When Jesus told his disciples that he was about to leave and that where he was going no one could come, they protested. They wanted to go with him. Even Peter expressed his willingness to lay down his life just to be able to follow Jesus. Sensing that their hearts were unsettled with this news, Jesus comforted them saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 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” (John 14:1-4). Even after being with Jesus a long time, the disciples remained clueless as to where Jesus was going. Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (v.5)
While Jesus had been saying all along that he was on a mission from God to prepare a people unto himself, his disciples appeared to have not been getting the message. Therefore, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). With these words, Jesus provided a clear path on how one can get to heaven. But why did Jesus choose to say that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Was he conveying a special message to the disciples and even us today? Certainly! The message is that he is all that we need to get to heaven. With each point, he also tackles man’s greatest problems.
The first problem is that we are lost – we have lost our way in this wicked and perverse generation. We need someone to lead the way out from our entanglement. In fact, many are in panic mode and they grab anyone or anything that can promise them what seems to be the right way out. But the Bible warned, “There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is death” (Prov. 14:12). Indeed, there are many seemingly right ways available, which are also very appealing, but Jesus commanded, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). Sadly, many refuse to take the narrow road because it is not the easiest and fastest route.
Secondly, we are deceived – many are living under the deceptions and lies of the devil. They unwittingly fall under the devil’s schemes because, as Jesus said, “When the devil lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). And because the devil is so canny and can pose as an angel of light, even believers succumb to his lies. In fact, there are many who are suffering because they believe the devil’s lie that nobody cares about them. But the truth of the matter is that God loves them and he cares for them. This is the reason why Jesus came – the expression of God’s love (John 3:16). Some are also made to believe that they are hopeless and that their sicknesses are beyond cure. But the apostle Peter boldly declared, “He (Jesus) himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Others are living under the devil’s lie that they are destined to live in poverty. This is completely against God’s plan as the apostle Paul explained: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
Lastly, we are dead – we are dead in our sins and trespasses because death is the penalty of sin. Obviously, one who is dead will not enjoy life, but Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full” (John 10;10). This life that Jesus gives is more than the temporal life that we live here on earth; it is eternal life in heaven itself. The pursuit of this eternal life should be our preoccupation and not the things of this world, for Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
While John 14:6 reveals to us the sufficiency of Jesus, it also tells us of his exclusivity and that his words are unqualified. When Jesus said that he is the Way, he is the only way. All other paths are excluded – no exception is provided. Likewise, when he said that he is the Truth, all others are liars and the truth can only be found in him. Unlike everyone who tells lies from time to time, Jesus tells us the truth all the time. And when he said that he is the Life, no one else can give eternal life but him. He reassuringly said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14;19). Therefore, let us acknowledge Jesus as Lord, because the Bible tells us, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Glory to God!
