KNOCK, KNOCK -- IT'S JESUS

Jesus, help me really listen to the stories you told -- as much as I listen to knock-knock jokes! Amen.

"I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus told His disciples. "No one comes to God the Father except through me." "Show us God the Father," the Apostle Philip said. Jesus answered, "If you've seen me, you've seen my Father. I am in Him and He is in me."

"Knock-knock" jokes are some of the first jokes kids learn. (Remember, "Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Banana." "Banana who?" "Banana." "Banana who?" "Orange." "Orange who?" "Orange you glad I didn't say 'banana' again?")

Most knock-knock jokes go back and forth three times before you get to the important part: the punchline. That's the last line, the one that makes the rest of the joke make sense. All that "knocking" can't be for nothing!

It's easy to imagine Jesus telling knock-knock jokes. The way He told stories always had a punchline -- and He even used three examples to get to it, just like a good joke.

Jesus called Himself "the way, the truth and the life." Like saying "Who's there?" "Banana," that probably didn't make much sense to the disciples at first. Those words were just words.

Then Jesus got to the punchline: If people wanted to see God, they were looking at Him! Jesus is the Son of God, so all the words that describe Jesus also describe God the Father.

Jesus is "the way," which means that following Him brings people closer to being with God in heaven someday. Jesus is "the truth," because He doesn't lie in what He teaches about God. And Jesus is "life," because getting close to Jesus means living forever in heaven with God.

Good jokes make people want to hear more of them. With Jesus, hearing the punchline to His story made people want to learn more and more from Him.

They were happier than a kid laughing at a knock-knock joke!

(04/17/08)