Many times, I find John’s gospel readings to be some of the most challenging to understand. I usually need to sit with it for a long time before I can make sense of the message. They seem to always be so much more than what the face value appears – and today’s reading was no exception. Honestly, my initial confusion with this passage lasted for several days before it finally brought clarity and I feel like I’m just scratching the surface with my reflection.
After all the challenges of sitting with this reading for several days, I love the message that it is revealing, and it was well worth the wait. Initially, it seemed confusing that Jesus was seemingly making a softer version of an Old Testament deal, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father.” This seemed to imply that, “If you do not love me than neither will you be loved by my Father.” But this is not the message at all.
If you read a bit more from John 14 the entire message is about connectedness. What Jesus is saying to his disciples is that because we are connected here, then you (and me) are also connected to the Father. But this can only be realized if you “have my commandments and observe them” – which are not the same as the “thou shalt not” commandments in the Old Testament. The “commandments” that Jesus is talking about are more like invitations towards love and forgiveness. And, if we can embrace these, we will be able to more clearly “see” that a Great Chain of Connectedness exists between Jesus, us, and God. He explicitly says this in verse 20 (right before today’s reading begins) in the often quoted, “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” And the glue to all this connection and relationship is the Holy Spirit, as Jesus points out several times in John 14.
What I found in today’s reading as some of the most comforting and literal “Good News” from John 14 is the compassion that Jesus demonstrates through his words. In verse 18 he says, “I will not leave you desolate.” In verse 27 he says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” and later in that same verse, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” And to make sure we do not forget this Jesus tell us, “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” John’s gospel tells us that there is no abandonment and no separation, but only connection and relationship to be confidently known from this point forward. Could there be better news than that for us to hear today?
Tom Lenz
I am a native of Carroll, Iowa, and originally came to Creighton as an undergraduate student in 1988. My wife Nancy and I have four children, two of whom graduated from Creighton. I started my first faculty position at Creighton in 1999, and I am currently a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine. I direct a Master of Science program in Integrative Health and Wellness and teach compassion science courses to medical and dental students.
It is truly a blessing to be part of the Daily Reflections writing team. Each time I have the opportunity to write a reflection, I am reminded of how rich the readings are with wisdom, love, and kindness. And being able to connect in some way with all those who read the reflections is a joy beyond words.
