You Can’t Get There From Here

Reverend Philip Stringer

John 13:31-35

LET US PRAY: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Feed us with your Word, and speak to our hearts, that we may be filled with your endless life, now and forever. AMEN

It was my first trip to the Holy Land -- I was with a group of fellow seminary students and our Old Testament professor. We began our trip in Amman Jordan. One day, we went to a sight identified as Mount Nebo — the place where Moses looked out and was shown the place that would be a home for the Hebrews -- the promised land.

Moses, we are told in the Scriptures, was not permitted to enter that land -- similarly to the condition for many today. As we stood on the mountain looking west into the West Bank -- and beyond into Israel -- across the heavily protected boarder, a simple truth was clear: “You can’t get there from here.”

As Jesus sat with his disciples on the night of his betrayal, he said to them: “Where I am going, you cannot go.” I wonder what that was like for his disciples. Here was a group of people who had given up everything to follow him. People who had trusted him and staked their futures on him — now hearing these words: “You can’t come with me any farther.” Where I am going -- you can’t get there from here.

How would you feel if you were in their shoes? Well, the truth is that you are in their shoes. And what Jesus says to them, he says to us, too: “Where I am going you cannot go.”

Jesus prefaces this statement by talking about the glory of God -- who exists in a perfect state of love. You can’t go there. The Jews couldn’t go there through their works of the law. The disciples couldn’t go there through their works of devotion or modeling themselves after Jesus.

So how can you and I go there?! Jesus gave a new commandment: Love one another. That’s the way to the place where Jesus has gone. But you and I can’t go there -- because you can’t get there from here.

“Here” is the place of our brokenness. Here is the place where we are held captive by sin -- which is the breaking of relationship. There is no love in sin, except a corrupted love of the self. You and I can’t get there from here, either by will or work or natural disposition. But if there is one great thing we learn in the Jesus story, it is this: when you and I can’t go to God, God comes to us.

“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”

When Jesus gives his new commandment, it isn’t a consolation prize. It is not as if he has said, “Well, you won’t have me anymore, but at least you’ve got each other!”

The new commandment is Jesus saying that the place where he is going . . . is right here. Right into your midst. But the key to finding him here is holy love.

The Christians in Jerusalem were surprised to hear that Gentiles were being converted to the faith -- It was their understanding that salvation was for Jews. And they were probably REALLY surprised to learn that Peter — of all people — was the one who preached to them! But Peter told them what had happened -- how God had spoken to him through a vision and led these gentile people to the place where he was -- he tells about how God led him, through these gentiles, to the place where Cornelius was -- , and we read,

“when they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’”

God has given even to Gentiles . . .

God has given, even to people like you and me . . .

From the beginning, the followers of Jesus throughout history have been on a journey of discovering the presence of Jesus in unexpected places. And that journey continues today among us -- right here. The kingdom of God is where the love of God is alive in relationships, building and bonding and blessing. The kingdom of God is found, even in the unexpected place of you and me. And that’s the glory of God. God is glorified in you; God is glorified in me — that we should be part of the kingdom.

It is the night of Jesus’ betrayal -- he is at the Passover table with his disciples. Jesus has washed their feet and spoken to them about serving one another -- Judas gets up and leaves to betray him -- and when he goes, here’s what John says:

“(Judas) immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus -- the light of the world -- said, ‘now God has been glorified.’”

The greatness of God is proclaimed most powerfully when we see that the love of God continues – unaffected -- even when the darkness assails it. When Jesus was being betrayed by his closest friends, he still continued in perfect love for them toward the cross.

Where Jesus is going you can’t go. But that’s why he’s going there; so you don’t have to. Jesus -- the light of the world-- is going to the source of our darkness and is conquering it with love.

Habitat for Humanity --

I like doing woodwork, but what I don’t know a lot about is home construction.

I worked to help others, but I also learned in the process.

fellowship

everyone can do something

together, we built a house of love.

Jesus is building a home in you and with you -- but not individually. Personally, yes, but not individually. The house he is building is among us. His home is a home of love. And he is not only building it here in “church” -- but wherever you give and receive in holy love -- work, school, neighbors -- Jesus, the master carpenter -- is building a home in you that is the glory of God. It is the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, who does this.

“I give you a new command, that you love one another.” You can’t get there from here. But don’t despair. The good news is that God is coming to you and will build you up in love. Build you up WITH love.

Where Jesus is going (to his Father) -- you can’t get there from here. But Jesus can get there -- and he can get from there to here -- to wherever you are -- feeling strong or weak, angry or scared or dirty -- Jesus comes with the glory of God. Because if you can’t come to him, then he will come to you.

That’s the whole story of the gospel.

And he comes to work. To build -- not so much for you as through you and with you, so that you may be the kingdom.

“Love one another,” he says.

AMEN