If the chance of a reunion is not likely and the future is totally unknown, it can be heart wrenching and traumatic to say goodbye to a dear friend. Jesus was completely aware and sensitive to the questions and concerns of His disciples that final night as they celebrated the Passover Feast together. He had made it clear to them that He would be leaving them, but He wanted them to be filled with hope for the future, to feel confident that what He promised would come true, and to know that life would be full and complete even when they could no longer walk and talk with Him in person each day.
In these solemn hours Jesus shared some of the most comforting truths that we have recorded in Scripture. He knew that their pain and loss would only be temporary. He knew that their hours of despair and crisis would not last. He knew what the Father had planned for Himself and for all those who would believe in Him, so He willingly faced the suffering, so that His disciples could have a future. Soon, very soon, they would understand His words and live out the reality that they had the living Christ within them and that through His Spirit they could have peace and the gift of eternal life with Him.
When Jesus told them He was THE WAY, He offered them a relationship with God and direction. When Jesus said to them that He was THE TRUTH, He made it clear that through Him they could have wisdom and understanding. When Jesus explained that He was THE LIFE, He opened the door for them to have purpose and meaning and His abundant, eternal life. His offers are still open to you and to me today!
