking a stranger.

But when it comes to God, Jesus says ‘I am the way’. He doesn’t point in a direction and say ‘follow that road’, he says he IS the road. The Way to God is through relationship only. The Way is a knowable person, God in human flesh, Jesus. How does this change things? It means that when we face a rocky valley, we aren’t just following a road map on our own, we’re facing it with Jesus alongside, helping us, cheering us on, even carrying us at times. It means when we hit a beautiful mountain skyline, we have someone to share it with, to wonder at it with. It means when we’re unsure what to do, which way to go, we can turn to Jesus and know HIM – and clarity will flow from there. 

Thank you, Jesus, that you are the knowable Way. The road to God is not a list of instructions or practices or a map that we need to follow. The road to God is a relationship with you Jesus. Help us to know you and be known by you. 

Written by Rhiannon Mellor