THURSDAY

John 14:1-11

“Well, it’s technically correct . . . “ When we hear someone say those words, we can almost always assume that something about the situation is, in reality, wrong. Perhaps you have seen this played out in a courtroom, in which someone is held accountable for a rule violation in a way that is not in sync with the value the rule was designed to protect. Or perhaps you have seen someone who should have been held accountable for something walk away because a procedural rule was violated. Clearly, rules can be very important, and there are good arguments to make about why following rules is a good idea. But, as we noticed in previous devotionals in which we reflected on how Jesus observed Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-13), or when people are brought before him to be condemned (John 8:1-11), there are times when other considerations take priority over legal descriptions, because “truth” is not just transactional—it is also, maybe even primarily, relational. Truth and integrity are not just about how closely we adhere to a rule; it is about the kind of person we are as we live in a way that the rules seek to describe (sometimes more completely than others). Integrity is not about always being technically correct; it is about being genuinely good. We see this reflected in today’s passage as Jesus talks with the disciples in the context of their anxiety about the end of time, and as he reminds them about where their focus should be. As you take a few moments to consider the conversation that John records for us, consider the following:

• How does Jesus address the underlying anxiety with which the conversation in chapter 14 begins? Why is this important?

• How does Jesus shift their focus from what they needed to know to who they needed to know?

• When you listen to Jesus saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” in what ways do you see him reframing their thinking about what is truth, and by extension, what it means to live with integrity?

• What is it, in actual practice, that you rely upon to know the way to do things, the truth to live by, and the life that flows from it? Is it Jesus, or something else? Why?

Take a few moments to reflect on this prayer as you talk with God about what you are seeing or hearing in this passage.