Summary
Ashley discusses and looks closer at the different titles of Jesus. She also shares some of her personal experiences in her faith and with the Eucharist.
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Reflective Study Guide Questions
Jesus then said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
John 6:67-68
- In John 14, Jesus says He will prepare a room for us. But first, we must make room for Him in our lives. How do you do that? What can you do to not only make room for Him in your life, but in your heart? How will doing this transform your life?
- Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If we are to understand Jesus, we must get to know Him better. How is He the way? How is He the truth? And how is He the life? And how does reflecting on each of these titles help you grow in your relationship with Him?
- Ashley talks about the importance of knowing Jesus. How do you know Him? How have you seen Him present in your life? What miracles or answered prayers have you seen in your life that help you come to know Him better?
- As Catholics, we are blessed to be able to receive Christ in the Eucharist. During transubstantiation, the bread and wine truly are changed into the body and blood of Christ. We can see this miracle Mass or Adoration. How does receiving the Eucharist or praying during Adoration help you get to know Christ better? How does reflecting upon His sacrifice on the cross lead you to understand that He is the way, the truth, and the life?
- God is the author and giver of both our physical and spiritual lives. He gave His life so we could be with Him for all of eternity. And He wants us to know that we are His beloved. What evidence in your life proves that you matter to Him? How does understanding this strengthen your relationship with Him?
Text Version
When you think about Jesus, what names or titles come to mind? Is it Messiah, Redeemer, Savior, Advocate? Believe it or not, there are 198 titles listed for Him in scripture. And as thrilling as this talk would be if I listed them all alphabetically for you, today I’m going to dive into three titles that He gave himself toward the end of his life. But before I begin, let’s open in prayer.
Opening Prayer
In the name of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. God, I thank you for who you are. I thank you for who you came to be. In this advent season I lift up anyone really come to you with questions, and I pray today we would learn more about who you are and how dearly you love us. It’s in your name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
John 14
Today we’re going to be looking at the Book of John chapter 14. So, if you have a Bible, pull that out. But before I start reading, I want to set this scriptural context. Cause in this passage, Christ had just finished his last supper with his disciples, with his faithful followers and friends. He had just washed all of their feet and called them to love and serve others in the same way. And then right before this passage, He foreshadowed his death and He told them “I’m about to go away to a place where you cannot come. But where I’m going to my father’s house, there are many rooms, and I will prepare a room for you for when you do come.”
When Christ said that Thomas, good old doubting Thomas responded with the question. In John chapter 14 verse five, Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going, how can we know the way? And Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father, but by me.” And what I noticed is after Christ made these claims to his disciples, Phillip responded with yet another question and challenge. And in verse eight, Phillip said to him, “Lord, show us the father and we shall be satisfied.”
Christ had just claimed to be the way to the father, and Phillip said, why can’t you just go all burning bush and physically tangibly visibly show us the father so that we can better believe that you are who you say you are. And I don’t know what questions you’re bringing to Christ now, but I do know Christ responded to Philip and Thomas and I believe to us with two questions. And the first He said, “Don’t, you know me?” For them haven’t you journeyed with me for so long and witnessed me teach the ways of the father and become my friend. Don’t you know me? But for us the same question applies. Don’t you know me when you baptized in my name? Didn’t you learn who I was in CCD or Sunday school? Haven’t you learned who I am through my Word? Don’t you know me?
And the second question He asks him is, why can’t you believe I’m the son of God? For them, haven’t you seen me do countless works and wonders? Heal many people, raise people from the dead? Why can you still not believe in the son of God? And for us, we haven’t physically seen God or Christ in our, in front of our eyes, but we’ve seen Him do similar works and wonders. We’ve seen Him heal ourselves and others. We’ve seen Him answer prayers. We’ve seen Him do countless works and wonders in our lives on behalf of our father. Why can’t we believe He’s the son of God?
The Body and Blood of Christ
Today we’re going to look at the three titles He gave himself to really try to learn more about Him. And the first Christ claimed to be the way. He is our way. Not just a way, but our, the way to the father. He’s our way of life. He’s our way of salvation. And when He left this earth, when He was resurrected into heaven and His physical presence left us, He gave us a spiritual presence with the Holy spirit that is still very much with us, guiding us, being our way to the father. And we hear that every day in the liturgy of the priests. And we hear it in His Word, in the Bible, speaking to our hearts and to our lives. And we receive it. We receive His presence in the grace of the sacraments.
I became Catholic my senior year of college. I was born and raised in the non-denominational church and knew God and loved God. But when I learned in RCAA in John chapter six that Christ, after He broke the bread said, “This is my body and this is my blood.” And when I really heard how His followers that had witnessed the countless works in wonders would just discuss responded. And when I learned many of those faithful followers left Him after He claimed this is my body and blood, I came to believe He wasn’t speaking metaphorically. And I desired to more fully be United with Him and receive the Eucharist. To receive His physical presence in my body to be even further my way throughout my day.
And we have the opportunity every day as Catholics, we can go receive communion and receive the Father into our body. We can go to adoration to adore His physical presence in the monstrance. Christ is still here, guiding us and being our way to the Father.
True God and True Man
The second thing Christ claim is to be the truth. He is true God and true man. He, when He was here, truly fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. He was true to God’s calling while He was here and spoke the truth of the commandments. That are not just a list of rules that should make us feel guilty, but rather the commandments God gave us are a blueprint for a more meaningful and just, and holy life while we’re here. Shortly before this passage in John, Jesus said the greatest two commandments are to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Christ is not only true, but He is truth itself.
He is the Life
And the third title Jesus claim is He’s the life. He’s our author and giver of our natural life, but also our spiritual life and our eternal life. Two verses come to mind and the first is, I have come, Christ has come so that we may have life and have it abundantly. Jesus doesn’t want us to have mediocre lives, brothers and sisters He wants us to have fulfilling lives full of abundant goodness. And that’s not good enough though. He loves us so much. The second verse comes to mind that says, “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
Christ, not only once our life here on earth to be fulfilling and abundant, but He gave his life for us so that we could be with Him for all of eternity. I don’t know what questions you’re bringing to Him today.
One Name for You
I don’t know what doubts or which of His 198 titles you’re having a hard time believing. But I do know He knew you before you were formed. I do know He chose to give His life for you. And I do know He only has one name for you. You are His beloved and you are His child. And I think Lauren Daigle in one of his songs sums this up beautifully. The way our father sees and feels about us. How He calls us by name. And she says to her father, she says, you say, I am loved when I don’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. You say I am held when I am falling short. And when I don’t belong, Father, Jesus, you say I am yours. Brothers and sisters, do you believe what Jesus Christ says of you? Let’s close in prayer.
Closing Prayer
In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. God, I thank you for the gift of your son. I thank you for the gift of His life so that we could be with you for all of eternity. And I just lift up anyone listening today having doubts that He is who He says He is Lord. And I just pray that we would come to know and believe, and then trust He is your son and He loves us more than we can never imagine it. It’s in your name we pray. Amen. In Father, Son and the Holy spirit. Amen.
About Ashley Stevens
Ashley Stevens is a speaker, writer, wife, and mother of three. She was born near Philadelphia, PA, raised just outside Knoxville, TN and played soccer and converted to the Catholic faith at the University of Nebraska. While serving as a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary shortly after getting engaged, she was T-boned by a Mack truck and nearly lost her life. They got married on the one-year anniversary of the accident to redeem the day and she’s since shared her story with The 700 Club, Busted Halo Sirius XM Show, The Omaha World-Herald, and blogs and podcasts to encourage those whose life isn’t going according to plan. Find out more about her at www.mountainsunmoved.com