Why Can't I go With You?

John 13: 36-14:6
36 Simon Peter said to him, Lord where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you can not follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”
38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.”
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you may be also.”
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to he Father except through me.”
I remember when my children were little and I would go somewhere that they thought was exciting they would ask to go, and then whine when they couldn’t go. My youngest longed to ride with daddy in the big truck, but she wasn’t allowed to go along. I can remember when my oldest was old enough to know what was going on that she would be right beside me in my pick-up, standing on the seat (before seat belt laws mind you) beside me with her arm draped over my shoulder. Her eyes were full of wonder and she was full of pride knowing that she was experiencing a world that only daddy got to experience.
When I would return from the grocery they would go through each bag and want to sample everything that was in them as if they hadn’t eaten in days, which would lead to them being banished from the kitchen or all the boxes of cereal being opened at once as they searched for the toy inside.
I was reminded of this as I read Peter’s statement; “Lord, why can I not follow you now?” Peter as well as other disciples had heard Jesus’ call to follow Him and had headed that call, and now Peter only heard you can’t follow Me. In John 1:43 Jesus told Phillip, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 9:9 Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 8:22 Jesus told another disciple, “Follow Me”. In Mark 8:34 Jesus said to all His disciples, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” This is what Peter heard his entire walk with the Lord and now what he heard was you can’t follow me, are we that surprised at Peter’s reaction?
Peter had learned so much from Jesus, he had been fed, he saw the blind see, the lame walk, lives changed, and had even walked on water. He had experienced so much joy and love with the savior that he wanted this to continue. In Mark 9 we read that Peter witnessed Jesus transfigured right before his eyes, are we surprised that Peter wanted to have camp meeting right there on the hill? With speakers like Jesus, Elijah and Moses lined up that would be a fantastic revival, which could change the world. He even heard the voice of God telling him that Jesus was His Son and that he was to listen to Him. Knowing this how could Peter respond any differently than he did in verse 37, when he said, "I will lay down my life for your sake.”
Behind Peter’s question were likely feelings of loss and abandonment at the thought of losing the fellowship with Jesus. We enjoy our times of fellowship with God and want to remain on the mountaintop where we feel secure and spiritually alive as we experience the presence of God. Look at Moses experience on Mt. Horeb as the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame in the bush. Who would want to leave that experience as God communicated with him and told him of his will for his life? We know that Moses was changed forever and would never be the same again, but Moses came down off that mountain into the valley that promised hardship, but with the confidence that God was with him. I can remember my own experiences when I walked in the grace of God’s provision, and experienced His love. I remember times when worship was so sweet and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit that I did not want to leave the service and return to the ‘real world’. I attended a training course this past weekend and enjoyed the fellowship of believers and the movement of the Holy Spirit as we laughed, worshiped, and explored God’s call on each of our lives. I witnessed smiles on every face as we shared in God’s love and called each other brother and sister. After I left there I went to Wal-Mart and looked into the faces of the people there. I did not see the smiles that I had just witnessed, there was no laughter present, there was no feeling of fellowship with these people as I walked around and tried to see some hope and recognition that these people were believers as well.
I had come down off the mountain changed and ready to serve the Lord, but faced with the difficulty of how to witness of God’s love, and knowing that I confessed to Jesus that I would follow Him, I hear the words of verse 38 echo in my mind; “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.” These words had to hit Peter like a ton of bricks, but yet the bible does not say how he responded. As we worship and fellowship with others and share in that mountaintop experience those words would seem like nonsense to us as we pledged our undying love for Christ, but as we go down the mountain into the real world they echo in our minds as a reminder that the troubles and fears of this world will cause us to stumble. We look back up that mountain and want to race up the mountain into sweet fellowship with other believers and with the Holy Spirit, our Father, and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The reason for these mountain top experiences is so that we can go into the world, renewed and ready to serve God. These times of fellowship with the Father through the Holy Spirit and other believers gives us hope to face what the world and Satan brings our way. At the end of each of our services and also at the end of our training seminar this past weekend we are sent forth to be ambassadors for Christ, fueled with the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus and equipped to witness of His love, we go out into the world and tell others of the love that God has for them. This is what Jesus does for them in chapter 14 verse one. He tells the disciples; “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe in me.” He goes on to tell them where He is going and what He will be doing while there. These words also bring us hope as we realize that they are not only for His disciples but for us as well. No contractor builds a home intending for it to be empty. He fully expects that someone will occupy this building. So Jesus tells the disciples and us in verse three; “And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also,” This is the hope that we cling to and is promised here and in the book of Revelation, that Jesus will one day return for His church and take us home to be with Him forever.
Still this hope is not enough for many that find walking with the Lord in His absence to difficult. Thomas in verse five expresses these doubts when he says; “Lord, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” Jesus says to him in verse six; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I hear that there are many ways to heaven and for many who want to justify their existence and self worth they look and cling to any hope that will justify their worthiness. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6; But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are filthy rags;” Our sin and guilt has left us like soiled garments in the light of the righteousness of God. If it is our hope to be with the Father in heaven, occupying the homes that Jesus is preparing for us, then how can we stand before the Father and claim to be members of His kingdom on our own righteousness, when He considers our righteousness to be dirt! Jesus is telling His disciples that the only way to heaven is through Him. He is the way to an eternity filled with His righteousness, His existence is the true path that leads to glory, and He is the key to a life filled with hope.
Phillip in verse eight still needs further encouragement when he says; “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus responds to Phillip, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, show us the Father?” We come to the Father through the Son and share in sweet fellowship with Him, in prayer, in the gathering of fellow believers and in His worship. We see the Father in the lives of those who serve the Son and trust their eternity to Him. Jesus understands that we want to go where He is and to share in the glory of His righteousness and He understands the trouble that we will face in this world. In verses 15 and16 He offers Phillip and us this hope; “If you love Me, keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” This precious gift is the person of the Holy Spirit, who dwells with us and helps us in our walk as we wait for the Son to return and take us to be with Him forever. We have caught our dog on several occasions looking longingly out the window as we return home and witness the excitement he displays as we come into the house. May we be ever watchful for the return of Jesus so that we can share in the joy that His return will bring.