Today’s Author: Milt Warkentien
John 14:2 “In my Father’s house there are many rooms” is a verse I find very comforting. In John 14:6 we also find “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” More familiar words I find comfort in. Tomorrow we will hear these words read and then paired with John 18: 31-40 “Pilate’s Courtroom”. In John 18:31 Pilate says to those who have brought Jesus to him “take Jesus and judge him yourselves” to which they reply “we are not permitted to put anyone to death”. This scene is anything but comforting, and in light of some of the injustice that has occurred throughout history, this scene is even more troubling to me. “We are not permitted to put anyone to death” seems like the trial is over before it’s even begun.
How many people have been hung, or shot, before ever having a chance at a fair trial? We are seeing a mob mentality taking place, and I know I don’t read this passage the same way I used to. What images come to your mind in this scene? What injustices are vivid in your mind? Yes we focus on Jesus, and all the pain and suffering he endured for us, but I see more than just Jesus journeying to the cross, I see all the things that are binding my life, and events that have, and are, taking place around the world. Jesus is guilty without a trial. Aren’t we all bound in some way, through our own struggles, and the struggles that are in the world?
At the end of John 18: 37 we will hear “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” and then Pilate asks Jesus “What is truth?”. “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”. Are we listening to Jesus? Do we belong to the truth? These two questions are front and center when I read these passages. Are there still many rooms in God’s house for us? Do we know what truth is? I find Pilate’s words “What is truth” haunting. Is Pilate also asking us what is truth? Christianity seems like it should be such a simple thing. We just need to believe, how hard can that be?
How hard is it to follow Jesus, who is the way, and the truth, and the life? I know I fall short MANY times, and it hurts. I haven’t used ELW 343 My Song Is Love Unknown very much over the years, but for some reason, the 2nd verse jumped out at me this year. Part of the second verse is “love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be”. I hadn’t really ever noticed this part of the verse before, but I think that it really shows what Jesus does for us. No matter how loveless our lives may be, no matter what we’ve done, or how far we may have fallen, God still loves us, so we might be a beacon of God’s love. “Love to the loveless SHOWN that they might LOVELY BE. I find great comfort in these words and feel assured that there IS room in God’s house for me, and I know that is true for you, too. I urge you to take time to reflect on Jesus’s journey to the cross, and unbind yourselves, with God’s love (love to the loveless shown), so that you may be free (that they might lovely be).
I leave you with a prayer form ELW p.87 Prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Mid-week devotions are authored by members of our community. If you are interested in creating a trio of reflections to be shared on an upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, contact Pastor Peter.