Devotion 5.2.26

John 14

1 “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. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The Great American Road Trip. We used to drive to Minnesota from Houston every summer when I was a kid. We went for the express purpose of seeing my dad's family. My grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles, and of course my cousins. The trip was long in my mind (three days of open road, new interstates where you saw the land and physical features as you went north along I-45, then I-35 all the way to Austin, MN.

At first, I was full of questions early in my life. Who are we going to see? Where do they live? Where is that? Then, of course, "Are we there yet? How much further?" We used maps then, so my dad had the trip charted out to the mile and minute, minus stops and potential emergencies like a flat, or worse, engine troubles.

In Thomas's case, his question is excellent. The same man who doubted had the wherewithal to ask what was on everyone's mind: Where are we going? Who knows the way?

Jesus then, in yet another "I am" sets Thomas and the others (and us) on a course of faith and eternal life. "I am the way." That should be a very telling sign to any who seek other ways to God - other gods, their own way, works.... The only way to the Father is through Christ.

Sometimes the answer is much simpler than we believe. Sometimes the answer is right in front of us. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. 

Pray with me: Gracious God, Heavenly Father, May we rest in peace knowing you are the way, the truth, and the life. Through faith in you, we find eternal life. May we rest in that peace. In Christ's name, Amen.

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.