Monday, October 26
This week, we’ll look at the most famous of all the seven “I am” statements in John. We sit with Jesus in the upper room, where he shares His last Supper with the Twelve. The other three Gospel writers (and Paul in 1 Corinthians) tell us about the meal itself. John, however, never mentions the meal. Instead, he focuses on the things Jesus said to His disciples in those last hours.
In my role as a pastor, I often find myself visiting people who are going through grief. After many years of doing this, I’ve learned that the less I say in those moments, the better. I can’t explain why God allowed their loved one to die. I can’t tell them how long it’s going to hurt. There is nothing I can say that will take the pain away. The best I can do is be there for them, pray with them, and let them know that we as a church family care about them. But Jesus was, safe to say, a better minister than I am. He finds Himself comforting His disciples before the tragedy has even occurred. He’s preparing them so that they won’t lose heart in the coming hours as they see Him betrayed, arrested, tortured, and killed.
Think about that. Jesus is hours away from experiencing Hell on earth. We know from His prayer in the Garden a few hours later (“Father, take this cup from me…”) and the sweat-drops of blood that will flow from His brow, that He is fully aware of the agony that awaits Him. Yet in this moment, He thinks first of His friends. He prepares them for their grief in advance, starting with these words:
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6)
Tomorrow, we’ll start a detailed look at our Lord’s words. But today, let’s give thanks that we serve a God who cares more about our sorrow than He does about His own.
“Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel all alone, as if no one knows what I’m going through. But in Jesus, I see that you care for our pain and sorrow, even when you are going through far worse. Help me to remember that the next time I feel forgotten. In Jesus’s name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
