“What I have said”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, May 25, 2025
John 14: 23-31 (Forward, p. 27) CEV p. 1122
Jesus’ utterances come up rather frequently in today’s passage:
-the things I have said haven’t really come from me, but from the
Father.
-I have told you these things while I was still with you, but the
Spirit will come and teach you everything and remind you of what
I have said.
-I have told you that I am going away. However, I leave you with my
peace, a peace of the sort that the world cannot give.
-I am telling you this beforehand, so that when it happens, you will
have faith in me.
-if you truly love me, you will obey me, obey the commands and
instructions that I have given you.
Obviously, then, Jesus’ words, His utterances, are to have more of an impact than just verbal pleasantries. They are to issue forth into action, that is, into faith and trust in God, and into obedience. Anything less than this isn’t satisfactory. In fact, according to Jesus, it is evidence that we don’t really love Him. Ugh. May we, you and I, then grow daily in our love, our faith, and our obedience. Amen.
Forward notes: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (verse 27b).
“Amid the troubles and tribulations of the world, Christ calls us to leave our fears behind and embrace hope.
“The hope that Jesus calls us to is not a call to put on rose-colored glasses. It’s not a summons to some sort of unfounded optimism that is completely out of touch with the reality of the world. Instead, it is a call to live in a hope founded on the promises of one who has met death and emerged victorious. This sort of hope does not deny the existence of pain and death but persists despite them.
“It is a call to look at the world through an Easter lens. Through this lens, we can see that in Christ, joy can assert itself even in times of pain and loss, and community can break into a world filled with isolation. It is a reminder that the God of peace who has brought Jesus from death to life will not abandon us in our isolation or despair—and will not leave us comfortless.”
Moving Forward: “When you feel troubled and afraid, return to these words from the Gospel of John.”