There followed, after His reassurance that His departure was not forever, Jesus’ next profound statement. After Thomas’ plaintive question, “How can we know the way when we don’t know where you are going?”, Jesus responded with these immortal words…
John 14:6 NIV
[6] “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus’ words were always both all-exclusives and all-inclusive. How could that be? The great divide that excluded many and included many was only one condition…faith!
Those who cannot understand the significance of faith, accuse Jesus and, by association, His followers, of “hate speech”! How could He insist that He is the only way to attain heaven? Yet, truth is narrow since, as one preacher declared, “Truth is a knife edge and error a wide, flat land.”
If it is true that there can only be one way to the Father, how can this be “hate speech” to speak the truth. Yes, this excludes all who are foolish enough to deny the truth but it includes everyone who believes.
According to Scripture, Jesus came from heaven for more than one purpose. He came to reveal the true nature of God and to introduce Him to His own people as Father. He came to remove the barrier of sin and open the way to the Father. He came to escourt those who believe in Him, to the Father.
Therefore, in summary, He declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life!”
In this statement, Jesus was not saying, “I will show you the way. I will teach you the truth. I will give you life.” He is much more than what He does. He is, in Himself, everything we need. Apart for Jesus, we can never be on the way, know the truth, or have the life He came to give us. It all depends on one profound truth that we are” in Christ”.
Paul’s favourite expression, “in Christ”, is much more than that, just an expression. It is the key to the full basket of benefits we have through our faith in Jesus. Paul sets out this truth in Ephesians 1 where he describes every blessing we have “in Christ”.
Ephesians 1:3-14 NIV
[3] “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST. [4] For he chose us IN HIM before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us IN THE ONE he loves. [7] IN HIM we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace [8] that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, [9] he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed IN CHRIST, [10] to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth UNDER CHRIST. [11] IN HIM we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, [12] in order that we, who were the first to put our hope IN CHRIST, might be for the praise of his glory. [13] And you also were included IN CHRIST when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked IN HIM with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
What more could Paul have written to convince us that only in union with Jesus can we have access to the blessings and benefits of the salvation He accomplished through the cross. We owe Him, not only our very existence but our access to the Father and to eternal life.
This must have been a foreign idea to His disciples, who were schooled in a religion of rules, ritual, and sacrifice to gain access to God and then only at a distance since a great, heavy curtain separated them from His presence. To be in a personal relationship with the God whom they feared because of His awesome holiness, was foreign and unthinkable…yet Jesus was declaring that the only way to the Father was to be in union with Him.
Even more radical are the words of the writer to the Hebrews…
Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV
[19] “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
His body, His blood, a high priest…these are all terms that linked them to their understanding of what God required to access Him, but so much more.. All the pictures and types of the Old Covenant finally came together in Jesus.
In His words,” I am…Yahweh, I am who I am…”, Jesus was placing Himself in their understanding, in the shoes of the God of the Old Covenant. He was the Yahweh they worshipped and, only in Jesus, who is in fact, Yahweh Himself, could they reach their goal of everlasting life with Yahweh.
Was it beginning to dawn on them, in these intimate moments before His death, that this man Jesus, with whom they had kept company for a number of years, was much more than a man. He was God and man in one person and personally assigned to take them, through union with Himself, to realm where in three persons, the Godhead reigned in power and glory and invited them to join in that union.
It’s no wonder He said to them…
John 16:12 NIV
[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.”
He had told them enough set their minds spinning.