JESUS IS OUR WAY TO THE FATHER

 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12

 

Today is the fifth Sunday of Easter and the gospel reading shows how Jesus came to reconnect us to the Father and take us to his Father’s house. If we go back to the creation account in the Book of Genesis, we will recall that after God had created man and woman, he placed them in the Garden of Eden and walked with them in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). What this implies is that God had a personal relationship with Adam and Eve and spoke with them directly. They in turn enjoyed a perfect relationship with God, with no sin to separate them. as such, they had an unrestricted access to God and could behold the face of God.

However, when they disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the tree, they were banished from the Garden of Eden, that is, from the presence of God. Their sin broke their fellowship with God, and they were no longer able to enjoy the same closeness they had experienced before. They lost access to God and could neither hear him directly, walk with him nor see him as before (Genesis 3:22-24). That is why throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to the people through intermediaries like the prophets. The prophets themselves never saw the face of God because as God said to Moses, “nobody could see the face of God and live, as the glory and holiness of God is too great for sinful and fallen humanity to behold” (Exodus 33:20).

So, since the Fall, humanity has been searching for a way back to God and a solution to the problem of sin. This relationship between God and humanity that was broken by the Fall was ultimately restored through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the testimony which Jesus shares with us in today’s gospel reading that in him, we now have access to the Father. He says that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Jesus is the way to God, the truth about who God is and what God requires of us, and the source of eternal life. This is a message of hope and redemption for all who believe in him.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has bridged the gap between God and humanity, providing a way for us to be reconciled to God and receive salvation. That is why he tells us not to be troubled because in his Father’s house are many rooms. As the Way to the Father, Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house and he will come back to take us to himself so that where he is, we may be also (John 14:2-3). This statement of Jesus is a message of hope and assurance for us believers, pointing to the promise of eternal life and the provision that Jesus has made for us to be with God in heaven.

Lastly, with the Fall, humanity was separated from God and His presence. God’s perfect nature and character were no longer fully revealed to humanity. But through Jesus Christ, God’s character and nature were once again revealed to humanity in a way that they could understand. That is why Jesus tells us in the gospel reading that to have seen him is to have seen the Father (John 14:9). This statement emphasizes Jesus’ unity with God the Father. He and the Father are one, and by seeing and knowing Jesus, we can see and know the Father. In Jesus, God the Father has once again made his face visible to the fallen humanity. Jesus is therefore the perfect representation of the Father’s character, and he came to earth to reveal God’s character to us.