{"id":28894,"date":"2026-04-28T02:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T02:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=28894"},"modified":"2026-04-29T04:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T04:49:38","slug":"the-way-the-truth-and-the-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=28894","title":{"rendered":"The Way, the Truth and the Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lectio Reflection – Fifth Sunday of Easter – John 14:1-12 (Year A, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are some passages in the Gospel of John that feel less like ordinary teaching and more like standing before a great mystery. This Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Easter is one of them. It is rich, layered, and deeply personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disciples sense that something is changing, though they do not yet understand what lies ahead. Into that uncertainty Jesus speaks words that continue to comfort the Church:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn My Father\u2019s House There Are Many Places to Live\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most beautiful images in this Gospel is the image of the Father\u2019s house. Yet I think we can miss the depth of what John is saying if we reduce it simply to \u201cheaven later on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greek word used here is connected to the idea of abiding<\/em>\u2014a word John loves. Jesus says there are many \u201cabodes\u201d in the Father\u2019s house. Later in this same discourse, Jesus says that the Father and the Son will come and \u201cmake their abode\u201d with the believer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there is both a future promise and a present reality.Yes, Jesus prepares a place for us in eternal life. But at the same time, God desires already to dwell within us now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That changes the whole understanding of the Christian life. Faith is not simply waiting for heaven one day. It is entering now into a living relationship with the Father through Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Am the Way\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thomas, wonderfully honest as always, says what many of us feel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Jesus replies with one of the great declarations in Scripture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the way, the truth and the life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice that Jesus does not merely show<\/em> the way. He is<\/em> the way. That means Christianity is not fundamentally a philosophy or a moral system. It is relationship. The Christian journey is not simply about following rules or achieving perfection. It is about remaining close to a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I think many people today are spiritually exhausted because they try to carry faith as an obligation rather than receiving it as relationship. The way is not an idea. The way is Christ himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth as Divine Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

John\u2019s Gospel uses words very carefully. \u201cTruth\u201d in John is not merely factual accuracy. Truth is divine reality. It is life as God sees it and shares it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Father is truth.
The Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
And Jesus embodies that truth perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To walk in truth, then, is not simply to hold correct opinions. It is to live in communion with God. And this is where I think the Gospel challenges us deeply. We live in a culture flooded with information, opinions, arguments, and noise. But truth in the Johannine sense is something far deeper: it is participation in the life of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoever Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Philip asks Jesus: \u201cLord, show us the Father.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Jesus almost sounds pained in his response: \u201cHave I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most extraordinary statements in all the Gospels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoever has seen me has seen the Father.\u201d <\/em>Everything Christians believe about God is revealed in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • the way he speaks,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the way he forgives,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the way he suffers,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the way he welcomes,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the way he loves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    And perhaps this is why Christianity is ultimately incarnational. God does not remain distant or abstract. God becomes human and walks among us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sharing in the Divine Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most astonishing aspects of this Gospel is the intimacy of the relationship Jesus describes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI am in the Father and the Father is in me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But John does not stop there. Jesus later says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is the heart of Christian discipleship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Faith is not simply admiration from a distance. It is participation. Through baptism and faith, the believer is drawn into the life of Christ himself.And this has practical consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If Christ lives in us, then people should encounter something of Christ through us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not perfection.
    Not superiority.
    But presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The way we speak, forgive, listen, serve, and endure should reveal something of the Lord who dwells within us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Witness in an Uncertain World<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Jesus tells the disciples they will do even greater works because he is returning to the Father. At first, that sounds almost impossible. How could anyone do greater works than Christ? But the point is that the risen Christ continues his work through the Church. Through ordinary believers. Through lives transformed by grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And perhaps this is where the Gospel becomes very personal for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I have to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Does my life reveal Christ?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Do people encounter hope, patience, mercy, and faith through me?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Or have I allowed distraction, cynicism, and fear to cloud that witness?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The Gospel does not ask us merely to admire Jesus. It asks us to abide in him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Living With Hope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The spiritual life is not about having every answer. It is about remaining in relationship – even amid confusion. The Christian life is lived not by mastering mystery, but by dwelling within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And perhaps that is what Easter faith finally becomes: not certainty about everything,
      but trust in the One who says, \u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Prayer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Almighty everliving God,
      constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us,
      that those you were pleased to make new in holy baptism
      may bear much fruit under your protective care
      and come to the joys of life eternal.
      Through Christ our Lord. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Lectio Reflection – Fifth Sunday of Easter – John 14:1-12 (Year A, 2026) There are some passages in the Gospel of John that feel less like ordinary teaching and more like standing before a great mystery. This Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Easter is one of them. It is rich, layered, and deeply personal. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bishop-david-walker","category-newsletter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John.jpg",600,335,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John.jpg",600,335,false],"large":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John.jpg",600,335,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John.jpg",600,335,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John.jpg",600,335,false],"menu-24x24":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John-24x13.jpg",24,13,true],"menu-36x36":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John-36x20.jpg",36,20,true],"menu-48x48":["https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20140321_John-48x27.jpg",48,27,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"David Walker","author_link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?author=4"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Lectio Reflection – Fifth Sunday of Easter – John 14:1-12 (Year A, 2026) There are some passages in the Gospel of John that feel less like ordinary teaching and more like standing before a great mystery. This Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Easter is one of them. It is rich, layered, and deeply personal.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28894"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28898,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28894\/revisions\/28898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}