Gospel of John, chapter 14:6

When one of the leading Pharisees queried Jesus about the kingdom of God, Jesus said to him: “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) This kingdom from within consists in the interior renewal of the individual; a renewal that has been made possible through the teachings and example of Christ. In today’s scripture, Jesus tells Thomas that “no one can come to the Father except through Me.” Thus He makes clear that His followers need to follow His example; they need to let his love triumph in their hearts in order to give glory to the Father.

Some self-righteous people use their status as Christians as an excuse to bash others or condemn those who don’t agree with them. But, is this what it means to be a Christian; a follower of Christ? Should Christians not focus on the awesome privilege of following Christ; the privilege of letting go and letting Christ into their lives rather than comparing themselves with others in a negative or judgmental way like the self-righteous Pharisee in the gospel story (Luke 18:11).

The trouble starts when people follow Christ because it meets with their own approval rather than with Christ’s approval. This attitude reduces Christ to our own level which means that Christ is revealed, not for what He is but for what He is not; a pale reflection of ourselves. Mahatma Ghandi once remarked: “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians.” If our Christian witness is to be effective at all we must rid ourselves of what is not Christ in order to put on Christ. In the words of a saint: “we must find Christ in ourselves, not ourselves in Christ.” Is not this what the Apostle Paul meant also when he wrote: “I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me.” In other words, Paul was prepared to become a new person by letting go of his old ways or “the old man” in order to be a true follower of Christ.

There is a big difference between those who find Christ in themselves, and those who find themselves in Christ. Those who find Christ in themselves accept the challenge of renewal; the challenge of battling against their own defects in order to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Those who find themselves in Christ, on the other hand, are only interested in themselves and how they can use Christ for their own glory. Have you ever observed how some “ministers” of the gospel are more concerned about making a business of Christ rather than living and promoting His message? Or have you ever observed when you failed to do some good, it was because you were trusting in yourself and in your own efforts and programs rather than in the Lord? Jesus needs us to recognize that we can only come to the Father through Him. That is why He says in today’s scripture:
“No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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