You know the way to the place where I am going." – John 14:4

Today's Scripture Reading (February 12, 2024): John 14

I was hit this week with the certainty that we find in the words of Jesus in this passage; "You know the way to the place where I am going." You know! It is not a question; it is a statement. You know. And as I kept looking at this verse, I kept being drawn back to the first verse of this chapter. You believe in God, believe also in me. So, I quickly surveyed what the gospels say about belief. I discovered something I am sure everyone knows, but it was a discovery for me. Matthew uses "believe" seven times in his Gospel of twenty-eight chapters. Mark uses "believe" eleven times in his Gospel of sixteen chapters. In his Gospel of twenty-four chapters, Luke uses the word "believe" five times. In all the first three gospels and their combined forty-eight chapters, the term "believe" occurs twenty-three times. The Gospel of John is twenty-one chapters long, but the word "believe" appears an extraordinary fifty times. Here are a few of John's mentions of the word "believe."

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

⁴⁰ For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (John 6:40).

²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins. (John 8:24).

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him" (John 11:14-15).

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40)?

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1).

Is it possible that John felt that belief was important? Maybe more to the point, what do you believe in? Everything seems to start with what we believe. In fact, what you believe will shape your life.

Many years ago, I watched a documentary on Harold Ballard, the former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ballard's legacy is perfectly described by the team that he ran. The reality of the Toronto Maple Leafs was that Ballard believed that the Leafs did not have to win to make money. As a result, the Leafs became a mediocre team. The uncomfortable truth is that we will chase after the things that we think are important; for Ballard, the thing he chased after was money. Maple Leaf Gardens, the arena where the Maple Leafs used to play, would be sold out every night regardless of how good the team was on the ice. Maple Leaf fans have famously suffered over the years from long losing streaks, and during the time that Ballard owned the Leafs, every one of those streaks started with what Harold Ballard believed.

I don't have to ask you if you believe in God; all I have to do is watch the fruit of your life. Jesus said we know the way because he told us. Thomas's response in the next verse is that we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way? It is really easy for us to look at an overview of the Gospel of John and his use of the word believe and say, "Thomas, weren't you listening?" But all of these are just shadows of history. The real question should be, are we listening? What do our lives say about whether or not we believe? Do we trust? Where exactly is the evidence in our lives? Do we have an answer?

You believe in God; believe also in me. Trust in me. Let your life reflect that trust. There are two different promises made in this passage. The first is that Jesus will come to us. Believe in me. Believe in the things that we can do together. Believe in the way that we can change the world. One of the easiest ways to examine your belief in God is to recognize your concern for the world around you and your willingness to be involved in the change that needs to happen there. Believe in me, and I will come to you. I will meet you where you are and prepare a place for you in the presence of the Father.

The second promise is that Jesus will come for us. I will come and take you to where I am. Believe in me, and all of your good works will not be just window dressing. Believe in me, and you will not just be dressed up with nowhere to go. Believe and trust in me, and I will take you where I am. You already know the way!

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 15