“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6
Given the amount of chaos in the world these days we often wander…especially in the face of crisis or a major dilemma. It is at times like these that we seem most “lost” for answers since we are seeking to figure out for ourselves what is going on around us. Being troubled…that feeling of being lost…is normal when we don’t ground ourselves in something bigger than ourselves. The night Jesus said the above words the disciples were troubled about the events of the moment, trying to decipher what Jesus was saying as He had just dropped a number of items into their laps that obviously unsettled them. Hence Jesus’ commands, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” This is the answer to our troubles. Seem too simple? Well…God never makes it hard to trust Him.
Like us, the disciples wonder “How can we know the way?” If your Bibles are open right now…the way is open to you. Of course, the Way was standing right in front of them and had been telling them about the way and walking in the way, showing love one to another but they didn’t hear it. However, Jesus being a compassionate Master tells them once again what they seem …we seem sometimes…too dense to see even when He is standing right in from of them…and us through His Word. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus doesn’t say that He will show them/ us the Way…He says HE IS the Way! Jesus didn’t promise here to teach them/us the truth…He said that HE IS the Truth! Jesus didn’t offer us any secrets to our best life now…He said HE IS the Life! That is why this is so simple…for us!
Think of it this way:
I am wandering about; not knowing where I am going.- Jesus says, He is the Way.
I am confused and overwhelmed; I don’t know what to think. Jesus says, He is the Truth.
I am dead inside and don’t know if I can go on. Jesus says, He is the Life.
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life…all answers to our being troubled is found in Him. Jesus had been telling them this but now He makes it abundantly clear, He is “the WAY,”—the way to heaven and peace with God. Jesus is “the TRUTH,”—the whole substance and essence of truth which the mind of man requires. Jesus is “the LIFE,”—the sinner’s title to eternal life and pardon, the believer’s root of spiritual life and holiness, the surety of the Christian’s resurrection life. He that believes on Christ has everlasting life. He that abides in Him, as the branch abides in the vine, shall bring forth much fruit. He that believes on Him, though he were dead, yet shall he live. The root of all life, for soul and for body, is Christ.
Since He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, He then says with the authority of the One who can, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus can’t be clearer…NO ONE… absolutely no one gets to the Father…into heaven except through Him…ONLY on His terms! He is the exclusive Way, Truth and Life! God is so holy and all men are so guilty and debtors in His sight. Sin is so sinful that no mortal man can make satisfaction for it. There must be a mediator, a redeemer, between ourselves and God, or else we can never be saved. So this holy God provided His Son…Jesus, as a substitute for our sins.
Many are willing to say that Jesus is legitimately “a way” to God, because they say that all religions will get us to the same place, eventually. Some say it isn’t fair of God to have only made one way. But God isn’t into fairness or we would all be in hell! If Jesus is not the only way as He claims then He is a liar or a lunatic because He absolutely states here the He IS the Only Way through which people can come to heaven.
So take heart today with the knowledge that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that we are known by Him and we are His. And this is true no matter what is going on in the world today.
Praise the Lord!
God bless y’all today.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
