[This year, I am blessed to welcome a group of friends to gather around my table once a month to study “WHO JESUS IS” (NavPress, 2022), an in-depth look at the “I AM” statements of the LORD JESUS recorded in John’s gospel.

Now that we have resumed after our summer break, I continue to pray that this series of monthly reflections from our discussions will be a blessing and encouragement that reaches far beyond our kitchen table.]

𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘯𝘰. 𝟼): ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝘞𝘏𝘖 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘐𝘚 – 𝘐 𝘈𝘔 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦

As we have done each month through this study, it is good to consider what we know about these terms that might help us to fully appreciate what JESUS was saying about Himself when He declared “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).  

The dictionary highlights several interesting thoughts:

WAY: method, road, track, path, course of action, approach, direction, doorway

TRUTH: accuracy, validity, certainty, purity, reality, legitimacy, fact; “fact” can be described as something that is indisputable, based on research and quantifiable measures; “truth” is often viewed as including fact but also requiring belief (that the fact has been proven)

LIFE: organic existence, capacity for growth, functional activity, breath of GOD

The psalmist spoke about GOD’s way of truth and life in the Bible:  

Show me the right path, O LORD, point out the road for me to follow.  Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the GOD who saves me.  All day long I put my hope in You. (Psalm 25:4-5)

From the Navigators writing team: 

“JESUS is not excluding anyone from His offer of salvation.  But He clearly teaches that we cannot be saved apart from Him, and we are given the choice whether we will accept or reject His gift of life.  The reality is that none of us have any way to GOD on our own, and no religion or spirituality of this world can create one for us.  JESUS steps into our need and offers us Himself as the only true path to GOD.”

“If JESUS is, in fact, GOD Himself, that puts His claim in an entirely different light.  An infinite being can say with certainty whether there is one GOD or many, and whether there are multiple ways to know Him or only one.  JESUS doesn’t say that He merely speaks the truth; He claims to be the embodiment of Truth.  He doesn’t say He can give life; He tells us He is the source of life itself.  And He doesn’t say He is one pathway to GOD among many; He asserts that He is the only way.”

.   .   .

How did these thoughts and images frame our study of JESUS as the Way, the Truth, and the Life in John 14?  Our little discussion group shared several thought-provoking insights about this passage:

At the beginning of this chapter, the LORD JESUS spoke words of comfort and reassurance to His disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled…” (John 14:1).  He told them plainly and definitively that He would be betrayed, suffer and die, rise again, and leave them to return to the Father.  None of these details were easy for them to understand or accept.  He was their Messiah, their Teacher, their Leader.  They had left everything to follow Him.  They trusted Him to save them.  Now, He would be put to death.  He would leave them.  What exactly did this mean for them?  Were they also in danger?  What would their lives look like after He was gone?

The One who had no earthly home promised to rise from the grave and return to the Father, where He would prepare a place for them to join Him in the Father’s house.  How would they find their way to follow Him when He was gone?

There were so many questions.  So much confusion.  They hardly knew how to frame what He was telling them.  So, JESUS urged them, “you believe in GOD, believe also in Me … you know the way where I am going.”(John 14:1, 4)  The same One they had always trusted was still trustworthy, even with the unknowns that loomed in front of them.

The LORD JESUS met their persistent question, “how will we know the way?” (vs 5), by shifting their focus:

• “I AM the way” – They didn’t need directions on a map.  They didn’t need to figure this out on their own.  They already knew JESUS and He would personally come to take them Home to the Father. He would open the way to the Father, but He would also be with them to lead them to their eternal Home.
• “I AM the truth” – They didn’t need to let their minds spin in a million directions.  The only facts they needed were the ones He was telling them ahead of time.  Who He always claimed to be had not changed.  He was still their Messiah and what He would accomplish for them through His death and resurrection would not negate all their hope, but ensure its reality!
• “I AM the life” – Beyond their finite understanding or most vivid imagination, life beyond the grave was also an astonishing reality.  Eternal life!  A life where they could be welcomed to come to the Father, through JESUS, and live forever with Him in the Father’s house.

How was this possible?  JESUS reiterated a simple truth He spoke on many occasions: He and the Father are one!  In broadening the disciples’ understanding of His relationship with the Father, JESUS brought clarity to their appreciation for the home He longed for them to enjoy – one that was less about four walls and a roof and so much more about the relationship they too would enjoy with the Father.

The Son and the Father are one.  They have always been together, since before time began.  Their words and works are one and the same, intricately and inextricably interwoven, inseparable, strong.  There is deep love between Father and Son, not simply companionship.  Their unity is constant, unchanging, confirmed to be true, with no discrepancies.

The inseparable connection between the Father and the Son can be traced through Scripture.  One beautiful example can be found in the prophesy of Isaiah: “For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given.  The government will rest on His shoulders.  His Name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty GOD, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  JESUS, the Son, was given to us and was also given these Names, which are inseparable from those of the Father.  They are one.  

JESUS went on to pray in John 17 that all believers would be one with the Father, just as He and the Father are one: “I have given them the glory You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one.  I am in them and You are in Me.  May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that you love them as much as You love Me” (John 17:22-23).  

JESUS is the way to the Father.  All who come to the Father by Him may be joined with the Father in the same inseparable, eternally unchanging union!  In our discussion, it was pointed out that the home JESUS is preparing for us could be compared to the Garden of Eden, a restoration of the beautiful home created for Adam and Eve, and the unity of relationship they enjoyed with GOD in that place!

.   .   .

No doubt, these deep truths steadied the racing minds of JESUS’ disciples.  But their hearts still felt the weight of JESUS leaving them soon.  What would comfort and strengthen them?  Might it have been a renewed appreciation for JESUS’ commitment to the plans and purposes of the Father?

• There was purpose in His sacrifice – it was absolutely necessary to accomplish the redemption only JESUS could secure for us through His death on the cross and triumph over death in His resurrection.
• There was purpose in His leaving and the certain promise of His return – JESUS’ time away from His disciples would be spent in the Father’s house, preparing a place specifically with each of them in mind. When everything was ready, He would come to take them Home to be with Him always.  They would never be forgotten.  They would always be remembered, always be provided for, always with the end in mind that they would forever be with the LORD.
• The plans and purposes of the Father have always been redemption and reconciliation, to reunite us with Him for eternity.  Physical separation, though difficult, would be brief in comparison!  In the interim, JESUS promised to be with them always (Matthew 28:20) and to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell them as their Comforter, Advocate, and Teacher (John 14:16).  How comforting to know they would never be alone.

.   .   .

The study then shifted our focus from this glorious reality to some difficult questions: 

“This is the beauty of the gospel: that GOD, knowing that our sin would keep us forever separated from Him, came to earth in the Person of JESUS to become the Way back into relationship with the Father.  How does the abundance of the good news stand in contrast to the assertion that Christianity is narrow-minded?  How can we respond to those who struggle with JESUS’ claim that “no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)? [Navigator Writing Team, WHO JESUS IS, Lesson 6]

Several insightful comments were shared around our discussion table:

• Almighty GOD, our Creator and Sustainer, is the only One with the right and authority to determine the appropriate way to approach Him, to be welcomed into His Home and family.  He has the final say.  When we acknowledge Who He is, we realize it is disrespectful, dishonoring, and arrogant to presume that our own ideas are more acceptable.  
• When we acknowledge we are sin-cursed, fallen creatures before a holy GOD, we realize it is His love and mercy that have caused Him to make a way for us to be redeemed, at the great cost of His own Son’s sacrifice.  There is no other choice than to bow in humble gratitude.
• JESUS is the very embodiment of truth, the full representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3).  The truth of the gospel is exact and immovable.  JESUS is the only way to the Father.  Our choices are, assuredly, narrowed down to One.  JESUS is the only answer.  That fact is exclusive, absolute, indisputable.  There is no option to craft our own version of the “truth.”  
• BUT the way to the Father through JESUS is open to ALL, with no exceptions!  The door is open wide!  No one is excluded, prevented, or denied.  Anyone who calls on the Name of the LORD JESUS will be saved, redeemed, reconciled, given the right to be called children of GOD (Romans 10:13, John 1:12).  The staggering beauty of inclusion is described in Ephesians 2:12-18: 

“In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises GOD had made to them. You lived in this world without GOD and without hope.  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from GOD, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. …  Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”

.   .   .

Another poignant question was posed in our study:  

“Since JESUS is the only way to GOD, how does that make the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) vitally important?”[Navigator Writing Team, WHO JESUS IS, Lesson 6]

If we don’t tell others the truth, who will?  We may fear rejection or an uncomfortable conversation or misjudgment of our motives in speaking what we know to be true from GOD’s Word.  But people need to hear the truth of the gospel – the hard-to-hear news about sin and separation from GOD, but also the really great news about a Savior who made a way for us to be reconciled to Him!  

Because we genuinely care about the eternal destination of those around us, we need to warn them that there is great danger in neglecting or rejecting GOD’s salvation.  There is nothing more terrifying than separation from GOD, let alone for all eternity!  We also don’t want them to miss the glorious invitation to be one with the Father, in close relationship, enjoying the countless blessings of being claimed as His own, a child of GOD!

We can be encouraged that in any difficult conversation, the Holy Spirit will guide us.  We simply need to tell what we know to be true – it is always the work of GOD to touch and open hearts to receive the truth and trust Him.

.   .   .

Our passage in John 14 concluded with two additional promises from the LORD JESUS: “Whoever believes in Me… will do even greater things” (vs 12) and “I will do whatever you ask in My Name, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (vs 13).  In addition to fulfilling the Great Commission to tell the Good News of the gospel as far and wide as possible, we have the opportunity to partner with JESUS, through the help of the Holy Spirit within us, to continue the work of the Father on earth.  

Praying “in His Name” means praying what JESUS would pray.  It is deeply touching to realize that we are welcomed to join Him in praying for lost souls, in watching to see how the Father will respond, how His Spirit will work to draw others to know and love Him.  There is no more important work than to know Him and make Him known.  There is no more important step in that mission than to check in with our Commanding Officer often to seek His direction as we reach out to those around us and as we navigate roadblocks to our own growth and participation in that mission.

His strength triumphing over our weakness empowers us to do hard things, bringing glory to GOD.  His Spirit will prompt us to take each next right step.  We can draw others to know and love the Father and His Son by following JESUS’ example:  loving others as He loves us, noticing and caring for the needs of those around us (in practical, physical, emotional, and spiritual ways), impacting others with human touch and words of truth, speaking what the Father teaches us to say, offering His Words as we testify of the reality of GOD in our lives.  

We honor GOD when we keep His commands, when we answer His call to be witnesses for Him, when we look forward with anticipation to being forever with the LORD.  As He is preparing a place for us, we can be preparing our hearts to be forever united with Him as His Bride! 

.   .   .

So far in our study of WHO JESUS IS, we have learned:

• JESUS is the Bread of Life, the One who satisfies our souls’ deepest hunger.  
• JESUS is the Light of the World, the One who illuminates our darkness.
• JESUS is the Gate for the sheep, the One who calls us by name to welcome us into His fold.
• JESUS is our Good Shepherd, the One who lays down His life to care for us, His sheep.
• JESUS is the Resurrection and the Life, the One who triumphed over death, securing eternal life for all who trust in Him.

This month, we learned that JESUS is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the One who makes the truth about the Father known, the One who has secured the only open door through which we can approach the Father, to be welcomed into an everlasting life of relationship with the Father, inseparably one with Him as His redeemed children.

.   .   .

Our study concluded with a poignant quote from Thomas a Kempis:

“Follow thou Me.  I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living.”

Without JESUS there is nothing – no breath, no hope, no understanding, no solid ground, no motivation, no path forward, no future, no joy, no peace, no love, no light – without JESUS there is nothing.  With JESUS we have everything we could ever imagine or hope for or need!  Let’s not keep the treasure of our Savior a best kept secret – let’s be faithful to tell the story of JESUS!