Knowing what was to come, Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for the cross. Jesus had told His disciples that He was going to the Father who had sent Him, but they did not understand. Even less did they understand the way by which Jesus would be going; the way of the cross. At this moment, the disciples were bewildered men.
Among them however, was one who refused to remain bewildered. His name was Thomas. Thomas was too honest and far too earnest to pretend he understood when he did not. So, after Jesus had once again spoke of His going away and of the fact that they should know the way to where He was going, Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (v. 5).
It is important to note it was the question of a doubter that brought about one of the greatest statements ever uttered by our Lord. Never be afraid to express your doubts. Doubts honestly expressed lead to truth ultimately discovered! And what a precious truth our Lord declared!
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Jesus said . . .
1. I am the Way.
In saying, “I am the way,” Jesus was declaring that as men walked with Him, they would rightly relate to the Father.
Suppose we are in a strange town and ask directions, and we are told, “Take the first to the right, and the second to the left. Cross the square, go past the church, take the third on the right and the road you want is the fourth on the left.” No doubt, we will get lost. But suppose the person says: “Here, I’ll take you there.” In that case that person becomes our way. That is what Jesus does for us. He does not tell us about the way; He is our Way.
So it is that Jesus tells us that He is the “How” of salvation. If I am to be sure that I rightly relate to the Father, then Jesus is how I make sure. In the illustration we just considered, what do we say about a person who is trying to reach a destination but is confused and unable to reach it? They are lost. But what will never be true of person who depends on One who takes them to the destination they are seeking? They will never be lost. Why? Because of the dependability of the One who journeys with them.
When we trust Christ and open our lives up to Him, He will never abandon us, but will see us safely into the loving presence of our heavenly Father. We will never be lost, not because we are good at following directions, but because of the reliability and dependability of the One who is with us on our journey into eternity.
2. I am the Truth.
But only one man ever embodied the truth. Many a man could say, “I want to teach you truth,” but only Jesus could say, “I am the truth.”
Truth is the standard by which all things are measured. That is what Jesus is telling us here. He is the Truth. He is God’s standard by which we are measured. If we are to have a right relationship with the Father, we must meet His standard.
Webster’s Dictionary says that one definition of “true” is: “being conformable to a standard or pattern.” Jesus is the “truth,” that is, He is the standard or pattern by which we are measured; and we have been found to not be “true.”
This brings up the point that Jesus is not only the “How” of salvation; He is the “Why” of salvation.
Only the Lord Jesus, with His sinless life, has lived in such a way as to be true to God’s standard of righteousness. By contrast, no matter how we might try to live true to God’s standard of righteousness, we will inevitably fail because of all that is within us that is untrue and sinful. That is the truth that the sinless life of Christ confronts us with. We are both guilty and justifiably condemned because of our sin.
“Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.’” - Romans 3:4 (NIV)
Because we are guilty and condemned, and can do nothing on our own to change things, we need a Savior. The One who is the Truth, the one who is the personification of the righteous life that God requires, has resolved the problem of our untruthfulness and unrighteousness by accepting the punishment we deserve in our place. Because He is the Truth, that is, because of his sinless life, He was uniquely qualified to offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf for our sins.
“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)
“You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.” - 1 Peter 1:18-19 (CEV)
When we accept Christ, then the Father accepts us.
The Chinese character for “righteousness” is most interesting. It is composed of two separate characters - one standing for a lamb, the other for me. When “lamb” is placed directly above “me,” a new Character - “righteousness,” is formed. This is a helpful picture of the grace of God. Between me, the sinner, and God, the Holy One, there is interposed by faith the Lamb of God. By virtue of His sacrifice, the Father has received me on the ground of faith, and I have become righteous, true, in His sight.
Because Jesus lived a life that was “true” - “conformed to God’s standard,” He was qualified to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sinfulness, so that we, whose lives are not “true” not “conformed to God’s standard,” might be declared right in the sight of God.
3. I am the Life.
Jesus lets us know that He is the “What” of salvation - Salvation is not about us entering into life one day, but life entering into us today!
“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” - John 17:3 (NIV)
The One who came and lived a sinless life among us, offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for us, and three days later, was raised victoriously over the dead, so that He might deliver us from the power of death by giving us eternal life. He has ascended back to heaven from where he sends His Holy Spirit to indwell everyone who will accept the truth that they need a Savior and turn to Him as the way for them to be rescued. And when we place our faith and trust in Him, eternal life, is ours to know today, by virtue of a personal relationship with the One who declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life - the only means whereby we might come to the Father.
There was once a man who thought he was physically dead, but he was very much alive. The persuasion of his wife, family, doctors, and friends had no effect upon his crazy idea that he was actually dead.
The doctor, almost to the point of desperation, hit upon a last idea. The man came to the doctor’s office. Sitting across the table from the doctor, the physician asked, “Do you believe that dead men bleed?” The man who thought he was dead considered the question only for a moment and replied, “No, I don’t believe that dead men bleed.” Whereupon the doctor grabbed the man's finger and jabbed it with a needle. With wonder, the patient watched the blood as it formed at the tip of the finger and dripped on the desk. Then he exclaimed, “Well, what do you know, dead men do bleed!”
Conclusion: As sad as it might be for a man who is physically alive to think he is physically dead; it is far sadder for one who is spiritually dead to think they are spiritually alive.
“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.” - John 5:24 (The Message)
The only way to truly know life is to be personally connected to God, the author of all life, and the only way to connect with God is to personally trust and accept the One who came to give His life so we might not continue to be overcome by the power of death - Jesus - the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For nobody comes to the Father except through Him.
