Way, Truth, Life. John 14.3-6

Way, Truth, and Life.  John 14.3-6         “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”   

Good Day.

Most people refer to him as ‘doubting Thomas’, right?  But you gotta love this guy for his courage!  He is willing to speak up and ask what is on others’ minds.  And in this case, the fact that he wanted to be sure of the way to get to Jesus, prompted him to ask the question, ‘how can we know the way?’  His question caused Jesus to make one of the most profound statements he ever made, and established it as a pillar to our Christian faith.

Far more than that, though, Jesus took three basic concepts of the Jewish thinking, and made the outrageous claim that all three were realized in him.  “I am the way and the truth and the life...”

The way.  Since ancient days, God said to Moses, ‘You shall not turn to the right or to the left.  You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you’¹.  And then one of my very favorite Old Testament verses, which indicates that God leads his children—though we must be listening—‘Whether you turn to the right or the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘this is the way, walk in it.’²   Indeed, wanting to follow in the ways of God was common to the Jewish people.

The truth.  How I love the psalmist’s zeal for the Lord!  ‘Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.’³   Interestingly enough, in Jesus, truth is not just taught, but embodied. That is because Jesus is truth; it is his character, and his heart. 

The life.  I am not sure people are really alive unless they know Jesus.  (Well, I suppose that depends on how you define ‘alive’, huh? Perhaps better said, ‘we are not fully alive until we know Jesus!’)  In Jesus, three meaningful keys to being fully alive are realized.  Yes, the claim, ”I am the way, the truth, and the life” would be outlandish on Jesus’ part if it were not true.       

Because he is the Way, the Truth and the Life~

Christine

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