The One Way: The Only Way
John 14:1-6
May 31, 2020
Has it ever happened to you? I know it’s happened to me more times than I’d like to admit. It’s almost embarrassing, but I think you’ll be able to relate to my plight.
You got lost! It’s as simple as that! Even using GPS, I’ve gotten lost. We have it on our 2012 car, but you know what, if you never get the GPS updated, then the new roads do NOT magically appear on the GPS. Nope, so what you’re looking at in your car is not what you see on your phone. If you believe your cars GPS, then getting lost is a possiblity.
Ever do that?! Have you even made a wrong turn, and it ended up taking an extra 20 minutes, because one wrong turn, becomes 2 wrong turns. And I’ve heard that men aren’t the best at asking for directions!
The harder we try to find the right way, the more wrong turns we take, and the more wrong turns we take the greater the tension in the car. Debbie can testify to that fact.
In the first church I pastored, we really were out in the country and if you were going to some places, it was difficult, especially on roads which were angle streets to know what direction you were going. Eventually, we learned to look for the water tower, which was close to our house, and that became our guiding point.
As we’ve been talking about the I AM statements of Jesus, Jesus gives us some huge directional help! Let’s set the scene as we prepare to look at John 14 - -
The passage in John 14, marks the beginning of Jesus’ farewell talk with His disciples. It occurs after Jesus’ Last Supper. At that Passover meal Jesus has said and done some really hard things to grasp - He said - -
One will betray Him
Peter will deny Him
He became a servant and washed the disciples feet
He said, where’s He going, they can’t come
Then in chapter 14, Jesus seeks to bring comfort to the disciples, but their heads are spinning and they don’t understand what Jesus is saying. Let’s look at what Jesus said - -
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know 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.
Jesus explained He’s going to “prepare a place for them and He will come back to take them to be where He is. That’s great news, but the disciples were still confused
So, let’s break this down a bit. Jesus said —
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
Jesus is saying, "I know you trust in God. You can trust me as well. Remember, even when you can no longer see me, don’t stop trusting in me." We have a much easier time trusting in what we can see and touch. It’s when we can’t see that we struggle with trust and belief.
Everything we look at it is temporary. One day all of it will be gone. The cars we drive, the clothes we wear, even this building, including us . . . are all temporary. All of this will someday be gone. I’m not wanting to be the bearer of bad news!
We need to learn to trust even when we do not see the substance of our faith. We still believe in what we can’t see. This is why Jesus said, don’t let your hearts be troubled. He wants to calm their spirits, to bring them confidence and comfort, but when things aren’t going our way, it’s not always easy to follow someone’s train of thought.
So, Jesus tells the disciples this great news in verses 2-3 -
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
It makes sense to us - - - today!! But back then, it didn’t. Jesus is telling the disciples He needs to leave them, He’s going to be with the Father in heaven, BUT, and that’s a huge BUT . . . He tells them He’s going to prepare a place for them. And . . . and this is really the icing on the cake . . .
Jesus says, not only am I preparing a place for you, but I’m coming back and I’m going to take you to be with me. We’ll all be together again. You’ll be in my Father’s house. The image Jesus is trying to paint is that heaven is going to be so huge and vast. We’re not going to be in small little rooms, we’re not going to be in small 10x10 rooms. We’re going to be in the place of perfection, heaven!
It will be this continual abiding, dwelling with God as we relate to God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit all at once. It will be phenomenal. That’s what Jesus is trying to get across to the disciples. Jesus adds, I think in a way that should end the conversation . . .
4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Um, no, actually, Jesus . . . we’re kind of clueless. We’re not sure of the way. It’s not connecting for them. Thomas is the brave one. You know what it’s like to be sitting in a class where you know nobody has a clue, and there’s one brave soul who is willing to as the question. That was Thomas . . . and he said to Jesus -
5 “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know 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.
Thomas’ question in verse 5, indicates that despite all Jesus had revealed to His followers, the truth was still too hard for them to grasp. But Thomas’ plea of ignorance allows Jesus to reveal that His destination is a vital part of who He is - - - for Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
You see, Jesus IS the way, and this way IS the truth (kai he aletheia) and this way IS the life (kai he zoe). Jesus declares ‘This way of truth and life is the only way to reach that most-desired of all destinations . . . . . the destination our hearts long for, God, the Father.
Jesus encourages the disciples to trust in the Father and in Him; and those who trust in Jesus, who follow the way. . . the way, which is truth and life, will find their final home in the eternal abiding relationship with the Father.
We all desire to get there. I believe in each of our hearts, and not just us, but all of humanity, each person has a desire . . . a longing to meet God. We all don’t know how to go about discovering Jesus. We find many false gods on that journey, false gods who satisfy us on a temporary basis, but Jesus makes a statement which is so controversial in our world today.
I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
If Jesus simply said the first part, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” It would not be so controversial. Lots of people have made similar statements, telling the world that they are the savior.
When Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me,” He meant exactly what He said. There’s no hidden meaning here. And this statement by Jesus is not easy for the world to swallow.
In fact, many Christian have a difficult time with this statement. And Christians who embrace this conviction that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to heaven are often referred to as narrow-minded, bigoted, and intolerant snobs. The popular television orthodox rabbi, Shmuley Boteach said,
“I am absolutely against any religion that says that one faith is superior to another. I don’t see how that is anything different than spiritual racism. It’s a way of saying we are closer to God than you, and that’s what leads to hatred.”
The views of Rabbi Boteach illustrate an overarching view of the world towards Christianity. The world calls Christians intolerant, that our belief in Jesus as the only way to salvation makes us exclusive, not inclusive. You see, we live in such a pluralistic society that people think of Christianity as just one more option on the spiritual buffet table. Most people don’t mind our saying Jesus was the Son of God. But they are opposed to the statement that He is the ONLY way to God.
Now we aren’t the only ones who claim to have the answer. In order to find salvation the Muslim way, you must profess belief in Muhammad. I find that to be rather exclusive. To be a Mormon, you must believe in the writings of Joseph Smith. To be a Jew you cannot profess Jesus or Muhammad or any other person is God. And the list can go on and on.
So, Jesus tells us He is the WAY . . .
He also tells us He is the TRUTH . . .
What does that mean? I think it’s pretty straight forward. Jesus was telling us that everything He said was true. He didn’t stretch the truth, He didn’t tell a little white lie, what He said you could bank on.
Let me tell you how important that is . . . especially in our world right now . . .
Think about the daily news reports you receive about the coronavirus. Think about how the message changes on a daily basis. Experts seem to disagree with one another. Politicians disagree with one another, neighbors and family members tell different stories. It’s at the point where we really don’t know what’s true anymore.
We can’t even find truth in how this got started.
Was it from animals in a Wuhan market?
Was it a secret lab experiment gone wrong?
Is it from Bill Gates?
Is it from God?
Truly we don’t know. We have a tough time knowing the truth . . . but here is where Jesus comes in . . . and He tells us He is the truth.
My children, I’m not going to lie to you. . . I’m telling you this straight up. I am the WAY, I am the ONLY WAY to the Father . . . and I’m the TRUTH. I tell you that the WAY is the TRUTH.
And that truth is the entrance to eternal life - it’s the entrance to a relationship we all long for . . . with the Father.
So, we are called to draw near to Jesus, our Lord, our God. He is the One who can bring you into His kingdom. . .
It’s a matter of our saying yes to Jesus. Even in the midst of uncertain times, when life is not going the way we want it to go . . . Jesus offers us life. He has a place for us.
We don’t want to rush it! We don’t want to need that heavenly home too soon, but when that time comes, we have this hope . . . a hope which cannot be defeated that we will celebrate eternally with God.
For now . . . trust in His promises. Trust that God will not lie to you. Trust that He loves you so much that He sent His only Son for you.
It’s what Luke tells us in Acts 4 -
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved
Then Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:15 -
15 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
The belief that Jesus Christ is the only true way to God is not just some abstract thought, it is the belief that Christians for two thousand years have based their lives on. They have bled and died for that belief.
This should lead us to an amazing faith and trust in following the call of God in our lives. Is it making a difference in your life?
Whatever your burdens are, the solution to a troubled heart is still the same, to trust, God’s presence. He said, "I’ll never leave you, I’ll always be beside you. I won’t abandon you. Trust My promises. Trust that I know the way, the true way to real and abundant life.
