"And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own..."
In my opinion, John 14 through 17 is the single most important discourse in the bible. I read it often, and live in it as much as I can. But it is especially important and relevant at Easter.
These three chapters are about Jesus' last meeting with his people, His final thoughts to leave with them and the most intimate, open, honest, heart level discussion between God and man to be found anywhere in literature (my opinion). If anything needed to be said, now was the time cause all hell was coming over the next couple of days.
This was His time to say Good-Bye, to tell them what to expect and mostly to reassure them (and us) that no matter what things look like, they were following a plan that had been well thought out before the world was created and that would not fail.
Rather than discuss strategy, final orders or tactics, Christ comforted, encouraged and warned the disciples about things that were unfolding. Then He prayed over them and for them, and each of us (sorry Church of Christ folks, these chapters are written for us as much as for the disciples).
More than 'posits', or religious sticking points, these chapters, along with other accounts of the evening presented elsewhere, are about relationship. Relationship that Easter is all about. Rather than throw out my comments on the discourse, or talk about how it applies in my life, I would today like to issue a challenge to anyone who reads my blog.
The challenge is to do an internet search on John 14-17 NIV, and read these three chapters. Throw out the religious connotations you may have been exposed to and any intellectual criticism (for now), and just read the words allowing them to say what they say - not what you think they might say or what you've been taught or what you've criticized or rejected in the past. Read the words as if you were there at that moment, listen to the heart of God to his disciples, and give these short chapters the opportunity to paint their own picture of God, and the relationship He desires with mankind and each man and you.
Give Jesus' good-bye to his people the opportunity to be His introduction to you, and give Easter a chance to mean what it means without Peter Cottontail. I hope the challenge is beneficial.
"And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."