Jesus, Our Rock Foundation
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series I, Cycle A
When Charlie Atlas was a teenager his parents bought him a dresser mirror that he placed in his bedroom. Before this time, whenever Charlie needed to use a mirror he went to the bathroom, but there he was only able to see his head and possibly his shoulders. When he got dressed up he used his parents' full length mirror in their bedroom. Charlie was happy with his new mirror; he spent many hours in front of it.
One day when he was standing in front of the mirror, Charlie decided to take off his shirt. He was very disappointed. His chest was scrawny and his biceps were so thin that he could place his hand completely around one. This was an intolerable situation; he did not want to be known as a scrawny weakling. Thus, on that very day, Charlie Atlas made a pact with himself; he would work as hard as necessary in order to build up his upper body, so that he would not be embarrassed in the mirror ever again. Charlie began a rugged daily regimen of exercise. For several hours each and every day he did exercises - push--ups, pull--ups, and sit--ups. Later he began to lift weights - barbells and dumbbells. He bought a special machine with weights, pulleys, and springs which allowed him to exercise even more.
After several months, Charlie again looked in the mirror. There was definite improvement. His chest had grown and his arms were more muscular. The positive results encouraged him and thus he doubled his efforts. He did more difficult exercises, lifted more weights, and now even began to eat only certain foods. He took lots of vitamins as well. After a couple of years of this strenuous exercise program, Charlie again looked in the mirror. He was quite satisfied, even elated. His chest was huge and taut and his biceps were so large that two hands could not encircle one. His stomach rippled like waves on the ocean. As he stood in personal admiration, all of a sudden Charlie collapsed. His parents were quite concerned and rushed him to the doctor. They thought for certain that it was a case of overexertion, but the doctor, after examining Charlie, said it was much more simple. Charlie's ankles and legs were too weak, they could not support his massive bulk, thus he collapsed. You see Charlie could only see his upper body in the mirror and that was all he developed.1
The story of Charlie Atlas is a good illustration of a problem most of us have - we build up the externals of our life, but we forget about the rock foundation upon which our life must be based. We are like the house of which Jesus speaks that is built on sand and is washed away in a storm (Matthew 7:26--27). We need to fully recognize that we must build our house on the rock foundation which is Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As we learned last week, there are many roads that can be followed but we must pass through Jesus the gate that leads to the Father and eternal life. Today we are challenged to build our life in every aspect on Christ. We seem to be concerned with many things and work feverishly to accomplish many goals and achieve many accolades, but if we are not firmly grounded in Christ, we will fall as rapidly and unexpectedly as did Charlie Atlas.
The eschatological discourse of Jesus in Saint John's Gospel (chapters 13--17) presents some of the most profound theology of the fourth evangelist. In today's gospel, we hear in very clear and certain terms that there is a specific relationship between the Lord and God's people. Jesus is the rock foundation from which all that we have ever been, are now, and hope to be springs. In an analogous way to Jesus' description last week that he is the gate through which we must pass, so today we hear as clearly, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (14:6b). Jesus is the source of our sustenance; he is the path and guide to the Father and salvation. We must heed the call of Christ and make certain that it is his lead we follow, his word we hear, and his message we proclaim - a task made that much more difficult in a world that does not appreciate nor greatly value the message of fidelity and fealty that the Lord proclaims.
Jesus' response to Thomas' question, "Lord, we do not know where we are going. How can we know the way?" (14:5), demonstrates the centrality of Christ's role in all that we do and say. "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, " says Jesus, "No one comes to the Father except through me." Yes, Jesus is the way, but it seems that we willingly choose other routes that are only detours, or paths which seem clear but are laden with obstacles, hurdles, and potholes. Other routes seems so easy and, thus, we take the path of least resistance. We must not forget, however, how clear Jesus was in the Sermon on the Mount, as reported by Saint Matthew, "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13--14).
In our hearts we know that Jesus is the only way, the true gate that leads to life, but often there is a disconnect between our hearts and heads, for too often we "think" there is a better, faster, or more profitable way and make the mistake of taking these roads. On the surface, the alternative paths that we take may seem the best option at the time, but we suffer from tunnel vision or we possess blinders that do not allow us to see the bigger picture. We live in and concentrate on the here and now; we seldom look down the road or see what the long--term effects of our actions may bring. The common contemporary desire for instant results and satisfaction tempts us to take shortcuts and other paths that, in the end, are really detours and dead ends; they lead us in all sorts of directions, but not along the path of life. We must truly take to heart Jesus' words, that he is the one and only way that leads to salvation.
Jesus tells Thomas that he is the truth, but this reality also seems to allude our consciousness. We become very adept at convincing ourselves that there are numerous truths, and varied understandings of the Christian message. But there is only one truth and that is the message which Jesus clearly articulates in the gospels. Some may center in on the "Golden Rule," love of God and love of neighbor as oneself. Others may gravitate toward the challenge of Matthew 25 where in his apocalyptic discourse Jesus tells his disciples that we will be judged on how we have treated our least brothers and sisters, for by our actions toward them we demonstrate our actions toward Christ. Still others may say that Jesus' central message is, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8). All of these ideas, however, find their roots in the message to love. Jesus is complete love and, therefore, this is the truth that he brings. It is not easy and probably is impossible to like all people. We have so many varied ideas, personalities, and backgrounds, that such a utopian idea can never be reached. But, we are called to love all people, giving them the common Christian dignity that is their due as members of God's family, regardless of creed, national origin, ethnicity, or religious understanding. Jesus is the truth which is love and, thus, if we desire to follow, we must exercise the love which he exemplified.
Lastly, Jesus calls himself the life, the only life that truly should have meaning for us. Fads, gurus, easy--fix solutions, self--help ideas, and a host of other ways of life challenge the polity of Jesus' reign, but there is only one life that we should follow. Too often we get off track and follow people, ideas, ideologies, and even institutions that we perceive will bring us life. But, like the false roads that we sometimes traverse, so, too, those who preach a way of life that seems easy, less burdened, and apparently attractive only lead us away from the one and true life that we must always seek. Jesus is the one whose salvific death and resurrection has true meaning for us. There is no other life that can offer us salvation, the free gift to those who believe, yet the prize which we seemingly do not value more than the things of the earth, if we consider how easily we are swayed away from this one and only life of truth.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; he is the font for the Father. The Lord goes further and tells his apostles that if they have seen him they have seen the Father. The truth of this statement forces us in our contemporary context to go one step further and declare that if we, the presence of Christ in our world, are true disciples, then we must take up the cross and follow Jesus' lead, as did those first disciples. We must do our part, day--by--day to bring Christ's message to the world. We must not shy away from this basic call of discipleship with the excuse that we are too busy, not qualified, or worse yet, we don't have the time. How will the world know the correct path to follow, that Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that he is the one who brings us to God and eternal life, if we, his contemporary disciples do not show the proper way and lead by example? The Christian life brings us many privileges, but with these wonderful benefits comes a myriad of responsibilities that we cannot shirk if we are to find life with God. We cannot bury our heads in the sand with the hopes that God will not see and we cannot claim incompetence with the hope that others will take up the slack and carry our share of the burden. The absolute need to carry our share of the burden as we follow Jesus, the Way, the Truth and Life is dramatically portrayed in a little story: Once in a far--off land there was a great king whose dominion extended far and wide. His power and authority were absolute. One day, as events would happen, a young man, a commoner, committed a grave offense against the king. In response the king and his counselors gathered together to determine what should be done. They decided that since the offense was so grave and had been committed by a commoner against someone so august as the king, the only punishment that would satisfy justice was death. The king's son, the crown prince, however, interceded on the young offender's behalf - you see, they were best friends. The prince spoke with his father and the counselors; the debate grew rather heated. In the end the king declared, "The offender must pay a price for his offense. I decree that he must carry a heavy burden up Temple Mountain. If he survives the ordeal he shall live!"
The prince again interceded for his friend. He knew the burden of which his father spoke was the weight of death and he knew his friend would not be able to carry it. Thus the prince declared, "Royal blood has been offended, therefore only royal blood can pay the price." So the prince shouldered the heavy burden himself, and with his friend trailing behind him, he began the ascent of the mountain. The task was very difficult. The higher the prince climbed the heavier the burden became. The prince slipped and stumbled several times, but he always managed to right himself and keep going. When the two friends first saw the summit, their goal, the prince collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He said to his friend, "In order for justice to be served, the price must be paid." The young man understood the prince and, thus, he shouldered the burden himself and, now with the prince following, managed to climb the rest of the way to the summit. When the two friends reached their goal, the prince, with his last ounces of strength, lifted the burden high over his head and then he died.
The king, observing all these events from below, declared, "Justice has been completed." Then with his great power he returned his son to life. The prince, now returned to life, said, "Not so, not yet. Justice has not been served. Royal blood received help along the way!" The king had to agree. He pardoned the young offender and the two best friends lived happily ever after.2
Like the commoner in the story who followed the prince, we are called to follow Christ, who will shoulder our burdens, but we must do our share. He will bring direction, light, and sustenance to our life, if we follow and are willing to lead others along a similar path. Do we firmly believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and are we willing to lead others to the Lord? Only you can answer!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "Charlie Atlas and the Dresser Mirror," in John Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: Crossroad, 1993), pp. 26--27.
2. Ibid., paraphrased from "The Burden: A Tale of Christ," pp. 130--132.
One day when he was standing in front of the mirror, Charlie decided to take off his shirt. He was very disappointed. His chest was scrawny and his biceps were so thin that he could place his hand completely around one. This was an intolerable situation; he did not want to be known as a scrawny weakling. Thus, on that very day, Charlie Atlas made a pact with himself; he would work as hard as necessary in order to build up his upper body, so that he would not be embarrassed in the mirror ever again. Charlie began a rugged daily regimen of exercise. For several hours each and every day he did exercises - push--ups, pull--ups, and sit--ups. Later he began to lift weights - barbells and dumbbells. He bought a special machine with weights, pulleys, and springs which allowed him to exercise even more.
After several months, Charlie again looked in the mirror. There was definite improvement. His chest had grown and his arms were more muscular. The positive results encouraged him and thus he doubled his efforts. He did more difficult exercises, lifted more weights, and now even began to eat only certain foods. He took lots of vitamins as well. After a couple of years of this strenuous exercise program, Charlie again looked in the mirror. He was quite satisfied, even elated. His chest was huge and taut and his biceps were so large that two hands could not encircle one. His stomach rippled like waves on the ocean. As he stood in personal admiration, all of a sudden Charlie collapsed. His parents were quite concerned and rushed him to the doctor. They thought for certain that it was a case of overexertion, but the doctor, after examining Charlie, said it was much more simple. Charlie's ankles and legs were too weak, they could not support his massive bulk, thus he collapsed. You see Charlie could only see his upper body in the mirror and that was all he developed.1
The story of Charlie Atlas is a good illustration of a problem most of us have - we build up the externals of our life, but we forget about the rock foundation upon which our life must be based. We are like the house of which Jesus speaks that is built on sand and is washed away in a storm (Matthew 7:26--27). We need to fully recognize that we must build our house on the rock foundation which is Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As we learned last week, there are many roads that can be followed but we must pass through Jesus the gate that leads to the Father and eternal life. Today we are challenged to build our life in every aspect on Christ. We seem to be concerned with many things and work feverishly to accomplish many goals and achieve many accolades, but if we are not firmly grounded in Christ, we will fall as rapidly and unexpectedly as did Charlie Atlas.
The eschatological discourse of Jesus in Saint John's Gospel (chapters 13--17) presents some of the most profound theology of the fourth evangelist. In today's gospel, we hear in very clear and certain terms that there is a specific relationship between the Lord and God's people. Jesus is the rock foundation from which all that we have ever been, are now, and hope to be springs. In an analogous way to Jesus' description last week that he is the gate through which we must pass, so today we hear as clearly, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (14:6b). Jesus is the source of our sustenance; he is the path and guide to the Father and salvation. We must heed the call of Christ and make certain that it is his lead we follow, his word we hear, and his message we proclaim - a task made that much more difficult in a world that does not appreciate nor greatly value the message of fidelity and fealty that the Lord proclaims.
Jesus' response to Thomas' question, "Lord, we do not know where we are going. How can we know the way?" (14:5), demonstrates the centrality of Christ's role in all that we do and say. "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, " says Jesus, "No one comes to the Father except through me." Yes, Jesus is the way, but it seems that we willingly choose other routes that are only detours, or paths which seem clear but are laden with obstacles, hurdles, and potholes. Other routes seems so easy and, thus, we take the path of least resistance. We must not forget, however, how clear Jesus was in the Sermon on the Mount, as reported by Saint Matthew, "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13--14).
In our hearts we know that Jesus is the only way, the true gate that leads to life, but often there is a disconnect between our hearts and heads, for too often we "think" there is a better, faster, or more profitable way and make the mistake of taking these roads. On the surface, the alternative paths that we take may seem the best option at the time, but we suffer from tunnel vision or we possess blinders that do not allow us to see the bigger picture. We live in and concentrate on the here and now; we seldom look down the road or see what the long--term effects of our actions may bring. The common contemporary desire for instant results and satisfaction tempts us to take shortcuts and other paths that, in the end, are really detours and dead ends; they lead us in all sorts of directions, but not along the path of life. We must truly take to heart Jesus' words, that he is the one and only way that leads to salvation.
Jesus tells Thomas that he is the truth, but this reality also seems to allude our consciousness. We become very adept at convincing ourselves that there are numerous truths, and varied understandings of the Christian message. But there is only one truth and that is the message which Jesus clearly articulates in the gospels. Some may center in on the "Golden Rule," love of God and love of neighbor as oneself. Others may gravitate toward the challenge of Matthew 25 where in his apocalyptic discourse Jesus tells his disciples that we will be judged on how we have treated our least brothers and sisters, for by our actions toward them we demonstrate our actions toward Christ. Still others may say that Jesus' central message is, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8). All of these ideas, however, find their roots in the message to love. Jesus is complete love and, therefore, this is the truth that he brings. It is not easy and probably is impossible to like all people. We have so many varied ideas, personalities, and backgrounds, that such a utopian idea can never be reached. But, we are called to love all people, giving them the common Christian dignity that is their due as members of God's family, regardless of creed, national origin, ethnicity, or religious understanding. Jesus is the truth which is love and, thus, if we desire to follow, we must exercise the love which he exemplified.
Lastly, Jesus calls himself the life, the only life that truly should have meaning for us. Fads, gurus, easy--fix solutions, self--help ideas, and a host of other ways of life challenge the polity of Jesus' reign, but there is only one life that we should follow. Too often we get off track and follow people, ideas, ideologies, and even institutions that we perceive will bring us life. But, like the false roads that we sometimes traverse, so, too, those who preach a way of life that seems easy, less burdened, and apparently attractive only lead us away from the one and true life that we must always seek. Jesus is the one whose salvific death and resurrection has true meaning for us. There is no other life that can offer us salvation, the free gift to those who believe, yet the prize which we seemingly do not value more than the things of the earth, if we consider how easily we are swayed away from this one and only life of truth.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; he is the font for the Father. The Lord goes further and tells his apostles that if they have seen him they have seen the Father. The truth of this statement forces us in our contemporary context to go one step further and declare that if we, the presence of Christ in our world, are true disciples, then we must take up the cross and follow Jesus' lead, as did those first disciples. We must do our part, day--by--day to bring Christ's message to the world. We must not shy away from this basic call of discipleship with the excuse that we are too busy, not qualified, or worse yet, we don't have the time. How will the world know the correct path to follow, that Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that he is the one who brings us to God and eternal life, if we, his contemporary disciples do not show the proper way and lead by example? The Christian life brings us many privileges, but with these wonderful benefits comes a myriad of responsibilities that we cannot shirk if we are to find life with God. We cannot bury our heads in the sand with the hopes that God will not see and we cannot claim incompetence with the hope that others will take up the slack and carry our share of the burden. The absolute need to carry our share of the burden as we follow Jesus, the Way, the Truth and Life is dramatically portrayed in a little story: Once in a far--off land there was a great king whose dominion extended far and wide. His power and authority were absolute. One day, as events would happen, a young man, a commoner, committed a grave offense against the king. In response the king and his counselors gathered together to determine what should be done. They decided that since the offense was so grave and had been committed by a commoner against someone so august as the king, the only punishment that would satisfy justice was death. The king's son, the crown prince, however, interceded on the young offender's behalf - you see, they were best friends. The prince spoke with his father and the counselors; the debate grew rather heated. In the end the king declared, "The offender must pay a price for his offense. I decree that he must carry a heavy burden up Temple Mountain. If he survives the ordeal he shall live!"
The prince again interceded for his friend. He knew the burden of which his father spoke was the weight of death and he knew his friend would not be able to carry it. Thus the prince declared, "Royal blood has been offended, therefore only royal blood can pay the price." So the prince shouldered the heavy burden himself, and with his friend trailing behind him, he began the ascent of the mountain. The task was very difficult. The higher the prince climbed the heavier the burden became. The prince slipped and stumbled several times, but he always managed to right himself and keep going. When the two friends first saw the summit, their goal, the prince collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He said to his friend, "In order for justice to be served, the price must be paid." The young man understood the prince and, thus, he shouldered the burden himself and, now with the prince following, managed to climb the rest of the way to the summit. When the two friends reached their goal, the prince, with his last ounces of strength, lifted the burden high over his head and then he died.
The king, observing all these events from below, declared, "Justice has been completed." Then with his great power he returned his son to life. The prince, now returned to life, said, "Not so, not yet. Justice has not been served. Royal blood received help along the way!" The king had to agree. He pardoned the young offender and the two best friends lived happily ever after.2
Like the commoner in the story who followed the prince, we are called to follow Christ, who will shoulder our burdens, but we must do our share. He will bring direction, light, and sustenance to our life, if we follow and are willing to lead others along a similar path. Do we firmly believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and are we willing to lead others to the Lord? Only you can answer!
____________
1. Paraphrased from "Charlie Atlas and the Dresser Mirror," in John Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: Crossroad, 1993), pp. 26--27.
2. Ibid., paraphrased from "The Burden: A Tale of Christ," pp. 130--132.
