1 May 2005

I will not leave you orphaned

John 14:15-21

A few months ago, after I had been gone for a weekend, Deena and I decided that I would put Danny to bed. At first he wanted Mammy to take him to bed, however, after realizing that that was not going to happen, he finally agreed. I gave him his milk, in his sippy cup, put some music on and laid him down on his bed. Normally, I would simply sit in the rocking chair beside his bed as he goes to sleep. However, Danny was crying a lot and he wanted me to lay down with him. He kept saying to me, in a somewhat angry voice, ìyou stay here, you stay here!î He kept grabbing me and telling me to stay with him. And, it finally hit me. He had ìseparation anxiety.î He knew I had been gone for a few days, and he believed I would leave him again.

Let us pray

There is a lot we can say about the background of the Gospel according to John. However, scholars agree that by the time the book was written, the separation between the followers of Jesus and the other Jews had occurred. Christian persecution had begun. With the help of a young zealot Pharisee named Saul, who witnessed the death of Stephen, the Christian persecution was beginning to grow. Those who rejected Jesus accused the Christians of blasphemy and heresy. They felt it was their moral duty to discredit the Christian beliefs and to shoot down the movement. Although their numbers grew, many who once embraced Jesus began to think twice about their new faith. Many, in fact, left Christianity and returned to their old beliefs.

The writer of John addresses some of these issues. He begins to answer their critics. For example, he very clearly and boldly states that Jesus is God. In chapter 14:8-9 we read, ìPhilip said to him, ëLord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied. Jesus said to him, I have been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

So, John reminds the Church through Jesusí words that as His disciples, they are to continue to obey all that Jesus had commanded, they are to continue Jesusí ministry and they are to testify, be witnesses, for him in the world. In the midst of persecution, they are to continue to believe, continue to work and continue to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Then John reminds them that Jesus, God, is not a God that leaves His disciples to fight alone. He is not a God that would demand from them loyalty, but have no loyalty towards them. The Advocate, the Spirit of truth, is there and will continue to be there in the midst of chaos, pain and persecution. The Spirit of truth is Godís promise that they will never be alone. It is Godís promise that He ìwill not leave them orphaned. The words in John brought hope to a persecuted Church.

Yet, what do we do today with this passage. As I stated last week, it is difficult to relate to the context of the text. The North American church is not in the same predicament as the early Church was. It is very unlikely that any of us would die for our faith. Having said that, however, let me tell you what this passage says to me.

First, it reminds me that to love Jesus is to obey Jesus. ìIf you love me, you will keep my commandments. In a society that for the most part believes in Jesus, but does not necessarily follow what he preached, I am reminded that I can not say I know him if I do not follow him. This passage makes me look again at what I do and how I live my live. And, it challenges my love for Him. In other words, it asks me, how well am I keeping Jesus' commandments? And, I guess there is a lot to think about.

Second, it reminds me that I am called to be a witness for Jesus in the world. I am called to testify to the world what I have seen and have experienced. I am called to hold on to the faith that I have received and embraced, and not succumb to the pressures of this world.

Although we do not face a physical persecution, in our society there are enough pressures to denounce and reject the faith we have embraced. In our religious pluralistic world, for example, to proclaim Jesus as God is not welcome. It is OK to use the name God, but not Jesus as God. Furthermore, in our secular relativistic world, we would be ridiculed and labeled fundamentalists or fanatics, if we proclaim that in Jesus we have the ultimate truth. There is in our society what the current Pope describes as ìauthoritative relativism,î meaning that our secular world would want us to believe that the only absolute truth out there is that there is no absolute truth. And, anyone who believes otherwise is wrong. This belief is not Christian. It comes from a non-Christian world view. And, within our Christian world there is also the pressure to make the Gospel user-friendly by not addressing what Jesus would want us to do, not talking about the Sermon on the Mount, for example.

This passage, again, reminds me that I must hold on to the faith that I have received and embraced. It reminds me that I must be a witness to what I have seen and experienced, not matter what pressures the world brings.

And finally, it reminds me that I have a loving caring God that will not leave me orphaned. I recently read a story that helps illustrate this point. The story was written by Neil Strait. William Dixon lived in (a small town in) Brakckenthwaite, England. He was a widower who had lost his only son. One day he saw that the house of one of his neighbors was on fire. Although the aged owner was rescued, her orphaned grandson was trapped in the blaze. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety. His hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned. Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died. The townspeople wondered who would care for the boy. Two volunteers appeared before the town council. One was a father who had lost his son and would like to adopt the orphan as his own. William Dixon was to speak next, but instead of saying anything, he merely held up his scarred hand. When the vote was taken, the boy was given to him.

I think this short story illustrates well the love of God for us. The crucifixion of Jesus, his horrific death and resurrection, show us clearly Godís love for the world. ìFor God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.î Furthermore, it illustrates His willingness to make us part of His family. No matter what happens to us in this world, we know we have a family, we know we have a Father. No matter what the current philosophies of this world are, no matter what pressures we face, we know that we are not alone. We know that we have a Father who loves us, and will continue to be with us.

You know? In many ways, the first readers of John were going through some ìseparation anxiety.î Jesus was no longer with them. The pressures of the world were mounting. They needed to know God was not going to leave them alone. They needed to know Daddy was coming back. They needed to be reassured, they will not become orphans.

To me this means, I can count on God. I can trust Him. Nothing reassures Danny more, than my presence and my love. He can trust me, because I keep my word. If I say to him ìI will be right back,î I do. I return to him as soon as I can. He knows he can trust me. I always return home. I always come back.

This also means to me, that even though I do not get everything right, even though I fall short of the glory of God, He is still my Father. He will still love me. He will still embrace me and call me His son. I will not be an orphan.

As we look ahead at what our vision and mission means to us, let us be reminded that the pressures of this world will discourage us. The pressures of this world would want us to leave our faith behind. Let us therefore, resolve to stand firm, and follow Jesus, do what he has commanded us to do. Let us therefore, resolve to stand firm and continue to be a witness for Jesus Christ, to testify what we have seen and experienced. Let us therefore, choose to trust God, believe in Him, and expect Him to be with us until the end of time.

Let us therefore, continue to be transformed by God so that in turn we might transform the world- for His honor and glory. Amen.