The Waze of the Father

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:5-6

Neighborhood streets in Atlanta are clogged with traffic like never before. As a result, people are hacking the popular mapping application, Waze, by telling it that there is traffic on their streets so it will not route people through their neighborhoods. Waze works well because it gets updates from users. The maps themselves are good, but people cannot find the best way anymore. The "users" are messing up "the way."

Thomas needs a map. He and the other disciples are feeling lost and confused in the days following Jesus’ death and resurrection.Thomas is a literal thinker, because he thinks that Jesus is talking about going down the road, or to another country, and he wants to know the way to get there so he can be with Jesus. The only “map” that exists, Jesus tells him, is to follow the path that Jesus has walked- loving others, welcoming the outsider, forgiving, healing and restoring the world. I still think Thomas must have been confused even after Jesus tried to set him right. Humanity has continued in its confusion as well.

Our “maps” towards Jesus are often no good, or at the very least confusing. The "users" - Christians- do well at messing up the way sometimes. All kinds of things are labeled as Christian when they are really just hate or fear for the other. Being who we are does not mean that everyone else not like us is wrong, or lost. Being who we are means that the end result of our faith practices should be lives that look like Jesus- lives of self-giving love like God has for us. Our “map” is our prayers and way of life and if it takes us down a path that leads towards violence, anxiety, fear and distrust of the other, it is probably no good. We are still lost, because Jesus is somewhere else. 

A life spent pursuing the way of Jesus may not be perfect or without doubt or hardship or confusion. Jesus does tell us  that any life lived with love and compassion, however imperfect it may be, leads toward home. Jesus has shown us the way- now we are called not only to follow it home but to be with him during the journey.