“Leaving that place, Jesus led his disciples to Jerusalem where they broke bread at Club Upper Room. There he addressed them again, saying, ‘I am one of the ways, one of the truths, and just one possible life. If you are basically a good person, you’re okay in my book. And if you choose to come to the Father (or Mother, if you prefer) through Me, that’s cool. Now go forth and live according to whatever feels good to you.’”
- Ryan Dobson, Be Intolerant
This is how author, Ryan Dobson starts his book entitled, Be Intolerant. If you are familiar with John 14:6, where this “translation” comes from, you should notice that that it is not at all how the passage is really written. Instead, John 14:6 is where Jesus boldly proclaims, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Even though so many people know this verse and quote from Jesus it is often a verse that so many people have a problem with. It is often this verse that sparks frustrations and anger from non-Christians calling Christians narrow minded, intolerant and exclusive. It is often the verse that so many Christians will read and have a very hard time understanding because they don’t want to have to say their best friend or parent is going to go to Hell only because they believe something different. All too often, we choose to ignore the words of Jesus and instead live the way that Ryan Dobson worded this passage. Our actions and lifestyles say that Jesus is only one of the ways, one of the truths, and one possible life.
Over the next three weeks I want to look at this extreme statement that Jesus made. We are going to spend one week on each major part of Christ’s claim. Tonight, we are going to look at Christ’s claim to be the way. Next week, we will look at Christ’s claim to be the truth. And then we will examine Christ’s claim to be the life.
Almost all world religions would agree that man is in need of finding a way to God. Every religion claims to have a process of how man can approach and find God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that in order to get to God that they have to do “door to door work.” Jews believe that they way to God is by practicing strict obedience to the Law in the Old Testament. Hindu’s believe that the way to God is through mediation and yoga. Buddhists believe that the way to God is through following the Eightfold Path so that they will have no selfish desires. Muslims believe that they have to have their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds to find a way to God. And last but not least, Christians believe that Jesus is the way to God.
Out of all the religions and beliefs out there, people today debate if there is one right way to God. In our culture, most people would make the claim that there are many ways to find God. Often times, the way to God is described as a hike up a mountain. If you have ever climbed a mountain you should know that as you stand at the bottom, often times you have a few different options to decide how you want to get up. Even more so, as you choose a path and begin hiking you will come to different forks and turns in your path where you have to make another decision as to how you want to continue up the mountain. In the end, it doesn’t make much of a difference as to what path you choose because all of them lead to the same place, the summit.
This is how our culture so often looks at religion and the way to God. People would say that we are all on the same journey to God but yet we have the ability to just choose different paths. “All the religions and beliefs lead to God,” people would say. “They just take different routes to get to Him.” As we have already seen in John 14, Jesus would not agree with this way of thinking.
To understand this better lets look at Christ’s claim in context with the verses that surround John 14:6. Let us open our Bibles to John 14:1-7 (pg. 1045).
We pick up here just after Jesus has predicted that he was going to be betrayed by one of his disciples and then told Peter that he would deny him three times. Because of this the disciples are confused and scared, as it seems we so often find them. Jesus comforts them in verse 1 telling them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” He continues his comforting words in verse 2.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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.”
In these verses, Jesus is assuring them that they will have a place in heaven. In fact, Jesus claims that he going to God’s house to prepare a place for them. Jesus was promising them that they were going to able to live in God’s house, with God for eternity. They weren’t going to be house-sitting while God was away. They weren’t just going to be staying for a brief time as they visited. They would have a place in God’s house forever.
Not only is Jesus promising them a place or room in God’s house in eternity. And not only is Jesus promising them that he is going to go and prepare their rooms personally. Jesus proclaims to them that they know how to get there. Look at the way that Jesus words that though. “You know the way to the place where I am going.” Notice that he doesn’t say, “You know one of the ways to where I am going.” He says to them that they knew the way, meaning singular.
As Jesus tells them that they know “the way,” the disciples’ minds begin reeling as they try to understand what Jesus is saying. As I pointed out a few weeks ago, the disciples didn’t understand all this talk about “going to the Father.” They were confused and they didn’t get it. Thomas speaks up in verse 5 and tries to gain some understanding. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Makes sense doesn’t it. Have you ever tried or been with someone who tried to go somewhere when they didn’t know where they were going? I tried that this past week. I went out to meet my best friend Jon for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel in Tewksbury. I got there a little early and then he called and told me he was stuck in traffic and would be late. As I sat in the parking lot, I decided I was going to run out to the hardware store to pick something up that I needed. I had no idea where one was but I was going to go find it. I drove off and took some random turns but didn’t find anything. Eventually after about thirty minutes, Jon called me and said he was at Cracker Barrel so I turned around and headed back. It is really hard to find you’re your way to something when you don’t even know where it is.
Thomas, and the others most likely, had no idea where God really was. They understood that Jesus was saying that he was going to God and to God’s house but they had no idea where that was. So how in the world would they know how to get there? Jesus explains in verse 6. “I am the way…No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I would love to say that as Jesus boldly proclaimed that he was the way the disciples were energized and ran around jumping for joy that they had found the way to God. Sadly though, the disciples still didn’t get it because they were missing a big piece of the puzzle as Jesus told them they knew the way. They still didn’t understand that Jesus was going to die and what that would mean.
What is the reason that we are in need of a way to God? Why can’t we just approach God in our own power? Because of sin and disobedience to God! Hebrews 9 tells us that only the high priest could get close to God and only after blood was shed. Jesus went to God directly, but not by the blood of goats and calves. He approached God by his own blood, his death on the cross. When he did that, he paved the way to God for all of us. No more blood needed to be shed, no more sacrifices needed to be made! God himself has paid the ultimate sacrifice that we can now have a direct way to God that is only offered through Jesus.
Think back to that list of other religions and the ways they claim are the right ways to God. None of them offer a way to God by God himself and his grace and forgiveness. Judaism, Jehovah Witnesses, and Muslims all believe that is by our work and good deeds that we can get to heaven. But as you all know, it is impossible to do everything in life perfectly. Hinduism and Buddhism believe that they need to reject the self interest and continue through reincarnation until they do life right. These religions are all based on us and how good we can be. They have no guarantee that they will be in heaven, or nirvana, or whatever, it is all based on what kind of mood their gods are in when they pass away.
With Christianity and a relationship with Christ though, we are offered a way to God that we can do nothing on our own power to receive. No matter how good we are, now matter how often we pray or go to church, no matter how much money we put in the offering plate our works will not get us into heaven. Only by following Jesus Christ and having a relationship with him through the cross brings to us to God. Scripture teaches us that we can have a guarantee of our salvation and that when we die, even though we didn’t reach perfection and we didn’t get everything right, we will still have a room waiting for us in God’s house. Jesus is the way. No one comes to the Father except through Him!
