One of the things that I find extremely helpful about the disciples is that they don’t always get it right. In this week’s Gospel passage from John, we hear again the encouragement Jesus gives to the disciples that he will show them the way to God.
However, it was Philip’s response that caught my attention. Although Jesus had spent time and energy teaching the disciples, as well as the crowds, it is fair to say they didn’t sometimes understand what Jesus was saying. And Philip is not alone. Thomas wasn’t able to accept the resurrection of Jesus until he had seen him for himself. Peter stayed close to Jesus during his trial, but when the pressure was on, he denied knowing Jesus. Actually, time after time in the Gospels, we hear of the disciples messing up and getting things wrong.
This perhaps tells us two things. Firstly, that the Gospels were not edited to provide a perfect, uniform account of the life of Jesus. They were not scrutinized by a first-century spin doctor to offer an unquestionable account of what Jesus said and did! Secondly, more importantly, they remind us that we don’t have to be perfect to follow the way of Christ. This is just as well, or we might be tempted to give up now! We are human, just like the disciples. We make mistakes and get things wrong, just like the disciples.
Yet God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is always there for us. After Jesus expresses surprise at what Philip is saying, he then offers him comfort. So when we stumble, when we make mistakes, when we seem to have lost our way in following the path of Christ, Jesus is there for us, alongside us, with us, and always will be.
Fr Stephen Rowe