Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

March 13th, 2008

 

"Thursday of Passion Week, 2008"

Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6 NIV).

As we continue our preparatory studies in the week before our celebration of Passion Week and ultimately Easter Sunday, we come to the events of Thursday that week. This was a very busy day. Perhaps the most memorable event was the celebration of Jesus’ last Passover Meal with his disciples. We know it best as the Last Supper. Next week, I’ll have more to say about that, however today I have chosen to focus our attention on his remarks designed to bring them courage and comfort in the face of what is to come.

The disciples weren’t unprepared, they were frightened and grieving. They could see that all that Jesus had been telling them concerning his death was about to happen. Jesus was patient with them: he used language that would spark their understanding.

During the Passover meal, the disciples had just read the story of the first Passover celebrated in Egypt before the Children of Israel were freed by Pharaoh. When Moses asked God who he should say sent him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, God told Moses to tell the people that I Am. Now Jesus was reminding his disciples of that very story – when he says, I am the way. Jesus and all he taught them is the road map to the Father. By using the “I Am,” he quells their doubts and fears. He tells them that because he is at one with the Father, they have seen the Father. But if they have any doubts about the Father, to think about all the works Jesus has done. He couldn’t do any of that without the Father.

Talk about compassion! Think of all Jesus knew he was going to meet and yet he had patience with his disciples. They needed to be comforted. In fact, the next message he gives to them is about the comforter (John 14:16-31). Then he gives them a visual lesson in how God is caring for them by showing them some grape vines and then he closes the discourses with a beautiful prayer for himself, for his disciples, and for us (John 17). He certainly is telling his disciples and us that we can take our prayers directly to God. However there is more. He is also giving them and us a glimpse of the future. It is in the unfailing promise of Jesus that he is the way to real life and further he is preparing that for us even now! That’s a word that will bring us hope!