“Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.”
John 14:23-25 NLT
A person’s last words carry much weight and importance. Many a film has included a cameo of an old or very sick person lying in a bed during their last hours, with friends or relatives hanging onto their every word, especially if these are few and far between, and their inheritance is at stake. But this scenario didn’t apply with Jesus. In His last hours He was fit and well, and He had much to say to His disciples. The shadow of the Cross was becoming shorter and He must have been feeling many emotions. Of course, the ever present thought of the pain and humiliation ahead of Him must have been uppermost in His mind. Jesus would also have been looking forward to the joy of returning to His Heavenly home and being with His Father once again. But His primary concerns were for His disciples. How would they cope without Him? And it is true that they would have had no chance except for the Gift coming their way, the Holy Spirit. But in this interlude bounded by the Last Supper, and a few hours later, His arrest, Jesus had much to say to His friends. As we have already read, Jesus reassured them, “No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live” (John 14:18-19).
As a preface, Jesus told His disciples that the information He was making available to them was not something He was arbitrarily making up – His words originated with Father God Himself. In other words, what He was telling them could not have been more important. And He emphasised the significance of love and obedience, primary requirements in their relationship with Jesus that would underpin their future life without Him.
We pilgrims are modern day disciples of Jesus; His teachings still apply today and will continue to do so until the end of time. So everything we are about, doing and thinking, must be conformant with the need to love Jesus and diligently be obedient to all His commands. But this is not a legalistic demand. There is no law or rule about loving God that can be quantified and applied. Such love comes out of a relationship with Jesus that motivates and guides us through all we do and say. And that love will define our obedience to His commands. Paul taught in Ephesians 4:21-24, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy“. Love and obedience to Jesus can only come from a new birth experience.
Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. Without Him and His truthful guidance, we would be incapable of living in the way Jesus demands. In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light“. Living the Jesus way, infiltrated with love and obedience, somehow puts us into a zone of Kingdom compliance that is surprisingly not nearly as hard as some make out. In Acts 26:14b, we read what Jesus said to Paul on the Damascus Road,“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will“. Paul had to come to the point where he totally abandoned his old self and way of living, and instead became a true believer living in the way of love and obedience to Jesus. And so it must be with us pilgrims, as we once again consider the last words of Jesus.
Dear Lord Jesus. We celebrate, because You are alive today. Thank You for Your love. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 