Do you have any idea where you are going? Back in the day, when we went on a Sunday drive realizing that we were obviously lost on some back road, my mother would finally ask my dad that question. You can imagine that it did not please him, but mother asked nonetheless.

You can’t miss it. That is exactly what Jesus in saying to his disciples in today’s Gospel passage. You have been with me all this time, and you just cannot miss it.

But, what is the “it?” Well, Jesus announces to his disciples that he will return to the Father, to heaven. The disciples panic, but Jesus assures them that they will get the answer.

Here’s what one person wrote: “I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older. Then it dawned on me... they’re cramming for their final exam.”

Jesus helped prepare the disciples for their “final exam.” He reassured them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.”

But how do we describe this “heaven,” this place where Jesus is going? Our doubting Thomas, probably on our behalf, says: “We do not know where you are going. How can we know the way.” Jesus’ famous response is simple and to the point: “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

Jesus is the way. Does that mean that he is a road and that he plops us down on this road? That’s way too simple. We are so many different individuals, so many issues in our lives, so many different backgrounds, anxieties and hopes. How can there be just one way?

Jesus is unique, and he is committing himself to be the way, meaning one with each one of us as we journey. But this journey is a partnership. He is with us, but we also have to be with him. Even when we stray we know that Jesus is with us pushing us along and trying to redirect us to himself and to his way.

Besides being the way, there is a fringe benefit. Jesus is also the truth. What exactly is truth? Pilate asked Jesus that question, and Jesus never answered. Truth is more than just a series of facts, solid facts. If we are sincere about being on the way with Jesus, then we are going to see life and the world as does Jesus, not as we see them. Companionship with Christ means a vision change, from seeing the world as others do to seeing it with the eyes of Jesus.

There is another fringe benefit: Jesus is the life. Being a disciple of Jesus brings eternal life, but it also means life right here, right now. Jesus, the truth, reveals the fullness of life right now. If we are not experiencing that vision right now, perhaps we need to refocus on Christ.

So, the question seems to boil down to what life is all about. Remember the days of the pandemic. Perhaps, those days of confinement allowed us to reflect more on what is most important in life, what we really want in life. Scripture screams at us and tells us quite clearly that the path for the real heaven and the real life is Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. If we truly understand and experience that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then we will realize that anything else is just make believe.