Jesus Leads Us Home
Easter 5 - May 18, 2014
Years ago, I went on a camping trip with a big group of my work friends. There were maybe 15 or 20 of us, and we went up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a long weekend & a day hike up one of the easier 4000-footers. I had gone hiking in the mountains before, but on this particular outing, I was totally outclassed. Our group had a woman in training for a triathlon & a recent ex-Marine & people who were just generally in much better shape than I was. So it wasn't long after we got going up the mountain that my younger sister & I were left in the dust. But that was okay, because we knew where we were going – UP! Just follow the trail – the trees were blazed with marks to keep us on the right path, so we trudged along at our own pace. Everything was fine, til we got almost to the top of the mountain. We came out into a little clearing in the trees, and there we found that the trail split, off to the right & to the left. And there were signs on a tree there that said what each trail led to. But that's when we discovered we really didn't know where we were going after all. We could hear the rest of the group somewhere nearby, but sound is tricky up there in the woods on the mountain & we couldn't figure out which way to go. By this time, we were tired and hungry and frustrated, & we didn't want to go the wrong way, so we just sat down on a log to wait, too unsure of ourselves to cotinue.
I suspect that the disciples felt something like this as they listened to Jesus talk that night. This whole scene takes place the night when Jesus will be handed over. Jesus & his followers gathered together for a meal, & while they eat, Jesus has been telling them about what is to come. This is his farewell speech, his final words to the disciples before his last fateful night on earth begins to unfold. During dinner, Jesus predicts that one of them will betray him & before you know it off goes Judas. Then, Jesus tells Peter that far from being willing to lay down his life for Jesus, Peter will deny Jesus three times before the morning.
The disciples can't make sense of this. They don't understand what Jesus is telling them. They’re not sure exactly what Jesus means, but they don't like the sounds of it. On the heels of his disturbing comments, Jesus says to them: “But don't let your hearts be troubled. My dad's house has lots of rooms. If that weren't true, would I tell you I'm going to prepare a place for you? Don't worry; you know the way to the place where I'm going.”
Jesus talks to the group like it should be crystal clear, but their responses show that it's about as clear to mud to them. Thomas is bold enough to put it into words for everybody: “Uh, excuse me, Lord, but we don't even know where you're going – so how can we know the way??” And we know that in the next few days, the disciples will be pulled in a bunch of different directions. They thought they were following a well-marked trail, but now they find themselves standing where the trails intersect & wondering which way to go now.
Not knowing where to turn next is familiar territory for most of us. We've all come out from what we thought was a clear trail, headed straight to our destination, and discovered that the trail wasn't as uncomplicated as we thought. We come out of the trees to a crossroads & suddenly realize that we don't have a clue about which way to go now. Following Jesus sounded relatively easy, and then we realize that somehow we've fallen behind, or even worse, that we're not even on the trail anymore & don't have any idea where we are or how to get back. When unexpected events shake us up & spin us around til we don't know the way back home anymore, sometimes all we can do is sit down where the trails intersect and wait, hoping we'll catch our bearings while we catch our breath.
Which is where we last left me with my sister Jess, sitting in the clearing, feeling tired & defeated & disappointed, & a bit angry too. Because making it to the top & seeing the view – that was supposed to be my reward. And I wasn't gonna get there – because it turned out we really didn't know where we were headed. We needed someone to show us the way, and everyone had gone ahead without us.
But as we sat there, eating the lunches we had carried up the mountain, the group came back. They said hello & then most of them headed back down the hill. But Vaughn, our leader, stayed. And when we were ready, he led us out to the summit, where there were no trees, nothing to block the breathtaking view of the White Mountains laid out all around us. And you know what? It was worth the whole stinkin' miserable trip! We wouldn't have gotten there on our own... we would've taken the other trail. But Vaughn knew just where we were going, & he made sure that we got there.
That's just what Jesus promises to do in today's gospel! I think that Thomas & the others got so focused on where they were supposed to be headed that they missed that part. Jesus said to them, “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.” Because even though Jesus has to go on without them for a little while, that doesn't mean that he's gonna leave them there to figure out the way home by themselves. He promises that he will not leave them alone, but is coming back. He knows just where they are going, & he will make sure that they get there. He won't desert them on the trail, but will come to walk with them, to lead them and guide them each step of the way.
Because Jesus himself is the Way. And that old saying that it's not about the destination, but about the journey – it's true. Sometimes we worry so much about where we're gonna end up & how we can make sure that we get there, that we lose sight of the Way that will lead us there. Jesus reminds us that the journey through life to Life starts & ends with him. It's a relationship that is sealed in our baptism, when we are named & claimed & marked with Christ's cross forever . That relationship continues as we follow along behind Jesus on the trail, learning to trust where he leads. And it goes on beyond the grave, when finally we reach the summit & see the view that will make it all worthwhile. Because no matter what happens along the way, we know that Jesus has prepared a place for us & he will lead us home.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
