It is the night before his crucifixion at their Passover celebration. Jesus had washed the disciple’s feet, revealed his betrayer, and foretold of Peter’s denial. Then he turns to His disciples to encourage them, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1 (ESV) It’s another way of saying “Fear not” which is what God says throughout the Scriptures when his people feared what they were confronting. He tells them to trust in God and also in Him because He is going ahead of them to prepare a place for them “in my Father’s house” (heaven).
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
John 14:5 (ESV)
Jesus has announced he is leaving and going ahead without them. Thomas, still confused, asks how will they be able to find him? He’s looking for directions or a map. Shockingly, Jesus responds that He is the way.
6 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 (ESV)
Jesus’ claim to be The Way leads to His second claim that no one can come to the Father except through Him. The truth of these statements is as powerful today as it was to Thomas and the disciples. For in an age of religious pluralism (true then and today), Christianity’s exclusive claims of Christ are considered narrow-minded, intolerant, and elitist. It’s ironic that tolerance has become the criterion by which all truth claims are judged today.
Jesus’ response was packed with meaning and has become a cornerstone of the Christian faith. The stress of His declaration is definitely that He, Himself, is “the way.” Faith is Jesus and His work on the cross shatters the barrier of sin, and His resurrection eliminates Death blasting open the road to eternal life. He is indeed “the narrow way that leads to life.” (Matthew 7:14) It’s clear now that the destination that Jesus speaks of is not a place, it’s a person, the Father, and the way to that destination is a person as well, Jesus (the Son of God).
But if Jesus had stopped with “the way” Thomas would simply have asked the same question again, “How can we know the way?” Fortunately for Thomas (and us), He added that He is also “the truth and the life.” Jesus, the living Word, (John 1:14) says He is our source of knowing the Father. He is the reality of everything the Father has promised and is the perfect example of how God created humans to be. Jesus said He is also “the life” (John 1:4), both now and eternal. There is no source of life outside of Him.
Now we can see the way because it is the words, teachings, and life of Jesus that show us the way. Some would say that a single way is too restrictive but that attitude fails to assess the desperate state of the human heart. That God even provided a way is a miracle in itself and evidence of His great love, mercy, and compassion. Those that reject God’s way are like a drowning person rejecting a lifeline thrown to them because they want to choose their rescue device or even have the option to swim to safety themselves.
Jesus is The Way
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 10:19–23 (ESV)
20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
- Who or what are you trusting in for your salvation and your eternity?
- If you truly believed that Jesus was the only way, what would be different in your life? What are you willing to do to realign your life with your beliefs?
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