“You can’t handle the truth.” That’s an iconic line spoken by Jack Nicholson in the movie A Few Good Men. Jesus says something similar in our text for this week: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot handle them now” (John 16:12). It’s a little surprising since He just told them, “All that I have heard from my father, I have made known to you” (John 15:15). It seems that they know, but not as they ought to know. And that does seem applicable to the situation.

Jesus and the eleven are walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. Each of these disciples has vowed fidelity to Jesus. And in a few hours, each will flee and “go to his own” (John 16:32) — his own abode, rather than abide with Jesus.

In a few hours, men — trying to make themselves God — will take the life of Christ on a tree in a garden. It’s not the first time it’s happened. Making yourself God is making God “not God.” It’s the “original sin” and every sin. To sin is to judge the Judgment of God with your own judgment. They take “the Life” on the tree, and the World goes black, literally. “The day you do it is the day you die,” said God in Eden. And Jesus talked as if we were already dead (John 5:24). That might be a truth that’s rather hard to handle.

Brad was my best friend as a young boy. We caught bugs together. We took art classes together. Over the years, we grew apart. In high school, Brad seemed to have lost his faith. I used to witness to Brad about Jesus. He’d smile and walk away. About 30 years ago, he died of AIDS. At his funeral, his sister pulled me aside and said, “Peter it was so weird. Before Brad died, he was delirious, and he used to lie in bed muttering over and over again, 'I can’t be God; I can’t be God; it’s so hard to be God.”

Shirley MacLaine once wrote: “I was my own universe. Did that also mean I had created God and I had created life and death? Was that why I was all there was? A chilling wave of loneliness rippled through me...” Yes. I would think so. And yet, due to the implications of quantum mechanics, some physicists speculate that this might be true. It’s a horrifying thought, for it would mean that each one of us is thoroughly alone and utterly insane — trapped in our own logos, our own logic, our own reason, our own truth . . . “Was this what was meant by the statement I Am that I Am?” asks Shirly MacLaine. Is God infinitely lonely?

John 16:8-15, Jesus says, “When [The Helper] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of [the] truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth [that’s Jesus], for he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

NOW, read that last line over and over again.

Scripture is clear that all that the Father has is all that there is, including all souls. He has all judgment, which has been given to the Son (John 5:22); it’s the ability to make a world with just a word; it’s a thoroughly free will. The Father has a name, “I Am.” He gives it to His son “I Am is Salvation.” It sounds like an identity. Is it given to us?

To be God is an attractive idea at first, then utterly terrifying.

There’s an old Twilight Zone episode in which a six-year-old has the power to create his own world with just a word. Of course, everyone’s terrified of him and so cannot love him, but they all pretend to love him. All that he actually wants is Love, although he doesn’t yet know Love, so he repeatedly demands Love, and so crucifies Love, and so becomes more and more angry — a little vessel of wrath. He ends up willing everyone away and willing himself into darkness, utterly alone, which is “hell (hades). “It’s not good for the man to be alone,” says God; it’s evil.

Yet Jesus already told us (and the Pharisees) in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” He’s quoting Psalm 82, in which “gods” is the Hebrew word, “elohim,” normally translated as “God.” He’s just said, “I and the Father are One.” Is each of us is to be one with the Father as Jesus is one with the Father?

The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being “a man that’s made himself God.” But Jesus is God having made Himself man. When a man makes himself God, he does the work of the devil, traps himself in outer darkness, and brings death to everyone he meets. When God makes Himself man, He looks just like Jesus — The Way, The Truth, The Life, The Good in flesh, the perfect image of the invisible God.

“You are gods” and “The Spirit of Truth will take what is mine and declare it to you,” says The Truth. That’s a truth that’s rather hard to handle, and perhaps we really can’t handle the Truth until the same Spirit of Truth convicts us concerning sin, righteousness and Judgment.

1. “Concerning sin, because [or “that”] they do not believe [trust] in me (v.9).” I don’t think we have any idea of just how evil this world actually is. And any idea of how often, and how much, each one of us sins. And how horrid it is when we do sin. And that all we do and can do, apart from Jesus, is sin. He just told us, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Sin is a nothing that we think is a something that produces tremendous pain. Sin is a lack of faith in Jesus, which traps us in Me-sus. And righteousness is the faith of Jesus, which annihilates Me-sus and liberates us to be the image and likeness of God... which is Jesus.

2. “Concerning righteousness, because [or “that”] I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer (v.10).” Jesus just told us, “The Father is in me... In that day, you will know that I am... in you...If anyone loves me... we will make our abode in him (John 14:12, 20, 15:23).” We are the Father’s house. We think it can’t be true, because we’ve been convinced that life on this timeline is all that there is. We have no idea of the depths of evil in this world and ourselves, but also no idea of the glory of the righteousness of Christ in us and through us in the world.

1. He is the Truth that we haven’t “handled”; we — each and all — took His Life on a tree.

2. And yet, He rises from the dead in us; He is every right decision in and through us.

3. And this is the Judgement of God; His Choice given to each one of us.

Perhaps this needs to be more than knowledge gained in a book, but instead, a life lived in this world and then born into the next.

3. “Concerning judgment, because [or “that”] the ruler of this world is judged.” It is the ruler of this world who whispers, “He can’t save you, and He doesn’t want to save you... So, you better save yourself. Take the fruit of the tree and make yourself in the image of God; make yourself God.” All of the accuser’s power is based on a lie that is annihilated by the revelation of the Truth. Me-sus is the prison. Jesus is the Truth.

His superpower is humility. Humility is knowing that you cannot make yourself God, for God has already made Himself you. He is our Helper, made fit for each and every one of us. The lie of the evil one is that you must exalt yourself to get what you want. The Truth is that when you humble yourself, you will be exalted, for all that you really want is Love... and God is Love. Life is a communion of Sacrifice called Love, which is the Judgment of God that is God; it’s one for all and all for one; it’s the 7th sign that is the substance.

“All that the Father has is mine. The Spirit of Truth will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

— That would include my old friend, Brad. I did his funeral. Being a young evangelical pastor, it made me rather nervous; it wasn’t a “normal” Sunday morning church crowd. But I spoke of the many ways I had encountered the Righteousness of God in Brad — their Honesty, Beauty, Kindness, and Love. After the service, Brad’s old girlfriend said to my wife, “One day, toward the end (when he’d lie in bed moaning, ‘I can’t be God. It’s too hard to be God.’), I asked Brad what he wanted for his funeral. I said, ‘Have you talked to your old friend, Peter?’ And Bradley said, ‘Oh Peter, I talk to him every week.”

I hadn’t talked to Brad in years... but maybe he had been talking to Jesus, whom he met in me. And maybe he’ll recognize him when he stands before the throne. Maybe he’ll say, “I know you,” as Jesus replies: “And Bradley, I know you. We used to catch bugs together down by the ditch. We drew pictures together at your house after school. Now, this is our Father’s house. Welcome home. Would you like to come in?”

Many years before his funeral, when we were both in Los Angeles — Brad, making art in Hollywood, and me, attending Seminary in Pasadena — Brad called me at church. He said, “Peter, I’m having a party, and you have to come. I’ve got a communist, a physicist, a lesbian, a rabbi, an atheist, and you’re a pastor – it’ll be perfect if you would only come.” I said, “no.” I think I thought it would be a little too much for me to handle.

I said “no.” But I expect to one day say “Yes!” for Jesus said, “All that the Father has is mine.” That would include communists, physicists, lesbians, rabbis, atheists, even pastors and Brad. “Therefore, I said,” said Jesus, “The Spirit of Truth will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

We can’t handle the Truth, but the Truth is handling us and will bring us all home to Him. He broke the bread and blessed the cup, saying, “Eat of it and drink of it, all of you.”

This is the Revelation of sin: Each and all took His Life. And when you see it, it is utterly devastating. This is the Revelation of righteousness: To each and all He gave His life, and when you see it, it is equally devastating…to your ego. This is the Judgment of God: You cannot make yourself God, but God is making you Himself with Himself, that you would sit with Him on His throne and will the Universe into existence.

Not ONE verse, but billions and trillions of verses, joined as One in one symphony of Love called Life — wherein you will never be alone. I Am that I Am is entirely NOT alone.