Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Sermon and Christian Act in The Word
Theme: Confusion-Tensions! Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life! Christ saves!
Point of Reflection: Today’s readings portray groups and individuals facing tensions and confusion. In the community of Acts, tensions were caused by material and administrative matters. The community of Peter lived in tension with their Jewish neighbours for whom Jesus became a “stumbling stone”. In the Gospel, the disciples face uncertainty and confusion in their hearts and on a very individual level. Yet, in all three cases the advice on how to deal with the situation is the same, “focus on the risen Lord.” I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
First Reading: Acts 6:1–7
Psalm: Psalm 33:1–2, 4–5, 18–19
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:4–9
Gospel: John 14:1–12
Sermon (Reflection): While the resurrection of Jesus changed everything, his followers remain in a world fraught with tensions and conflicts, which had, and have, the real potential to weaken faith and undermine the Christians’ commitment to living their life in the light of the resurrection.
The Gospel passage of today comes as Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples. In this particular part of this extensive speech, the disciples appear distraught and confused. Since Jesus was telling them about his impending departure from this world, they were deeply afraid of being left alone. Jesus’ response to their concern was straightforward.
First, he told them about his destination and purpose, thus, he is going to the Father to prepare a place for them. These words indicate that their final destiny lies in eternal life in God’s presence, and in the company of Jesus. Second, he called himself “the way, the truth and the life”. This phrase provides the best summary of Jesus’ identity and mission. “The way” means that living according to his teaching sets one on the path to God and truly human life.
“The truth” means that Jesus is the fullest and trustworthy representation of God. “The life” means that believing in Jesus leads to eternal life.
Finally, believing in Jesus would empower the disciples to continue with his work on earth. They would be able to “do greater works”, which means that they will lead even more people to faith than he did in his time on earth. While the disciples’ concerns were understandable, and the tension they felt at the prospect of Jesus’ absence was fully justified, they were admonished to deal with such confusion and tension by firmly holding on to their master even in his absence.
In the first reading, we notice that the first Christian community was not without its problems. The first reading reports that unfairness in the distribution of the common goods caused tensions among members of the Jerusalem community. All the early Christians in Jerusalem were Jewish, but they came from different backgrounds. Some of them came from Palestine, the land of Jesus. But many of them grew up and lived outside Palestine. These were called the “diaspora” Jews or “Hellenists”. Many of those Hellenists moved to Jerusalem in their old age hoping to die and be buried in the holy city. This accounted for a large number of Hellenist widows in Jerusalem, many of whom joined the Christian community after Pentecost.
Apparently, these Hellenist widows were overlooked or discriminated against when it came to distribution of material support available to the community members. To address this problem, a special council of seven men was formed, and given the task of managing the material and administrative needs of the community. Their names reveal that they themselves were Hellenists. They were selected on the grounds of their wisdom, and were guided by the Spirit, which shows that even the management of the administrative affairs of the community was considered a spiritual task. This episode provides a good insight into how the first Christian community functioned and developed its structures.
Yet, it is the emphasis on the absolute centrality of evangelisation that stands out in this passage. The apostles addressed the community with the words, “it is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables”. This statement establishes an order of importance among various concerns. The most important was the proclamation of the word of God, and the central point of this proclamation was the resurrection of Jesus.
The letter of Peter which is the second reading of today addresses yet another tension that existed within the broader Jewish community in the early days of the Church. The majority of Jesus’ contemporaries ardently expected the coming of the Messiah. And yet, when Jesus the Messiah came, there was a sharp division among the Jews. Some welcomed him, but the majority rejected him. The author of 1 Peter, himself a Jew, reacts to these divisions by presenting an argument for Jesus’ Messiahship. He employs the symbol of a stone to describe Jesus, and address the tensions and paradoxes his story might have caused.
First, the natural stone is cold and dead, yet Jesus is the “living stone”. In this clever way the author refers to the resurrection when Jesus’ dead and cold body was transformed into a living and vibrant organism.
Second, the stone is often an obstacle which can cause someone to stumble and fall. Yet, the same stone can be the “cornerstone” – an essential part of the building that holds the entire structure together. The risen Jesus became a stumbling stone for those who rejected him by not believing in his resurrection. They “stumbled” by excluding themselves from the Christian community through their unbelief. At the same time, Jesus became the “cornerstone” – the central and binding element for the entire life of those who accepted him and believed in the resurrection.
Third, the very image of the stone was borrowed by the author from Psalm 118:22. In fact, this entire passage of 1 Peter is built on allusions to and quotations from the Old Testament. For some, holding on to their Jewish practices prevented them from accepting Jesus as the Messiah. For others, reading their Scripture provided clear indication that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God in fulfilment of his promises made to the earlier generations of the Israelites.
The author concludes with a statement that beautifully describes those for whom Jesus has become the living cornerstone. By their acceptance of the risen Lord they have become a chosen, priestly and holy people, belonging exclusively to God. This phrase is drawn from the text of the Sinai Covenant where Israelites were given the promise of becoming just such a people if they keep God’s covenant (Cf. Exodus 19:5-6). By welcoming Jesus and making him the cornerstone of their life, Christians fulfil the Sinai covenant. Faith in the risen Lord allowed them to put to rest tensions and contradictions that the life and work of Jesus might have caused.
Christian Act in Word of God “Christ must handle our tensions”
The situation of Christians today in many ways resembles that of the early Christians who were seen as an isolated sect with strange beliefs and dangerous practices. Modern believers live in a state of tension with the secular world whether they like it or not. In this situation, the message of today’s liturgy becomes very relevant. Christianity always faced tensions and prevailed when it remained faithful to its roots, which lie in the uncompromising faith in the Risen Lord.
In reality, many of us have experienced internal conflicts in our parishes and communities. When conflicts are not handled well, the Church suffers because of divisions that divert it from fulfilling its core mission. The same dynamics work in all our relationships, as conflict is ever present. Such tension can be either a threat or a catalyst for change. The difference in outcome depends on how conflict and tensions are managed. The sign of good conflict resolution in the Church is that the core mission of evangelisation is not compromised. The apostles recognised conflicts as potential detractors to their mission and resolved the problem through delegation of certain duties to others who would take on the responsibility. When the mission is clear, then conflicts are handled in a way that does not compromise it.
It is not only conflicts in parishes that are highlighted in the readings, but also personal crises that cause us to doubt, as we face challenges in life that make us feel abandoned and hopeless. What we learn from the doubts and confusion expressed by the disciples is the importance of questions and honesty with our feelings. The disciples asked questions, expressed doubts and in the process received answers that strengthened their faith and trust in Jesus.
Faith grows from honest expressions of doubt and questioning.
Conflicts and tensions are part of our individual and communal journeys of faith. We have been given a companion in the person of the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom to respond in ways that are focused on the core mission of our calling as disciples of Jesus, the proclamation of the Gospel.
Action: I will follow Christ as He has told me that He is the way, the truth and the life.
Prayer: Almighty Father, send us the Holy Spirit to grant us wisdom to respond to the conflicts and tensions in our world and the courage to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Make us instruments of harmony, and restore our peace of heart in the midst of the tensions, difficulties and struggles of life, Amen
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