The gospel reading we heard this morning is part of a larger discourse in John’s gospel, and if we were to make this discourse into a movie, this portion would make a part of a very moving and poignant scene.
The hero, who you know is going to his doom, is giving his followers his final pep talk. He is warning them of what is about to happen, knowing that it will be brutally tough on them, knowing that they will struggle and doubt, knowing that he will fall in this great battle before them, but encouraging them, bolstering their courage; their fortitude in the face of what will seem like defeat; encouraging them to look beyond the immediate events and see a victory that is promised if they remain but true to him and his call.
The scene would have stirring, haunting music that would move the soul, the camera would pan to the faces of his listeners and you would see their tears, the look of commitment and determination in the midst of a subdued grief as they tried to steel themselves for the coming storm.
This I think is the right tone to hear this portion of the gospel; as Jesus is sitting with his disciples in that short, emotionally loaded time between the last supper, where he washed the disciples’ feet, and when he is arrested and his end – yet his ultimate victory, unimagined by his listeners – draws nigh.
In this scene that John takes four chapters to record, Jesus speaks words of promise, words of encouragement, and words of warning, to his disciples.
Two themes we see in this passage this morning have to do with defining the disciples’ relationship to him, and addressing their fear of abandonment, of futility.
We hear twice in this passage the connection between love and obedience: If you love me you will keep my commandments; he who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.
Now that connection should not catch us by surprise – love is always connected to obedience in differing ways. As children we express our love and trust to our parents by obeying them. Citizens express their love of country by obeying its laws. Soldiers express their love of country by their willingness to risk their lives in obedience to orders.
Spouses: Don’t we show love to our spouses by being obedient to their needs at times? I am always amazed that taking out the garbage, or picking up my socks and underwear without being asked does amazing things in our relationship; she interprets that act as love.
But I think the passage is also clear that the obedience Jesus is talking about is not just the letter of the law, a grudging obedience, you know the “I will do it, but I won’t like it” kind of obedience. The “I will kind of obey the speed limit – just 5 miles an hour over ‘cause they normally don’t catch you that way” kind of obedience.
I find that sometime my obedience has that selfish, rebellious element in it: I will do what is right because, well, I don’t want the grief that happens when I don’t.
Spiritual life can be that way, too. There are some areas in my life that just refuse to be bridled by obedience and I have to work hard at that. Keeping my mouth shut when I would like to say what I really think. “I really don’t want to have to go to church today but I have to, I’m preaching.” “I know I should spend some time in prayer today but I really don’t have time, you understand, Lord.”
And we can sometimes dabble with overt sin; we don’t dive right into it we just sort of stick our finger into the frosting. Flirting is not adultery, is it? We don’t dabble with lust reading those very romantic novels, and one might read certain picture magazines but it’s for the high literary quality of the articles, of course. Deducting my pets and lawn varmints as dependents from my taxes isn’t stealing, is it? And we can go on and on.
The reality is: Christian life can be difficult at times. Being obedient to Jesus, loving him completely, can be tough because, really, we want what we want, not what Jesus wants.
The obedience Jesus is talking about is something much deeper. He says: In that day you will know that I am in my father and you in me, and I in you. The obedience he is talking about is something that is the result of a relationship.
We become obedient not because we have to but because we want to. Our relationship to the Lord becomes so close, so intimate, he becomes so much a part of our lives that we want what he wants; what pleases us, pleases him. We live in him and he lives in us.
I would love to have that level of intimacy with Jesus in my life all the time, wouldn’t you? It must have been a little like that for the disciples. They were with him all the time, could talk to him all the time, ask him anything. He was right there to help. They could touch him, talk to him, he was right there with them, regardless.
But he was going away. He was in Jerusalem to die then be raised from the dead, then to ascend to heaven and they were going to be left alone – no more Jesus with them. How would they get along?
They would need help just as we need help. Jesus knew that. He promised not to leave his disciples as orphans, not to abandon them. He promised to send them another counselor, advocate, helper, coach to give them that motivation, that encouragement, to be his presence in a new way.
For years I worked intermittently at keeping my body at some mediocre level of physical fitness. I would go the gym and break a sweat, do exercises of one sort or another that would burn calories but nothing too strenuous.
But a couple of years ago I started with a physical trainer, and gym took on a whole new perspective. It’s very rare any more I not have pain in places where I forgot I had muscles. Have to get stronger to gain endurance. But some of the time it ain’t pretty, and it ain’t fun. i sometimes ask my trainer where the line is between workout and elder abuse.
But I am probably in the best physical condition that I have been in 20 years, which I know may not be saying much, because I have a coach I trust and listen to, someone who pushes me to do things I would not do myself; a coach who coaxes out of me one more push-up, one more sit-up, one more squat than I thought I could do. A coach who gives me guidance on how to do exercises correctly, who knows my body and how to work it: A coach who ties a knot in my knickers when I slack off or miss a session. He has my best interest at heart in what he does, he wants me to succeed and grow so he keeps raising the bar and sometimes it is hard and frustrating but my coach keeps me at it.
Jesus’ intent in sending this counselor, this helper is the same. Jesus tells his disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to encourage us, teach us, convict us, guide us, call us to a higher level of spiritual fitness than we can achieve on our own or that we think ourselves capable of. It can be hard at times, frustrating at times, feel like failure at times but the coach keeps us at it because he has our best interests at heart.
He will become a part of our lives, so that we continue to grow spiritually in that intimacy with the Lord. And we find that more and more, our will becomes his will, our desires, his desires, our life will be his life. He will become more real to us. We will sense his presence to an ever increasing degree in our day to day lives.
He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will
love him and manifest myself to him.
Do we have and keep his commandments? Do we seek to have Jesus’ will and heart as our own? That is how Jesus knows we love him that we seek to be like him, to be spiritually fit.
it is a high calling and a hard road but he has given us the Holy Spirit – our own personal soul coach – to encourage us, and strengthen us to achieve that goal.
May we seek out our coach and his leading. May we heed his pushing and coaxing. May we seek his discipline that we may attain to that level of spiritual fitness; we have that level of intimacy that his will is ours so that when the world sees us, they see not us but the risen Christ in us.