Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Lectionary C
John 14:23-29
As I was going through my purse the other day, I found something that reminded me of my true identity. It is a name tag from a conference I went to a few years ago. The name tag says, “Hello my name is … the one Jesus loves. John 14:23.” That is the first verse of today’s Gospel reading: “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
This whole chapter is directed to Jesus’ closest disciples. It actually occurs right after they have finished eating the food at the Last Supper while still sitting at the table. As we listen to these words today, it’s easy to apply them to our own lives. Jesus is talking to anyone who loves God or even wants to love God. He is talking to us. And he goes on to give us three messages about our identity.
First, “My Father will love them.” You’ve heard it often. We sing about it all the time. But do we live it out? In every service, we say it again, “Walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us.” By the time we get to John 14, Jesus is preparing his closest disciples for his death and resurrection. The most important thing they needed to know is that the Father loves them.
But that’s not all. Jesus said, “My Father will love them and we will come to them.” He doesn’t just love you from a distance. Jesus is coming to your house for a visit. What? I’m not ready! Romans 5:8 tells us Jesus did not wait until we were perfect. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. He died so He could come and knock on our doors, come in and visit for a while, have some dinner and just talk.
But there’s more. Jesus said, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” Jesus isn’t just coming for a visit; he is moving in to stay. We aren’t just loved from a distance. We aren’t just visited by God occasionally. We are inhabited by the presence of God.
A long time ago, when I was a young teenager, I prayed a prayer inviting Jesus into my life. Maybe you have prayed a prayer like that. And maybe you are thinking, “If this is all true, if Jesus has actually moved into my life, then why does my life end up in a mess sometimes? It may look OK on the outside, but on the inside, it’s a wreck.”
Maybe part of the problem is who else, what else, has moved into your life? To what else have you opened the door of your heart? What sneaked in when you thought everything was going great?
Addiction? You never meant to go so far, but now, you don’t know how to stop. Laziness? The only exercise you get is lifting the remote. Foul language? Somebody cut you off in traffic, so you swore. Anger? Your boss got mad at you at work, and you can’t stop thinking about it. An argument with a relative that happened years ago? You can feel your neck get stiff when you remember it. What are we going to do with all these issues?
Jesus will take them. And all that guilt you have? He’ll take that too. He already died for you, and that means all of this is already forgiven. All we have to do is let go. We can put an eviction notice on all these things we don’t need that have moved into our lives, things that are actually hurting us. We can hand them to Jesus, and he will take them away.
And what are we left with? Peace. In verse 27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.”
I’ve been carrying this same name tag around with me for years. And every time I see it, I know who I am: “The one Jesus
loves.” Maybe you need to carry this message around, too. I encourage you to make your own name tag and write on it, “Hello, my name is … the one Jesus loves.” Then you can write “John 14:23” so you remember the verse.
Easterday
Never forget. You are loved. You are visited. And you are inhabited. The peace of the Lord is yours. Amen.
– The Rev. Pamela Easterday is co-rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Melbourne.