Dealing with Loss
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Greg Waybright
- John 13:36-14:11
- Knocked Down But Not Out
- 38 mins 36 secs
- Views: 1452
Pastor's Note
Have you ever lost something or someone? Love's power to enrich our lives is matched only by its power to embitter them with tragedy when we lose what we have loved. When dealing with loss, are your emotions more responsible, frustrated, or do you seek another way? In times of loss, Jesus doesn't call you to be a hero or a stoic. He says, "Trust Me through the bitterness of loss, through the bewilderment of disappointment, through the tears of failure, through the darkness of bereavement."
Study Notes
Dealing with Loss - Week 5 - Study Notes
Dealing with Loss
John 13:36-14:11
Few experiences are more distressing than loss. Even when it's our keys, or homework or pet animal, we feel heartbroken when we lose things. But when a person is involved, the emotional devastation can be almost unendurable.
Just ask anyone who has lost a friend, the child who has lost a parent, even a divorcee, and they'll all tell you the same thing: love's power to enrich our lives is matched only by its power to embitter them with tragedy when we lose the one we have loved.
Today I want us to look at three people dealing with loss as recorded in John 13:33-14:9. At the time, a tragedy is about to engulf the disciples. The 11 men who remained after Judas’ departure had all left their homes and professions to follow Jesus. By John 12, it’s clear the Jewish political leaders had rejected Jesus. And the religious leaders too. All the disciples have left is Jesus. Feel the moment as in John 13:33, Jesus says, "In a few hours, you'll lose me too."
This Passover supper they're sharing would be the last they would have with Jesus. His upcoming departure broods like a dark cloud over the entirety of their conversation at the table. The whole thing bewildered them. They were frightened. Their hearts were troubled.
Most distressing of all is the way Jesus keeps echoing the word "going." "I'm going," He says. "I'll be with you a little while longer. Where I'm going, you can't come now." It's like a dying parent trying to warn his children of the blow that the family will soon undergo. Here is Jesus, with a tenderness almost unparalleled in the Bible, preparing the disciples for loss. "My children," He says, "I'm going."
What we will look at today is the response of three of the disciples to this loss. Each represents a different response to grief. You will recognize them all. They transcend history and culture. Human beings share a lot in the ways we experience loss. Each disciple is different – and each story shows how Jesus deals with those who belong to Him. I have one big goal in talking with you this today, i.e., to help you think about what it means to trust Jesus in times of loss.
Response #1: Denial: Peter, “The Take Charge Guy” (13:36-14:3)
Vv. 36-37. You often observe that the first stage of grief is non-acceptance, a refusal to believe the bad news. "It can't be true, doctor, there must be something I can do. I won't let it happen." And we see that in Peter's uninhibited response.
"Why can't I follow you now?" And then, "I will lay down my life for you!" Do you grasp the irony of that? If Peter had died instead of Jesus, there would never be any eternal hope for Peter – much less for us. Do you think the impetuous and oft-wrong Peter could die for your sins?
Peter is saying, “You're wrong, Jesus. I can handle this. I'll lay down my life for you." As was often true of him, Peter couldn't admit his limitations. He couldn't say, "I need you to do something for me, Jesus." "I will lay down my life.” He doesn’t even say we. Peter's not speaking on behalf of the disciples. "No, everybody else may be a weakling and coward, but not me. I'll die for you. Just trust me, Jesus. I can handle this. I’ll figure it out."
I wonder whether there wasn't at least a trace of an understanding smile on Jesus' face as he reflects this absurd statement back to Peter: "Will you really lay down your life for me?” “But Peter,” I would want to say: “Don't you know that sometimes you can do nothing? You're not God. Sometimes you can do nothing but be a spectator of somebody else's sacrifice; nothing but a recipient of somebody else's generosity. You can't put Jesus in your debt, Peter. It's impossible. He's the One in control. It is we who depend on Him.”
Peter couldn't see that God had a plan with this death of His Son. "I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows you will fail -- you will disown Me three times." So we see that Jesus answers the irony of Peter's boast with the even greater irony of Peter's failure. This "brave" disciple before the night is out will display his real self, his cowardice. This "devoted" disciple before the night is over will weep because his disloyalty.
It would be a hard lesson for Peter to learn to learn. But Peter would have to learn it if he would ever be usable by God. And all of us must learn it. God doesn't use the one who has never failed -- or who thinks he's never failed, or pretends he's never failed. Jesus doesn't love us for what we can do for Him. He loves us in spite of the fact that we are weak and ragged. Our ability to serve Him must always be built on that self-knowledge.
I’m quite sure there are many here today who feel you have failed as a Christian. You hear of missionaries and think you could never be so committed. You attend Bible studies and think everyone else knows the Bible and God better than you. And so you sit in church this morning bowed down by your failure before God and dazzled by the halos that seem to be surrounding you. Well, listen: Jesus is not as impressed by us as you may be. He's not impressed by the veneer of super-spirituality that some of us project in church.
Jesus isn't looking for perfection or frantic activism from you today any more than he was looking for it from Peter. He's looking for something else. Let me say it as simply as I can: What Jesus is looking for from you and me today if we are facing loss is for us to trust Him -- To trust him, wait upon him, and, while we do, for us to be faithful to him.
Response #2: Anger: Thomas, “The Annoyed Agnostic"
14:4-5. Let's think about Thomas’ angry response and try not be too negative about our brother from the past. I can well imagine that the other disciples were all thinking what Thomas was thinking, but were afraid to ask. In a way, I've always found Thomas to be an honest and straightforward sort of man. He's branded as "the doubter" because of his skepticism just after Jesus' resurrection. But, I wonder if that’s fair.
Thomas was a bold man. In John 11:16, he is ready to go to Jerusalem even if it meant his own death. I think of him as a blunt, Germanic type, who faces fear, doubt, and confusion head on. You always know right where he stands. He doesn't fake understanding when he doesn't understand. He won't put on a fake smile and nod that he thinks Jesus is right when he doesn't. Instead, Thomas says, "Look, you tell us we know the way to where you're going. But I tell you, we don't even know where you're going."
Now, Thomas is wrong. Jesus has clearly told Thomas repeatedly where He is going -- through death to the Father. And Jesus has said clearly the way people can follow to that place, i.e., by faith placed in Him. But Thomas, at this point, has never grasped this.
Perhaps the worst part of this network of emotional responses we see in Thomas is the blaming. He really is blaming Jesus here for the problems he is encountering. "You didn't tell us well enough, Jesus. You've misled us. We thought you were going to set up your kingdom and now you talk about death. It's your fault we’re struggling. It’s your fault I'm not handling things well."
This so often is a part of the angry response. We find it hard to see our own blindness so we find someone else to blame for our problems. One businessman friend of mine says the most impossible people to work with are those who aren't really producing but then are adept at blaming their lack of fruitfulness on others. "Give me a better car, a better secretary, better equipment, and I'll be your best employee." But it never happens. And it's that response we see in Thomas.
Jesus' Response to An Angry Agnostic
This is the part I'm most interested in. When I am feeling like Thomas, how does Jesus respond to me? I am gripped by what we see. Briefly, but unmistakably, a clear response is given--vv.6-7. What do we see in Jesus?
The Compassion and Understanding
Jesus doesn't cast Thomas off. I believe we have a model here of what we should expect from Jesus when we don’t know what God is doing. It would be better for us never to be angry or depressed; but when we are, we might as well tell God exactly what we feel. Jesus will not be blown away by the force of our arguments or pushed off by our frustration.
At the same time, Jesus doesn't back off from truth in His compassion. In fact, one of the greatest statements in the Bible is called forth by the honest inability of one disciple to grasp what He has been saying. "Thomas, you old 'Eor', I know what you're feeling, but shake it off and listen to me --" "I am the way . . ."
Jesus main call to Thomas is the same as it was to Peter: Jesus calls Thomas to trust Him.
"I am the way," says Jesus, "no one comes to the Father but by Me." Your problem, Thomas, isn't so much that you don't know the details you want. No, your problem is you don't know Me. Trust Me, Thomas, for I am the way to the Father."
You may say that this challenge to simply trust Jesus when you don't understand everything is a gamble. But then all personal relationships are a gamble if you look at it that way. Jesus says, "Trust Me. I am the way out. I know what I'm doing. Trust Me. I'm in control. There is a reason for what I’m doing -- a purpose for my leaving. Trust me."
And, I tell you today that Jesus is worthy of that trust.
Response #3: Bargaining: Philip, “The Experience Seeker”
V.8. Philip is like many of us when someone proposes something we don’t like, i.e., Philip is sure he has a "better idea" to offer Jesus. And, if most of us had been there in the Upper Room that evening, we would probably have voted for Philip's idea--not Jesus'. "Why all this talk about suffering and death just so we can see the Father. Just show us the Father! That'll be enough for us." It's the same sort of bargain many of us want to strike with God when we're encountering something we can't understand. "Heal this person -- don't let them go through this or that!"
What Philip couldn't or wouldn't grasp is that there is no way he could see the Father until the thing that kept Him from the Father was dealt with, i.e., his sin.
I guess, if I were Jesus, I would have answered, "You're nuts, Philip! You know that God is holy and you're a sinner. How can you pretend that you're ready to see God now!" But even though Jesus does have to correct Philip's foolish bargain, he does not correct him harshly. Instead, Jesus tells Philip that what he wants has already happened -- but Philip hadn't noticed. V.9: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Throughout John’s Gospel, Philip had been present for what John called “signs”, miracles Jesus had done that pointed to the fact that he was God. Philip should have known that when Jesus was there, God was there. V.11: Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
But, Jesus knew the limitations of signs and wonders for people like us. One sign is never enough for us. Tomorrow a new challenge comes and tomorrow we will needs something new – but something bigger and better! Too many of us think our spiritual lives should always be built on sensational things. I think of it as “National Enquirer” or TMZ tabloid Christianity”. Always a new sensational scoop, whether fully true or not. Jesus basically says, “Philip, if you really knew Me, you would be beyond that." We should be too.
I wonder today if a few "Philips" are here. You may be a waverer in your faith and though you've been interested in church and matters of faith, you keep waiting for explosive experiences of God that will blow your mind and rid you of all doubt. Jesus may be saying to you today, "Don't you know Me? Even after I've been speaking to you for such a long time, don't you know Me?" You don't need a burning bush to become a Christian. For a Christian has something better than a burning bush -- we have Jesus. Jesus calls you to trust him even when you do not fully see yet why painful things are happening. And you should trust him simply because Jesus is worthy of trust.
And this is my call today to you in times of loss: “Let not your hearts be troubled. You trust in God. Trust in me.” These are very famous words that applied to all three men we’ve considered today. They're words spoken first to Christians who under great loss were about to fail. And, they are as relevant to us in times of grieving or loss as they were to them.
*The reason for that trust
V.2: My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. Of course, that phrase "many rooms" – translated “many mansions” in the KJV -- has led to some wild speculation. Some have imagined that each Christian in heaven will have the spiritual equivalent of an oceanside estate in La Jolla. But that makes no sense in the context.
The most obvious meaning is that where God lives there is room enough for all. "There's plenty of room there, men. You don't have to impress me with your big words." Heaven isn't like an exam you have to pass to make sure you get into grad school. Heaven isn't like a concert where there's only so much space and only VIP's get good seats. You don't have to prove yourself superior to other Christians in order to get a mansion by the beach rather than a shack by the dump.”
No, for a Christian, heaven is "My Father's house." In other words, where God is will be home for his children! And God has plenty of room for His whole family -- even for the failures for, you see, we've all failed. So Jesus says, "Trust God with this loss -- yes, trust Me.”
Let me tell you – Jesus’ message here to these three men is a message that we can hold onto whatever we experience in this world. It’s basically this: Jesus knows what he’s doing even in times of loss. He has a plan that is good and it will all work out for the good of those who love him. He asks you and me to trust him. He would soon die and then take away the lasting sting of death.
We have to be amazed at the paradox of what Jesus said: "I am the way"‑‑ spoken by One whose way was to be the way of death reserved for the worst of criminals. "I am the truth"‑‑ spoken by One who would soon be condemned by lying witnesses. "I am the life"‑‑ spoken by One whose dead corpse would soon be lying in a dark tomb with a government seal over it.
But the triumph was to come. For this way that Jesus would go would not be the way we go to the Father. We go through Him. Because He went the way through the cross, He became the way for us. The Shepherd dies ‑‑ the sheep live. The Lamb dies ‑‑ we live. The way of Jesus is the cross; the way for us is Jesus. Jesus had to go away so that we might have hope.
Here I’ll tell my personal experience of this text with Brittany’s loss.
This way of Jesus through death to life is what the Apostle Paul talks about, i.e., in this world we will still have sorrow when there is a parting. But it is, for us, a “sorrow but with hope." I believe that real sorrow in times of loss is accompanied by the hope of Christ – and I believe in it deeply. But, the sorrow part is still so real. The hope in Christ is too. But, grief seems nonetheless to reach into every part of my being. What would we do without the certain hope established by the resurrection? So, I leave you today with the clear and powerful words of Jesus: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust God; trust me… In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (Jesus, John 14:1; 16:33).
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2015, Lake Avenue Church
Chinese Translation
Dealing with Loss - Week 5 - Study Notes - Chinese Translation
破碎但不丟棄----面對失喪之痛
約翰福音13:33-14:9
沒有什麼事情比經歷失喪更加令人難過了。哪怕只是丟失了鑰匙，作業，或者是寵物，都會令我們難過不已。尤其，如果失去的是人，那種情緒上的破壞性就會更加令人無法忍受。
你可以去詢問任何一個曾經失去朋友的人、失去父母親的孩子，甚至一個離婚的人，他們都會告訴你同樣一件事：愛有著滋潤我們生命的能力，但是當我們失去摯愛親人時，它破壞我們生命的能力也一樣的強大。
今天，我想讓大家一起看看，約翰福音13:33-14:9中所記載的三個人，如何面對失去親人的景況。在那個時候，一個災難幾乎吞沒了門徒。猶大離開之後，剩下的十一個門徒都離開家園和事業而跟隨了耶穌。在約翰福音第十二章，很顯然，猶太人的政治領袖以及宗教領袖都已經拒絕了耶穌。所有的門徒也離開了耶穌。想象一下約翰福音13:33中耶穌所說的話：“我還有不多的時候，與你們同在。”
那個逾越節的晚餐，將是門徒和耶穌一起吃的最後一頓晚餐。即將到來的與耶穌的分離，就像烏雲一樣遮蓋了他們在晚餐中的整個談話。這整個事件令他們困惑。他們懼怕，他們的心憂愁。
其中最令人悲傷的，是耶穌一直使用“走”這個字。“我要走了”，祂說。“我還有不多的時候，與你們同在，我所去的地方，你們不能到。”就像一個即將死去的親人，在警告他的孩子們，告訴他們家裏即將發生的變故。耶穌就是這樣，以一顆溫柔的、無與倫比的心，為門徒預備將要臨到他們的變故。“小子們”，祂說，“我還有不多的時候，與你們同在。”
我們今天要看的，是這三個門徒如何面對失去耶穌這件事。每個人都代表了一種面對悲傷的不同反應。每一種反應都超越了歷史和文化。在面對失喪的時候，人類的反應大同小異。每一個門徒的反應都不盡相同。每一個故事也都顯明了耶穌如何對待那些屬於祂的人。在今天的這篇講道中，我有一個目標，就是讓大家思考一下，在我們經歷失喪的時候，如何信靠耶穌。
第一種反應：拒絕。代表人物：彼得，“那個領頭的人”（13:36-14:3）
第36-37節。.你經常會看到，悲傷的第一個階段，通常是無法接受，拒絕相信壞消息。“這不可能是真的，醫生，我一定還可以做些什麼挽回這事，我不會讓這事發生的。”從彼得的反應中，我們可以看到這一點。
“我為什麼現在不能跟你去？”他接著說：“我願意為你舍命！”你看到其中的諷刺意味了嗎？如果彼得代替耶穌死了，他就永遠不會有永恒的盼望了—我們更加如此。你覺得脾氣急躁和常常犯錯誤的彼得能為你的罪而受死嗎？
實際上，彼得是在說：“耶穌，你錯了，我可以處理這件事，我可以為你舍命！就像以往一樣，彼得無法承認他的有限。他沒有說：“我需要你為我做一些事情，耶穌。”他說，“我會為你舍命。”他也根本就沒有提到“我們”這個詞。彼得沒有代表其他門徒講話。他覺得“其他人或許軟弱膽小，但是我不會。我會為你而死。耶穌，相信我，我可以處理這件事，我會想出辦法來的。”
當耶穌在給彼得這樣一個可笑的回答的時候，我不知道耶穌的臉上是否略過一絲理解的笑容：“你願意為我舍命嗎？我實實在在告訴你，雞叫已先，你要三次不認我。”我們看到，耶穌用一個比彼得失敗的更大的諷刺，來回答了彼得誇口的諷刺。這個“勇敢”的門徒，天亮以前，就會展現出他真實的自己，就是他的怯懦。在天亮以前，這個“忠心”的門徒，會因著他的不忠而哭泣。
對於彼得來說，這是個很難學的功課。然而，如果彼得要為神所使用，他就必須學會這個功課。我們所有的人也都需要學這個功課。神不會使用那些從來不失敗的人，或者是那些認為自己永不會失敗的人，或者假裝他從來不會失敗的人。耶穌並不因著我們為祂做的事情而愛我們。即使我們軟弱不堪，祂還是愛我們。我們事奉祂的能力，必須要建造在這樣的自我了解之上。
我想，今天在坐的各位中，一定有人認為，自己是一個失敗的基督徒。你聽說過宣教士，但你覺得你永遠不可能像他們那樣委身事奉。你參加查經，卻覺得每個人都對聖經和神比你更熟。所以你今天早上坐在教會裏，因著你的失敗，在神的面前跪拜，也被你周圍其他人的光環而震懾。如果是這樣的話，聽著：耶穌可不像你這樣，認為我們都這麼棒。祂也不會為我們在教會中所展現的超級屬靈而震撼。
今天，耶穌不會在你身上尋找完美或錯誤的行為，正如祂當年也沒有在彼得身上尋找這一點一樣。祂所尋找的，是其他的東西。讓我用最簡單的話來解釋：今天，耶穌在你我的生命中所尋找的，是當我們在面對喪失的時候，我們有沒有信靠祂—信靠祂，等候祂，忠心於祂。
第二個反應：憤怒。代表人物：多馬，“懊惱的不可知論者”
14:4-5。讓我們來思考多馬的憤怒的反應，盡量不要對我們的這位過去的弟兄有太過負面的看法。我可以想象，其他門徒也都在思考著多馬所想的事情，但是他們不敢問。我常常覺得多馬是一個誠實而坦率的人。他被人稱為“懷疑者”，是因為祂的懷疑在耶穌復活之後。但是，我不知道這對多馬是否公平。
多馬曾经是一個勇敢的人。在約翰福音11:16中，即使他面對的是死亡，他也準備好去耶路撒冷了。我認為他是一個直率的人，有點日耳曼人的風格，能直面恐懼，懷疑和困惑。你總是能立刻就知道他處於什麼狀態。他從來不會不懂裝懂，也不會因為假裝同意耶穌所說的話而假笑和點頭。相反地，多馬說，“主啊，我們不知道你往哪裏去，怎麼知道那條路呢？”
現在，多馬錯了。耶穌清楚而反復地告訴多馬祂所要去的地方–通過死亡到父那裏去。耶穌清楚地說明了人們將要跟隨祂去的地方，那是通過信靠祂才能到達的地方。但是，多馬至此都沒有理解這一點。
也許我們在多馬身上所看到的情緒上的反應，最糟糕的部分 ---- 也就是譴責。實際上，他是在為自己所遇到的一切而責備耶穌。“耶穌，你沒有清楚地告訴我們，你誤導了我們。我們以為你會建立你自己的王國，可是你現在卻談到了死亡。我們的掙紮都是你的過錯。我無法正確地處理事情，都是你的錯。”
很多時候，這都是憤怒的反應的一部分。我們很難看到自己的盲點，於是我們將自己的問題歸咎於別人。我的一個做生意的朋友說，最不可以合作的人，就是那些自己沒有成果，卻因著這個後果而責備別人的人。“給我一輛更好的車，一個更好的秘書，更好的設備，我一定會是最好的雇員。”但是他永遠都不會是的。這就是我們在多馬身上看到的。
耶穌對憤怒的不可知論的回應
這個部分是我最感興趣的。當我感覺到自己就像多馬的時候，耶穌對我是如何回應的？我被我們所看到的深深地吸引了。簡單無誤地說，第六節和七節給了我們清楚的答案。我們在耶穌裏看到了什麼？
憐憫和理解
耶穌沒有丟棄多馬。我相信，當我們不明白神在做什麼的時候，我們可以從這裏的模式中得到答案。我們永遠都不應該生氣或是沮喪；但是如果我們真的如此，我們應該將真實的感受告訴神。耶穌不會為我們的爭辯能力所震驚，也不會被我們的沮喪嚇走。
同時，耶穌也不會因著祂的憐憫而偏離真理。實際上，聖經中最偉大的一句話，正是由於一個門徒沒有能力理解祂的話語而產生：“多馬，我知道你感覺如何，但是沒有關系，聽我說，”“我是道路…..”
耶穌對多馬的主要呼召，和對彼得的呼召一樣：耶穌呼召多馬信靠祂。
“我是道路，”耶穌說。“若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裏去。多馬，你的問題，並不是你不知道你所想要知道的那些細節，你的問題，是你不認識我。相信我，多馬，因為唯有藉著我，才能到父那裏去。”
你可能會說，當你不明白、卻還是要單單信靠耶穌的時候，就像一個賭博。但是，如果你這樣看這個問題，所有的人際關系也都是賭博。耶穌說，“信靠我，我是道路。我知道我在做什麼。相信我，我在掌權。我所做的是有原因的 ----為了我離開的目的。相信我。”
今天，讓我告訴你，耶穌值得一切的信靠。
第三個反應：討價還價。代表人物：腓力，“尋求經驗者”
第八節：像我們很多人一樣，當有些人提出我們不喜歡的建議時，我們就像腓力一樣，他確定他有“更好的主意”給耶穌。在那個夜晚，如果我們大多數人也在那個聖餐的房間裏，我們很可能會給腓力的主意投上一票，而不會投耶穌的票。“為什麼為了見到父神，我們就一定要說到痛苦和死亡？那就把父神顯現給我們看吧！這對我們來說就已經足夠了。”當我們遇到不明白的事情時，我們很多人都會以這樣的討價還價來質問神。“醫治這個人吧，不要讓他經歷這個或那個！”
腓力不明白、也不能理解的是，他無法見到神，直到那將他和父神分開的事情被解決了才行，那就是他的罪。
我想，如果我是耶穌，我可能會說，“你是個傻瓜，腓力！你知道神是聖潔的，而你是個罪人。你怎麼能假裝你現在已經準備好見神了呢？”然而，即使耶穌要更正腓力魯莽的討價，祂也沒有刻薄地更正他。相反地，耶穌告訴腓力，他想要看的已經在眼前了，然而腓力卻沒有註意到。第九節：“腓力，我與你們同在這樣長久，你還不認識我嗎？人看見了我，就是看見了父。你怎麼說，將父顯給我們看呢？”
在約翰福音中，腓力看到了約翰所說的“神跡”，耶穌所行的神跡，都指向了一個事實 ---祂是神。腓力應該知道，當耶穌在的時候，神也在。第十一節：你們當信我，我在父裏面，父在我裏面。即或不信，也當因我所做的事信我。
但是，耶穌知道，對於我們來說，神跡奇事是有限的。一個神跡永遠不夠。明天，一個新的挑戰來了，我們就需要新的神跡----而且是更大更好的神跡！我們太多人都認為，屬靈的生命應該建造在感性的事情上。我想到“國家詢問報”和“TMZ 基督教小報”，總是提供一些感性的小道消息，不管真實與否。耶穌其實在說，“腓力，如果你真的認識我，你就會超越這些。”我們也應該如此。
我在想，今天在座的人會不會有幾個“腓力”呢？你也許在信仰上猶豫不決，即使你對教會和信仰的事情感興趣，你還是要等著神給你爆炸性的經歷，可以驅走你頭腦中一切的疑慮。可能今天，耶穌就要對你說，“你不認識我嗎？我已經對你說話這麼久了，你還不認識我嗎？”你用不著因看見了燃燒的荊棘才能變成基督徒。對於每個基督徒來說，他們所擁有的，比燃燒的荊棘更美好，那就是耶穌。耶穌呼召你去信靠祂，即使你還沒有完全明白，為什麼世上總是有痛苦的事情發生。你應該非常單純地去信靠祂。因為耶穌是值得信靠的。
今天，我在你們經歷喪失之痛的時候，呼召你們：“你們心裏不要憂愁，你們信神，也當信我。”這是非常有名的經文，適合於我們上面討論的所有的三種人。這段經文首先是對那些經歷著失喪的和失敗的基督徒所說的。對我們來說，當我們今天經歷失喪之痛的時候，這節經文也起著同樣的作用。
*信靠的理由
第二節：在我父家裏有許多住處，若是沒有，我就早已告訴你們了；我去原是為你們預備地方去。當然，“許多住處”這個詞，在欽定本聖經中翻譯成“許多樓宇”，曾引出了許多不找邊際的猜測。有些人想象著，每個在天國裏的基督徒，都會有和拉霍亞的海邊別墅一樣的屬靈居所。但是這在文脈之中解釋不通。
最明顯的意思是，神所在的地方，有許多住處，足夠給所有的人居住。“那裏有許多的住處，你不需要用你的高言來打動我。天堂不像一個考試，你必須要通過它才能進入研究院；天堂不像一場音樂會，只有固定的空間，也只有重要人物才能得到好的位置。你不需要為了得到海邊的別墅，而證明自己比其他基督徒更出色。”
對基督徒來說，天堂是“我父的家。”換句話說，神在哪裏，祂的孩子就會在哪裏！神為祂全部的家人預備了很多住處 ---- 甚至為那些失敗的人，你知道，我們都是失敗過的人！因此耶穌說：“你們信神，也當信我。”
讓我告訴你 ---- 耶穌在這裏給這三個人的信息，足以讓我們在世上經歷一切事情的時候緊緊依靠祂。耶穌知道祂自己在做什麼，哪怕是在經歷失喪之痛的時候。祂為那些愛祂的人，有一個很好的計劃，使他們在任何景況中，都可以得到益處。祂要讓你我信靠祂。祂很快就會受死，然後拔去死的毒鉤。
我們不得不對耶穌所說的悖論而驚嘆：“我是道路，”這句話是由一個為了最壞的罪犯而走入死亡的人說出的；“我是真理，”這句話是由一個即將因為見證神而定罪的人說出的；“我是生命，”這句話是由一個死後的屍體將會被放置在黑暗的、封加上官府印章的洞穴中的人說出的。
但是勝利即將來臨。因為耶穌將要走的道路，不是我們去父神那裏要走的道路。我們是藉著祂才能去父神那裏。因為祂通過十字架而走過了那條道路。祂為了我們而變成了道路。牧羊人受死，而羊群卻活著。羔羊受死，而我們卻活著。耶穌的道路是十字架。我們的道路則是耶穌。耶穌必須要離開，我們才有盼望。
在這裏，我要藉著布蘭妮的失喪之痛，和你們分享我自己的經歷
使徒保羅所說的耶穌的道路，是通過死亡到達永生的道路。在這個世界上，當我們與親人分離的時候，還是會悲傷難過。但是，對我們來說，是“帶著盼望的悲傷。”我相信，在失喪的時候，真正的悲傷總是會伴有在基督裏的盼望 ---- 我深深地相信這一點。然而，悲傷卻仍然是那樣的真實，同時，在基督裏的盼望也一樣的真實。但是，悲哀似乎仍然滲入到我生命中的每一個角落。如果沒有在復活之中所建立的盼望，我們該怎麼辦呢？所以，今天，我和大家分享耶穌這段清晰而有力的話語：“你們心裏不要憂愁。你們信神，也當信我……在世上你們有苦難，但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。（14:1; 16:33）”
荣耀归给神，
Greg Waybright 博士
主任牧师
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2015, Lake Avenue Church