Easter 5
A very overweight man went to the doctor. The doctor put him on a newly discovered diet and told his patient that this diet would really help him lose weight. He told him to start eating these special meals on Monday, then skip on Tuesday, eat the special meals on Wednesday, skip on Thursday, eat the special meals on Friday and to skip Saturday and Sunday then pick the pattern up again for the next two weeks and then come back and see me. By that time you should have lost at least five pounds. When the patient returned in three weeks the doctor was shocked because he had lost almost 60 pounds. “Wow, that’s amazing. Did you follow my instructions?” His patient replied, “Yeah, I thought I was going to die by the end of the first week though.” His doctor was a bit puzzled, “Why, because you were so hungry?” His patient shook his head, “No, because of all that skipping!”
Many of us could probably afford to lose a couple of pounds. But according to many weight loss programs, dieting to reach a weight goal is not enough. Healthy weight loss needs to become a way of life. So programs like Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig, or Atkins, or Body for Life, and probably most of the other reputable ones have the weight loss program that one uses in the beginning to reach the weight goal, and then there is the maintenance part of the diet that one is on for the rest of your life. The same sort of thinking goes into a body fitness program. When one begins a fitness program, one begins it with a goal of, say looking physically fit or losing the spare tire or flab. But once one reaches this goal of being in shape you cannot simply stop exercising and expect your body to simply stay that way. No, then there is the maintenance program to keep the body in shape. One has to weave your physical activity and training into one’s daily weekly schedule if the progress is going to be sustained. This self discipline has to become part of your way of life, part of how you approach your day and your week and your month and your year. This becomes a way of life and affects how one thinks and it becomes a paradigm through which one approaches daily life.
Do you remember Superman? Superman fights for truth, justice and the American way. What does the American way mean? An abridged definition I found on the Internet by a fellow named Herberg is as follows, “The American Way of life is individualistic, dynamic, and pragmatic. It affirms the supreme value and dignity of the individual; this individual is always to be striving to “get ahead”; the American Way defines an ethic of self-reliance, merit, and character, and judges by achievement: “deeds, not creeds” are what count. The American believes in progress, and in self-improvement. The American is idealistic.”
The American way of life is a bit different than is the way of life a person who is losing weight or becoming more physically fit. The American Way of life is a cultural thing. It is something that pervades how our culture thinks. It is a perspective that has become a given as far as how one views life it and it is pretty much unconscious.
I bring these several ways of life up for comparison because I want us to consider this topic today. It is interesting to note that the most common expression of Christianity in the book of Acts is the Way, that is, Christians were referred to as followers of the Way. Where that expression probably came from was the discourse of our Gospel reading today where Jesus tells his disciples that he is the way. Last Friday morning at the men’s Bible study someone made the comment that last Sunday’s gospel reading where Jesus said he was the gate was pretty harsh. He was the only entrance. And we all agreed. It is pretty harsh. Especially in a society like ours where we want to be able to say things like, “Well, I think this but if you think that, that’s OK.” It is OK if we disagree. I’m OK and you’re OK. But Jesus says, “I am the gate; I am the only access.” And then in today’s gospel, we get something equally as harsh. In today’s gospel the context is that the disciples are depressed. Jesus just got through telling them in chapter 13 that he was going away and they just like the Jews couldn’t come with him. He tells them that they, the disciples, know where he’s going and the way there. There is the awkward pause and then Thomas says, “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” We don’t know if you are going to Rome, or Athens, or Alexandra. So Jesus replies, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” Or again in this context it could be translated as “I am the only way to the Father, I am the truth of the Father, and I am the Life of the Father.” A bit later in this discourse, Jesus tells his disciples clearly that he was going away and where he was going was back to his father.
Sometimes we as Americans tend to think that Christianity is part of our heritage, like the flag, moms, and apple pies. is just that; it is confusion. The way of life that Jesus is talking about is far more like the way of life of a dieter or of one attempting to become physically fit. So what am I saying? Am I saying that being a Christian is like being on a diet? Well, in some ways, yes. Just like a dieter has to always be conscious of what he or she is eating, the Christian has to always be aware of his approach to life. It is always from the perspective of believing in Jesus. I believe in Jesus therefore, I need to love my fellow Christians. I believe in Jesus, therefore I need to love my neighbor as myself. I believe in Jesus, therefore I need to try to love and serve God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Just like those who were called followers of the Way in the book of Acts. We need to be followers of the Way. We need to be followers of Jesus. We need to learn the truth of Jesus and the Life of Jesus. However important it maybe health wise to be the proper weight and physically fit, it is in comparison to following Jesus and living for him very inconsequential. Jesus said that he was the way the truth and the life; let us walk in his way, that is live like he told us to live, think in his truth, that is believe what he taught us, and thus live in his life. Amen.
