Jesus, the Way

In this morning's text we find Jesus answering a question from Thomas, one of the Twelve. The question shows that there are things that he did not understand but should have. Even so, Jesus does not rebuke him. He answers the question and, in so doing, reminds those men - and us - of a key aspect of our faith. Our text is John 14.1-6.

“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.”

This is an important part of the Scriptures for our day. It makes so very clear that if someone desires a relationship with the Father the only way to enjoy that is through Jesus. Unfortunately, there are many, even within the Church, who are teaching that a person can know God as loving Father in some way apart from Jesus. And that is just wrong. It is a teaching that will mislead many and result in their destruction. So, it's good and right to present this verse to the many who set Jesus aside as the only way to the Father.

There is, however, more going on here. And it's that 'more' that I want to show you. So, instead of looking at the 'what' I want to look at the 'how'. Jesus is the savior, the only savior, and that's just a fact. Jesus is clear about that. What I want you to consider this morning, though, is how He is the savior. How is it that He brings us to the Father? Or to use the language of the text, how is Jesus the way to the Father? And Jesus is clear about this, too. He is the way because He is the truth and He is the life. That's what we're going to look at. I'm going to spend some time laying out some things, but then I'll show you how they speak to your life.

So, let's start with truth. What does Jesus mean when He says that He is the truth and how does that affect how we come to the Father? The first thing to notice is that He did not say that He reveals the truth. That, of course, is true. Jesus does reveal truth by His words and by His actions. But He's saying something different here. He is the truth. So, what's going on here? This is another important theme in John's Gospel. The idea of truth is scattered through this book. One aspect of this idea has to do with the difference between what is partial and what is complete. So, back in chapter 6 Jesus said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

What happened with the bread in the desert, the manna, was partial. It was only a picture. Jesus has come to be more than just a picture. Manna was the picture, and Jesus is the reality. He is the 'true bread' that the Father gives. He is the real 'manna'. This helps us understand the earlier books of the Bible. It is filled with pictures. Noah and the Ark is a picture. David and Goliath is a picture. All that we have been reading in Samuel are pictures. Those are pictures, but Jesus is the reality. He is the reality that they were describing. So, to go back to Moses, here's a question for you to ponder as an illustration of this point. How is Jesus manna for your soul? Look at the partial, the picture in Moses' day, and then consider what that has to say about the reality today. How is Jesus manna for your soul? What does that have to say about Jesus as the way for you to come to the Father?

Jesus is truth in another way. Jesus is the truth in contrast with what is false. Here, we're talking about Satan and all the different ways that he is busy. So, consider this from a conversation that Jesus had back in chapter eight.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

That sounds pretty straightforward. After a few moments it takes an unexpected turn. Jesus speaks again to the same people in the same conversation.

Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

Jesus, as the truth, stands opposed to our ancient enemy, Satan, who is a liar.

Now, you'd think that you could recognize a lie fairly easily. But that's the problem. Satan is quite good in hiding his lies. He doesn't usually tell boldfaced lies. He offers subtle counterfeits. He says things that have a little truth mixed in. He wants to confuse people and sneak his way into their lives. Isn't that what happened back at that tree in the Garden of Eden? A little truth to hide a huge lie. And Paul tells us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. More deception. And the Scriptures tell us that he even has the ability to work miracles through his emissaries. So, you see, Satan is very good at camouflaging his lies. He is the ultimate deceiver.

So, what are some of the ways that he does his evil work these days? There are some popular ideas roaming about these days that actually have come from him. And that means all sorts of troubles. Here's an example. There's the thinking that says, 'In order to do well I will need a job that pays so much money.' Here's another example. 'One of the most important goals for parents is that their children get a really good education.' And one more. 'A good marriage is one where there are no arguments.' So, what are we to think about these? Are they right or wrong? In each case the important question is not the statement itself but the attitude behind the statement, the assumptions that lie beneath the surface. Each of those statements has at least a measure of truth. But what makes the difference is what's going on in the heart when someone agrees with them. Telling yourself that you need so much money from a job could be a matter of trying to be wise, or it could be an expression of idolatry. The same is true about children and their education. Wisdom or idolatry? And when it comes to marriage there are plenty of good marriages where there are arguments - arguments that always get resolved. And there are plenty of lousy marriages where there are none, where there should be some. Satan has fooled people with these ideas. They don't realize that Satan is crafty. He is subtle. He isn't going to tell you something that is obviously and always a lie. He mixes in a little truth as bait. So, what you need is truth - pure, whole and unadulterated truth. Jesus is the truth. Jesus exposes Satan's lies. In simply being truth, Jesus saves. He saves from Satan's lies. And it is this truth, Jesus as truth, that we need as we are confronted day after day after day by Satan's very subtle lies. Jesus is the way to the Father because He is the truth.

Jesus is also the life. As I've told you before, this idea of life is so much more than whether your heart is still beating. This is about the life of God. Before there was a creation, God was enjoying this life. That is, the Father and the Son and the Spirit were enjoying each other in relationships that went deep - no walls, no secrets, complete openness because of love. When Adam and Eve were created, the plan was for them and their descendants to become a part of that divine community and to enjoy the life of God, to enjoy something of those deep relationships. That's life. Sin messed that up. So, when our first parents were excluded from the Garden, they were also excluded from the life of God. That's death. Lots of people are dead even while their hearts are beating. But Jesus has come, as the life, the life of God, to fix that. He has come to rescue you from death. He has come so that all might be restored to the divine community, so that all can enjoy the life of God. He has come to rescue from walls and secrets and anything less than the full enjoyment of perfect love. He is life.

So, Jesus is the way to the Father. But He does that not by talking about truth and pointing to life. He is the truth and He is the life. And all those who are united to Him gain this truth and this life. All those who are united to Him are restored to the Father.

Now we can deal with the practical. Here you are. And you believe in Jesus as the savior and the way to the Father. And yet, you still have problems. Life is not completely fixed. Why? You still believe some of Satan's lies. And you are still suffering from some of the poison of death. And that affects how you live. Believing Satan's crafty lies will cause you to make foolish choices. And suffering with the poison of death is why you still struggle with things like loneliness. You face real problems. What you need is more truth and more life. What you need is more of Jesus. You see, coming to the Father through Jesus isn't one big step. It's lots of little steps. It's lots of little steps seeing more of those lies and embracing more truth. It's lots of little steps of being healed from the poison of death and coming into more of the experience of the life of God. So, it's not just that Jesus has saved you. That's true. But it's also true that Jesus is still in the process of saving you. Bit by bit, He is giving you more of Himself, more truth and more life. Lots of little steps.

But what are those little steps? What does it mean to be taking these little steps? The little steps involve familiar things like the Bible and prayer and church. But they aren't the heart of the matter. When it comes to taking those little steps the heart of the matter is Jesus. You see, another of Satan's subtle lies is that everything is fine as long as you read your Bible or say your prayers or show up at church. Well, maybe. But maybe not. But here's something that we know is true. Everything is fine if your life is all about Jesus. Truth isn't about a list of doctrinal statements and life isn't about certain habits of religious behavior. Truth and life is about Jesus. And it's just a fact that we all need more of Jesus. And we get more of Jesus by taking lots of little steps in the right direction.

So, what do you do? I could say, read your Bible, say your prayers and come to church. But my concern is that my saying that might be misleading. As I said, Satan is quite happy when people do those things as long as they do them in response to his lies about being religious. He's quite happy when people do those things as distractions from Jesus. He is sneaky, and he uses a little truth to hide big lies. And yet, I think that I do need to say, read your Bible, say your prayers and come to church. But do those things thoughtfully and not out of mere habit. Do those things because you want more truth to expose and remove the lies. Do those things because you want more life to undo the evil of death. Do those things because you want more of Jesus.

We meet here every week. For some of us, the habit of Sunday worship is decades old. But sometimes I wonder, 'Is it working? Is something good happening? Or are we just spinning our wheels?' There's plenty that needs to be fixed among us, both as individuals and as a group. But each Sunday, worshiping God together is one of those little steps. We come and we meet with the Father who blesses our being here. And sometimes it's hard to see the change. But there is change. Little steps. And over time the small progress of these little steps becomes change that can be seen. We are coming to the Father through Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. He will make sure that there is change.