John 14: 1-14 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
Probably no other sentence in the Bible has been so misunderstood and misused as the sixth verse in the 14th chapter of the gospel of John. And I quote, “Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Too often this verse has been used as an exclusionary weapon to say if you do not believe that a singular person the Universal Christ incarnated into 2,000 years ago in Palestine, is the only way to salvation, then you’re lost for all eternity. What Jesus was really saying, does not mean that.
The early Christian writers of the New Testament used the Greek word “hodos” for the term “the Way,” to describe the literal and figurative paths their lives were supposed to follow. The term “hodos” could also refer to a way of life. Jesus pointed to John the Baptizer who came “in the way (hodos) of righteousness.” Reading the book of Acts it mentions the followers of Jesus talking about their whole communal life as following in “the way.”
According to John’s gospel, Jesus did tell his followers, “I am the way.” This expression is not the same as, “I am the answer,” something many Christians assume that Jesus said, but he didn’t. The difference between the two statements is huge. “I am the way” invites a great journey with openness to all the riddles and doubts that go with an adventure with uncertain paths. By contrast, “I am the answer,” suggests a packaged arrangement, a relationship involving little risk.
In his book, “Hidden History: Exploring Our Secret Past,” Daniel Boorstin explains the historical difference between a traveler and a tourist. In previous centuries, travelers were those interested in unfamiliar settings and wild encounters that enlarged one’s mind. The traveler was active and went into a hard search of people, adventure and experience.
The tourist was different. Tourists are passive and expect interesting things to happen to them. Tourists are just interested in sight-seeing. Tourism, according to author Daniel Boorstin, is a spectator sport full of contrived, prefabricated experiences. Kind of like fishing in one of those pay-to-fish lakes.
The word “travel” comes from the same word as travail, which can mean trouble, work or even torment. A traveler takes risks, plunges into diverse cultures and seeks to learn local customs. Unplanned experiences are the traveler’s style, sometimes involving challenging exploits. Travelers eat whatever food is placed before them and ask questions later. Then they are surprised to find out that an unknown dish of fried Iguana tastes similar to fried chicken.
A tourist is not a risk taker. The word “tour” comes from the Latin word, “tornus,” which literally means, “one who goes in circles.” A tourist is a pleasure seeker who passes through different exotic experiences only to return to a comfortable bed at night. Insulated from the noise and the local people, a tourist’s circle is complete once back home unpacking mementos and sharing photos.
I’m sure many churches contain both travelers and tourists. Travelers would be those who come to be challenged. Challenged with their preconceived ideas of religion and the world they’re use to. The traveler wants to breathe the language of faith and know the real message of the Christ. Now, the tourist wants no challenge. They just want to hear to affirm what they have believed all their life. For the tourist, going to church is a passive experience. A social club with a good donut or two.
We live in a pluralistic world, but there is only one Reality, which people of nearly all faiths call “God,” which exists within the creation of the universe. This Reality does not favor any one particular religion. All religious systems were created by humans, by which people in different times and places sought to be travelers into that mystery which is the Ultimate Reality and the Holy Other. Until that simple lesson is learned, humans will continue to kill each other in the name of the “one true God.”
I can say with confidence that Jesus’ “way” is the Way. By that I mean his teachings, his example and certainly his love. People of other religions are also that “way” if love is their priority. When you see so many vehicles in America with signs that say, “accept Jesus,” what are those drivers really trying to say? If the driver is only saying they love Jesus, but hate immigrants, hate people of color, hate the homeless and hate gay and transgender people, they are not following the way of Jesus at all!
Jesus’ way is the truth and the life and those who believe this should follow that message with grace, mercy and love. Joining with those of other religions with the same values unites all of us into the Divine Mystery we call “God.” This is not a call for conversion, but to learn from each other and to share and explore the marvels of the many dwelling places in the Realm of God.
In verse two of the gospel reading it mentions “many dwelling places.” One could interpret this statement as unity among diversity. Jesus did not say, In my Father’s house there are just a few dwelling places, so get your act together. Instead during Jesus’ last days on earth, he teaches his disciples to live as he did, revealing the stunning abundance and love from God. His example of the way, truth and life could’ve reshaped a broken world if Christians down through the centuries had not narrowed down Jesus to just some kind of fire insurance and a ticket to Heaven. The Greek word used for “dwelling places” is “monai” which can also mean, “stages upon the way.” In other words, there is room for progress, development and learning. And certainly room for all.
I suppose we all have to choose the spiritual path that leads us to the “way” as Jesus taught his disciples. Will ours be a journey rich in wild mystery, full of the unknown and possibly risk? Or will it be more of a boring path where we pick up a word here and there, making a few social connections and maintaining the status-quo?
Our world is changing at a rate unprecedented in world history. Perhaps some of you might have watched the coronation of King Charles III yesterday. Yes, I know getting up at 5 am on a Saturday morning is beyond rough, so I caught the last two hours of it. One thing that really impressed me was that King Charles invited leaders of different religions to his coronation at Westminster Abbey, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and others that had been part of the United Kingdom. That would’ve been unthinkable at the last coronation in 1953. The black and white answers of faith in the past must give way to the rainbow realities of the way and the present.
AMEN
