I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. 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? 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. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."

John 14

I love maps. I love exploring a new city or a hiking trail with a map. When my son went camping, he would take a picture of a map and send it to me so I would know his route. This was our early version of Find My Friends. Now I use “Waze” almost every day. I love knowing where I am and where I’m going.

Often, we want a map for other aspects of life: relationships, decisions, family, work, etc. Throughout life, we have times when we feel lost or confused. We wish someone would just point the way to take or what decisions to make. Am I doing the right thing? What happens if I go a certain way?

In the Bible, life is often referred to as a journey. Our way is illuminated by God’s promises to guide us as we lean on Him and His ways. As we follow Him, He will guide us. However, Jesus goes much deeper than direction for our lives or help in making decisions when He called Himself The Way, The Truth, and The Life in John 14:6.

He was explaining to His disciples that He was leaving and going somewhere they couldn’t go with Him. This confused and troubled them. Jesus told them not to be troubled but to trust Him. He told them He was going to prepare the way for them. But this confused them more. Where was He going? Why did He need to prepare a place? What was that place? Jesus was on His way to the cross, where He would be The Way for us to live and dwell with God the Father, to have a relationship with Him that was not possible apart from Jesus. On the cross, He took the punishment that our sin deserved and accomplished salvation for us. He was going to the cross to die, and He rose again to be The Way to the Father.

He is The Truth – but not just a conceptual, mental truth. Theologian Sinclair Ferguson explains that this is “the reality of life we experience when we are united to Him”. The truth of the historical events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection accomplishes significant and magnificent things! 

At the beginning of creation, after Adam and Eve sinned and were put out of the Garden of Eden, God set angels and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. The way to life was blocked because of sin (see Genesis 3:24). Apart from a substitutionary sacrifice, the way stayed blocked. Hebrews 10:19-20 explains that the way to God, the way to life, is no longer blocked. Jesus Himself is the new and living way because of His sacrifice for us. We can come to the Father through Jesus.

Let’s help others find their way. Let’s show them who to follow -  Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life.