I am the Way 05/05/2021
- Robert Neilly
- May 5, 2021
- 5 min read
It is good to ask questions. Sometimes it can be irritating and there are times when, for example, children ask questions which we find hard to answer. Here Thomas asked a question which provoked a very important statement from the Son of God. So it was Thomas who prompted Jesus to provide this great statement - I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
Thomas was confused. He could not make sense of what Jesus was saying. Jesus has said that he was going away and he had added, "You know the way to where I am going." Thomas said, "Lord, we do not know where you are going - so how can we know the way? This seems logical. Unless you know the destination, how can you know the route. You need to know the destination before you can work out the route to it. It is not easy to work out what is going on in Thomas's head but he may well have been expressing what the other disciples were thinking. He is perhaps concerned that Jesus is leaving them - he is confused about what this means for him and the others. So in response to Thomas, Jesus makes the well-known statement which we are going to examine in some detail over the next three Day Shares. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."
It is usual to emphasise that Jesus spoke about being the Way, the Truth and the Life. In other words, Jesus was not saying that there are many ways to the Father and any of them will take you there. He is claiming that He is the exclusive way to the Father. Although, that aspect is not popular in our 'pluralist' 21st Century society, it is what Jesus was teaching and we need to respect that. However, I want to concentrate on the word "way" in today's study. It seems that this statement had a big impact and that followers of Jesus were known as 'The Way.' We find that in the book of the Acts which deals with the spread of the Gospel message after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats to murder the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. [Acts 9:1-2 NET]
Notice that Saul is not looking for men and women who were known as 'Christians' - because that term was not used at this stage. Instead, followers of Jesus of Nazareth were known as 'belonging to the Way.' This obviously originated in this statement of Jesus. What does it mean?
What is Jesus teaching?
When Jesus said, "I am the Way", he was speaking about the way for humans to approach God the Father. The context makes this clear - he has spoken about preparing a place for them in the Father's house (John 14:2) and he follows this declaration with the explanation - "No one comes to the Father except through me." [John 14:6b NET] This is very helpful and it reinforces the point that Jesus is making. He and he alone is the way to the Father. He is not pointing people to a way - he is himself that way. So the way to God is not in a religion or a set of rules to follow but in the person of the Son of God. This is another of the I am statements which are so distinctive in John's Gospel. We have looked at them in previous Day Shares. For Jesus to use the words, "I am" were seen as blasphemous by his enemies. This was stating that he is God. This was a term reserved for Jehovah or Yahweh. Here he is saying that he is the way to the eternal divine presence - the Father's house. We speak about heaven and we all want to be there - but as sinners we would not be able to enter the presence of God. Jesus as 'the Way' made it possible for sinners to be welcomed into the Father's house - his death prepared the way to the Father's house. Complete faith and trust in Him as the Saviour of the World and the Son of God is essential if we are going to be in heaven.
I often find it helpful to look back at the Old Testament to see if they can help us interpret New Testament verses. If we look back to the prophesy of Isaiah, we find two interesting references to the idea of 'the way'. My favourite chapter of the Old Testament has this verse.
A voice cries out,
“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;
construct in the desert a road for our God.
Every valley must be elevated,
and every mountain and hill levelled.
The rough terrain will become a level plain,
the rugged landscape a wide valley. [Isaiah 40:3-4 NET]
This is speaking about the coming of the Messiah and the need for preparation for his coming. It refers to God coming down to earth and mankind. It speaks of the need for repentance for the coming of the Messiah - the image is of the arrival of a mighty warrior prince and the preparation for his entry to the city. Some changes are necessary. There needs to be a levelling and a straightening of the road - human beings need to repent before the arrival of the Holy One of God. This emphasises the holiness of God and his presence. It also makes the point of the holiness of the Son of God, the Messiah. But he came down to sinful mankind to make it possible for us to be present with him in the Father's house. But I want to look at another passage from Isaiah to help us to grasp the significance of this statement.
A thoroughfare will be there –
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it.
fools will not stray into it. [Isaiah 35:8 NET]
Notice that Isaiah's prophecy emphasises the need for holiness - this highway (as it is described in some translations) or thoroughfare is called the 'Way of Holiness.' This is also suggested negatively - the unclean will not travel on it. It is not a public thoroughfare in the sense that there are restrictions for travellers on this road. This translation says that 'it is reserved for those authorised to use it' and another translation renders it as follows - "It shall belong to those that walk in the way." [Isaiah 35:8 ESV] So if you have not been born again (according to the teaching of John chapter 3) and if you have not committed your life to Jesus as Lord, you are not on the road to the Father's house. What does it mean when it talks about fools - is this implying that there is an intellectual test for admission to this highway? The Bible uses the expression 'a fool' to describe a person who is careless and indifferent with regard to God. It has nothing to do with how we use the word fool as an imbecile. None of us will stray on to this road by accident. It involves a deliberate decision - a choice to follow Jesus.
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