"WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?" BLOG 4 – "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE"

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COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY STUDY 4

“I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE” (John 14:6-7)

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

More than ever we are spoilt with choice. I’m sure that most of us spend as much time in choosing between all the programs and films one could watch as we do in actually watching! In the end I often give up, concluding, “there are a thousand options but there’s nothing to watch!” This can be true in regard to faith. We are exposed to so many philosophies and gods that one can be tempted to conclude – “there can’t be a way, truth and life, if there’s so much dispute!” However, Jesus claims, exclusively, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Let’s think about this:  

·     Jesus says “I am the way…” How is Jesus the way, and what is He the way to? (14:2-3) 

·     He says “I am…the truth”. What does this teach us about our attitude to His promises? And How is Jesus the truth about God? (Jn 1:18 &14:9) 

·      Jesus add, “I am… the life.” What kinds of life does this refer to? (See John 1:3 & 11:25-26). 

·     Jesus gives us the reason why we are to believe that He is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ when He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (14:1) How does knowing who Jesus is keep our hearts from ‘trouble’? 

·     Jesus is claiming to be the only way to God – to salvation. What does Matthew 7:13-14 and Acts 4:12 say about this important truth? 

RESPONSE

Let’s trust in Jesus as the “only way, truth and the life”. We can be tempted to widen the net; feeling that it would protect God’s reputation in some way if we make Him seem more kindly by making in ‘a way, a truth and a life’. 

If you are tempted to say, “surely, those who never hear the gospel…those who try their best…those who believe in God generally but not Jesus specifically…surely the Father will accept them.” This is a flat denial of what Jesus says here, that “no one comes to the Father except through me”. It is to believe that the justice of God is flexible (unjust) and that He can overlook sin if He so desires. Do you really think that the Father would have ‘crushed’ His own Son if He could be Saviour without a sacrifice! 

Jesus in ‘the way, truth and life’ – He stands alone as the only Saviour, because He is the only perfect sacrifice for sin. 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

MONDAY – “I AM THE WAY”

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

I love stories like ‘Journey to the centre of the earth’; you know that it cannot be true, but one suspends reality for the joy of the adventure; they find a map, find a tunnel to the centre of the earth, find and escape from a prehistoric world, before surfing on an erupting volcano to make their escape! 

There are lots of stories, self-help guides, religious teachers that speak of a way, a path, a truth, how to have a great life etc. But Jesus claims, not to be a way among many,or to teachabouta way, but He claims to be“the way, the truth and the life!”Let’s explore what this means. 

‘Way’ is about getting to a destination. What is the destination that only Jesus can take us to? Earlier in the chapter Jesus says,

John 14:1-2“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

In essence, Jesus is the way to heaven which He terms ‘My Father’s house’. In the next verse Jesus asserts, mischievously I think, 

John 14:2“You know the way to the place where I am going.”

This affirmation causes them to reveal that, in actuality, they are not sure of the way or where Jesus or they are going – they are like me with my terrible sense of direction! Thomas Responds, and I think He’s speaking for all, 

John 14:5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus wants us to know that He is the way to our heavenly home. He is the way there. Paul expresses the confidence that each of us should share, 

2 Corinthians 5:1 & 8 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands…We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 

RESPONSE

I know that I can think of this world as my true home. However, Christians are like pilgrims travelling through this world to their true heavenly home with the Father. Peter likens our lives in this world to being in ‘exile’ (1 Peter 1:17). Jesus is ‘the way’ to our true home with God. 

TUESDAY – “I AM THE TRUTH”

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is the truth. This does not mean that He is the answer to every question; In which case even I could become really good at maths!  But it does mean that He is the truth about the most important questions. In what ways is Jesus ‘the truth’?

·     Trustworthy– ‘Truth’ speaks of Jesus’ utter trustworthiness (guileless is a good word for what I mean) –He is not enticing people for deceptive, delusional, or mistaken ends; He is to be utterly trusted.

·     His word is truth– He is truthful in all His teaching. 

·     The truth about salvation – The cross of Christ speaks of the love of God in giving His Only Son; it shows us the dreadful wrath of God against sin; The cross tells us of the judgement of death that sin deserves. Love and justice are perfectly presented on Calvary. 

·     The Truth of God – Jesus perfectly reveals who God is. John wrote. 

John 1:18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God andis in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 14:9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

RESPONSE

Read the following two passages and notice the effect that ‘knowing’ and ‘believing’ the truth has upon us.  

John 8:31-32Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:7“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me…” 

If you are reading this, I’m probably probably speaking to the wrong people when I say, we could all do with taking the pursuit of truth more seriously. Too often, Christian’s give the dregs of their time and minds to knowing the truth about Jesus. How do you and I need to respond in order to make Jesus ‘the truth’ – the main thing -  in our lives? 

A great thing would be to memorise these seven “I am” statements so that your mind is furnished with a portrait of Jesus. 

WEDNESDAY – “I AM THE LIFE”

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is the source of physical life

For life to exist there needs to be very specific conditions that, according to current research, doesn’t seem to exist on any other planet. Life is a miracle, requiring, I believe, the supernatural work of God in creating and then forming lifeless matter into living cells. 

Jesus is ‘the life’ in that He (in concert with the Father and the Spirit) created and sustains all life. He is the source of life. 

John 1:3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

Jesus is the source of spiritual life

Last week we considered Jesus words, 

John 11: 25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

There is no ‘life’ apart from Jesus. Specifically, Jesus is referring to spiritual life – A person is ‘born again’, by the Holy Spirit, through faith in Jesus. This is the promise of a relationship with God in this life, with the promise of eternal life beyond the grave. 

RESPONSE

Jesus’ reveals Himself as “I am the way and the truth and the life.” The life is not something separate from Himself – to have life is to have Jesus living in us by the Spirit. Meditate on the following following verses that say it all, 

John 14:18-20 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

THURSDAY – I’M THE WAY TO THE FATHER 

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus is more than the way to the Father

Jesus is telling us that He is the way to know the Father, and to be with Him forever; we read “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (1:2) 

But, through this chapter He is saying more than this; He is introducing us to the doctrine of the Trinity – God is three persons (Father, Son, Spirit) and He is one God. 

Jesus is not just saying something like, “I’m a bridge to the Father.” This is true, but He’s also saying that “when you meet me you meet the Father also”.  This is why Jesus repeats this idea through this chapter, 

7a.” If you really know me, you will know my Father as well…”  7b. “From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 9a. “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? (i.e. Knowing me is knowing the Father) 9b. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?” 10a. “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? 11a. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 

Such is the nature of the unity between Father and Son (and we could add the Holy Spirit also, as He will go on to talk about in this chapter) that to meet one person is to meet all the others. And, to deny one of the persons is to deny all. 

RESPONSE

So what does this all mean for us? 

Firstly, it means that we should think of God in Trinitarian terms. This is how He is revealed to us – Three persons/ Each person is fully God/ There are not three Gods but one God. 

Secondly, Jesus is seeking to reassure His disciples when He says,

John 14:7“From now on, you do know him (the Father) and have seen him.”

In other words, “You know what the Father (whom you haven’t seen) is like, because He is just like me (whom you have seen). As I have cared for you, He will care for you.” 

As Jesus is about to die, rise, and ascend to heaven, He will no longer be with the disciples, physically. They, and we are all tempted to ask, “How can this be a good idea, surely it’s better to have Jesus with us physically!” However, Jesus assures these disciples, and us, that the Father will be with them, by the Spirit; He will care for us just as Jesus did; “You know what He is like because He is just like me”. 

FRIDAY – I’M THE ONLY WAY, TRUTH AND LIFE

John 14:6-7Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

These words remind one of what Jesus says in Matthew 7,

Matthew 7:13-14“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Jesus is the ‘narrow gate…narrow road’ that leads to life. He is the only way, only truth, only life. 

Peter declares,

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

If you are tempted to say, “Now surely, those who never hear the gospel…those who try their best…those who believe in God generally but not Jesus specifically…surely the Father will accept them.” This is a flat denial of what Jesus says here, that “no one comes to the Father except through me”. It is to believe that the justice of God is flexible (unjust) and that He can overlook sin if He so desires. Do you really think that the Father would have ‘crushed’ His own Son if He could be Saviour without a sacrifice! 

RESPONSE

Do you ‘play the field’ when it comes to who God is and how to be saved? Being a Christian is a lot like being married. You become exclusive to one person. Are you faithful to Jesus as God and Saviour?