The Nazareth Page  - A gospel meditation for your home

May 3, 2026 – Fifth Sunday of Easter  - John 14:1-12

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Today’s gospel offers us a great summary of the mission of Jesus. We might assume that in this address to the apostles, he was offering a major reason for his becoming human and living among us.  He embodied the “personality” of God, the creator of all good that exists in the universe. In seeing and experiencing Jesus we are assured that we are also seeing God. Especially God’s attitude and relationship to all of us.

In a very real sense, Jesus impersonates God. At least that is how he would have been initially understood by those he met in his public life. Of course, later, after the Resurrection, he was understood more as God in human form.

So, while he had all the characteristics of being fully human, he also revealed the personhood of God. This is obviously one of the great mysteries of our faith. We cannot fully explain what exactly constituted the Incarnation. As the Catholic Church teaches, it is a mystery of faith.   

St. Paul uses a helpful image in describing the Incarnation of God in Jesus by stating that it is like looking at this reality through a darkened lens. We partially comprehend it, but not fully. But as it is in learning about anything in life, the more we do try to understand the Incarnation, the more we will understand it, however partially.

In some of my theological writings I have restated the key message of today’s gospel as Jesus telling is that he is the way to the truth of our lives. His life is the model of how we should live.

I add here, however, that some have diminished the power of today’s gospel by saying that Jesus is simply like God, or one who imitated what he thinks God to be like. But John’s Gospel is much more accurate. It’s like the difference between a forced smile for a picture and an actual smile that comes forth spontaneously in moments of happiness or delight. One is manufactured and the other is genuine. Which smile is more real?

This also points to the care that must be taken when viewing various artistic renderings of Jesus. At best, they are useful in helping us understand the person Jesus actually was. But on the other hand, this can be misleading. There is no way around this challenge because I don’t think Jesus was ever caught on camera. When I try to picture Jesus, I close my eyes and often see more.  

David Thomas, PhD