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Karen Hollis | May 3, 2026 Easter 5
John 14:1-14 Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, 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. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves.
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
Let us pray . . .
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
I worry when I use this text that no one will hear anything after “I am the way and the truth and the life.” This line and the one after it have been used to argue that the way of Jesus is superior to other spiritual paths and it’s not only irresponsible, it is a manipulation of the text itself. And, when we fail to look at the bigger context and simply read into it our ideas about Jesus, we lose sight of what the text is actually saying. Is the way of Jesus superior to other spiritual paths? No. It is a powerful path, and we follow this path because we chose it or perhaps it chose us, because it is meaningful and important to us for probably a variety of reasons. If the way of Jesus isn’t superior, why does Jesus say it this way: “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
Do you remember last week during our exploration of the gospel of Mary, how Jesus departs from them and the disciples just kind of crumble in place? Today’s reading is included in what is known as the Farewell Discourse. It is Jesus’ final teaching in John’s gospel before the crucifixion. Before the bit of text we just heard, Jesus gathers with them on Maundy
Thursday and washes their feet. He tells them one of them will betray him, that they should love one another as he has loved them, meanwhile he is going to a place where they cannot immediately follow . . . oh and Peter will deny him three times.
This teaching is kind of all over the place and it is an alarming moment for the disciples. I imagine their minds spinning above them, their hearts reach the floor, their bodies become ungrounded, as they look around for some kind of anchor. Jesus is talking about the end of everything that matters in their world. He is the light, the hope, the engine that brings healing and possibilities for a better future . . . he is leaving them and going to a place where they cannot immediately follow.
As they react to this news, he immediately offers them words of comfort: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He tries to help them understand that they are already connected to the anchor that they seek.
Perhaps because of their anxiety, they’re showing up in a very literal mindset. Jesus says they know the way to where he is going, but Thomas argues with him, saying “no, we don’t know the way. You haven’t shown us a map or described directions.” But Jesus, of course, isn’t talking about a physical place. He’s inviting them to think more metaphorically and even metaphysically about his connection with them. He responds: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Did you hear it? “I am,” it’s the divine name? I am who I am, God said to Moses. It’s the only name the Holy claims . . . I am who I am. So, when Jesus invokes this name, it means the Holy One is present. It means that here in our physical bodies, we have a human ability to also connect with that which is beyond us. While the literal minded disciples insist that the world is, you know, the physical world, Jesus’ words also seek to remind them of the inner work through which he has been leading them. They are learning to perceive what they cannot see with their eyes. Jesus says, there’s another step to it. After perceiving what cannot be seen, we then bring it together with the physical world . . . this is what he calls the Kindom of God. It’s the spiritual and physical, emotions and mind all together. Simply different densities of one, unified creation.
So before Jesus leaves them, he’s teaching them this final lesson, he’s helping them bring together what is physical and what is intangible and yet real. In response to their need for comfort, he is still offering himself as their anchor, but they need to find a way to let go of his physical presence and find him in the Kindom of God.
Then, Jesus says something really profound. He says that those who come after him will do more than he has been able to do . . . how is that even possible. First and foremost, he can only have an impact through us if we give him power in our lives, if we believe in what he is about. If we look to Jesus’ teachings, if we turn to Christ for guidance (Christ being the spirit that incarnated as Jesus). It’s not magic, the power of Christ in our lives. It’s more like setting an intention, it is like clarity as to what we are about.
Think about the noise that’s in the media, the stuff that tries to suck us in, the nonsense that we leave outside of the worship space because it doesn’t serve us. We make a conscious and energetic decision that those things, for example, do not have power in our lives. On the other side, we also give power to various ideas, beliefs, people, etc. and allow them to influence and shape us. As I’ve said before, if we want Christ to be present in our lives, he will be. His presence shapes us both individually and collectively. Jesus says we can do more together than he was able to do during his life . . . when we know the presence of the Holy in us and practice that presence together.
The world is a really challenging place right now. I resonate with the experience of the disciples in this text – the world today does, in a way, feel like the degradation of the things that matter . . . not necessarily on a personal level, but on a global level, so much is gone and stretched and stressed and dangerous and heartbreaking. It’s a trajectory of loss and brokenness that has both global and individual consequences.
Today, in this reality, Jesus offers an anchor that is always available to us within, that is not dependent on our context or location or any external factors. It’s paradoxical, I know, but that which is most solid and secure is also intangible.
From a Christ-centered perspective, Christ’s presence works in and through those who are anchored in the divine presence as we respond to the world’s current unfolding. It’s also bigger than that. This capacity to embody the divine presence goes beyond belief and religion, because Jesus himself was teaching something inescapably human. In the space Jesus called the Kindom of God, we connect with anyone and everyone who knows the holy within and draws on that presence to serve the common good in the name of love. In every corner of the world people are praying, organizing, helping, supporting, showing up for one another, showing up and being seen and heard. If there is any time for embracing one another, it is now. If there is a time for curiosity and collaboration it is now. Together, we have the capacity to make real change in this world. The way of our God is life, endings, spaciousness, out of which comes new beginnings . . . something is ending . . . but it is not the end. God invites us to be a part of what comes next through prayer and through action. Christ is with us, our anchor and our guide. Thanks be to God