The Way, The Truth, and The Life - John 14:4-7
It really goes without saying that we live in an incredibly pluralistic, relative, and skeptical society. The lines between pluralism, relativism, and skepticism are often blurred or merged together, giving rise to the fundamental belief that either objective truth does not exist or if it does, we cannot know it with any degree of confidence.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone say something like, “there’s so many religions out there, we cannot know which one is right. Or perhaps someone has said or maybe you have said yourself, “how do you know the way that you choose to live your life is better than the way I choose to live mine?” It’s so bad now many are unwilling to state with confidence what a woman is!
Our culture teaches that everything is equal. There are no bad ideas and that morality is undefinable.
And obviously, these worldviews that deny truth and your ability to know it are inconsistent and self-defeating because not only is it a truth claim to say there is no truth, but it’s a denial of reality. Who’s willing to test the truth claim that dynamite is explosive? Where is the line?
But if you claim to know objective truth with any degree of certainty, you’re bigoted, intolerant, narrow-minded, and arrogant.
Which is why what Jesus says here is so incredibly controversial in our day. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” According to Jesus there is only one true religion and he is the only way to heaven.
Jesus demands that you trust in him exclusively which stands in direct opposition and conflict with our world’s relentless focus on tolerance, equality, and open-mindedness.
This was even one of the Five Solas of the Reformation: Solus Christus. Christ alone. Jesus says, in order to be saved, you have to believe in him and him alone. There is no other way. He’s it.
But I really want to unpack this famous verse, John 14:6 for all of us this morning because Jesus uses three very specific words to describe himself: The way, the truth, and the life. We often quote this verse without giving much thought to the significance of Jesus’ word choice. Why does Jesus use them? So if you’re taking notes, we’ll have three points: The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
But before we dive too deep into this passage, we must remember why Jesus said this to begin with. Again, Jesus is still in the upper room with his disciples. We’re still in the middle of the upper room discourse. In a few hours he’s going to be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And if you remember from last week, Jesus told his disciples that he’s going to prepare a place for them, and that he was going to take them to himself so that where he is, they may be also.
He was speaking about heaven in verse 3. But that wasn’t totally obvious to his disciples which is why Thomas pipes up and asks, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
And so it’s in response to Thomas’ question that Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life.”
It’s easy to forget that this is Jesus’ sixth “I AM” statement. The significance of the “I AM” statements are bound up in two little Greek words, “ego eimi.” And those two little Greek words, “ego eimi” are understood as a reference to God’s covenant name which he revealed to Moses as the burning bush - “I AM WHO I AM” or YAHWEH.
Jesus is taking God’s covenant name, applying it to himself and then telling us something about his character, mission, and work.
“I am the good shepherd” revealed about Jesus, compared to, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I am the good shepherd” reveals his protection, compassion, loving kindness, care, and gentleness. Whereas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” reveals more about his mission. That he brings people to heaven.
The Way
You know the way.
But Jesus really makes a pretty bold assumption there in verse 4 that spurs on Thomas’ question, doesn’t he? “And you know the way to where I am going.”
Of course, the disciples knew ‘the way’ because they knew Jesus. Jesus was and still remains ‘the way.’
And obviously, the word “way” is literally a “road [or] path. [It’s] a general term for a thoroughfare to get from one place to another.” It’s what the prophet Isaiah talked about when he said,
“And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness…” (Isaiah 35:8)
Isaiah uses ‘the highway’ or ‘way’ metaphor in the same manner that we often use it. We speak about ‘the way’ someone lives his or her life. When we talk about “the way” someone lives, we’re talking about the way he or she conducts his or her life. The morals or principles by which they live.
Isn’t it interesting that so famous books and poems use roads or paths as a metaphor for the direction you go in life.
In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian travels along the path that eventually leads him to the Celestial City. Or the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz that eventually leads Dorthy to the Wizard.
Or even consider Robert Frost’s most famous poem “The Road Not Taken.” Remember the first stanza?
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could”
And then it ends famously with:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
We certainly understand paths and roads as metaphors for the summation of our decisions and guiding principles that inform the manner in which we live our lives. Isn’t that what we mean when we say someone’s life is or is not heading in the right direction?
And what Jesus says here takes an even more fascinating turn when you realize that the Jewish people had a word for living your life in light of Biblical, or torah, or pentateuch principles: the word is [ha-la-ha] “halakhah” which is Hebrew for “the way.” That word is taken from Deuteronomy 5 where Moses instructs the people to “...walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you.”
The torah was “halakhah” or instructions for walking in God’s ways.
I like the way Sinclair Ferguson put it in his book Lessons from the Upper Room. He wrote,
“The law of Moses was halakhah [or] the way. Unless [the Jewish people] lapsed into formalism and legalism (which, they often did), God’s people knew that torah (law) was not merely a set of rules and regulations; it was a manual for a blessed life. That was why Moses had urged them to “choose life” [in Deuteronomy 30:19] and why the book of Psalms had opened with a poem describing the blessed life of the torah-guided man (Ps. 1:1-2). Nevertheless, torah had been given to them in the form of written words. But now – as John had already explained in his prologue –the Word made flesh had come! So, Jesus is saying “Thomas, don’t you see that, now I am halakhah?” He is the true torah, the true Word, and the true Way. (pg. 71)”
Isn’t that amazing? To a young Jewish man, Jesus telling them that he was “the way” would have made perfect sense to them and struck them on a whole other level because Jesus is telling them in John 14:6 that all the biblical principles are found in him. He is the Word made flesh. He is the way.
Now of course, Jesus isn’t implying that the torah, or the Old Covenant were incorrect or wrong. Rather, he is saying that they were preliminary and temporary and found their ultimate fulfillment in him.
When you’ve been born again, and you’re trusting in Christ you seek to live your life in the way of Jesus. Jesus is the only pathway, road, or halakhah for the Christian must travel upon in order to be made right with God and to inherit eternal life.
Not that long ago, Lauren taught aerobics at the fitness center that was owned by one of the major hospital systems in Florence, South Carolina. And as crazy as it sounds, even the lowly aerobics instructor had to go through new employee training. It was like all the new doctors, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants and Lauren.
But in the course of the new employee training, one of the HR people was discussing discrimination and not criticizing other people’s beliefs and in the process ended up telling a version of the parable of the blind men. Maybe you’ve heard it before. But basically it goes like this: there are three blind men, one is a Christian, another is a Muslim man, and the last one is a Hindu man. And they’re all describing different parts of an elephant. The Christian feels the trunk, the Muslim feels one of the elephant’s legs, and the Hindu man feels the elephant’s tail. And they’re all describing what they’re feeling to one another, but they don’t realize that they’re describing the same elephant.
And of course, the parable is straightforward - each respective religion is describing various aspects of the truth. It’s a parable that advocates universalism. But when Lauren relayed this story to me, I was struck by the arrogance of the HR woman because in the parable there is only one person that can see - which is of course the person telling the parable. In the parable everyone is blind except for the person telling it!
But to be fair universalism is incredibly popular. There are countless clips of people making the case for universalism. There’s a clip with millions of views of Oprah arguing for many pathways to heaven. There’s a clip of Steve Harvey arguing for multiple routes to heaven. There’s also a clip of Joel Osteen stating that Christianity may not be the only way to heaven. That Christianity isn’t exclusive.
It’s so easy, and frankly, more popular to look people in the eye and say that Jesus is just a way. But that’s not what he says about himself: He says I am THE way.
There’s only one path. There’s only one way to heaven and it’s through Jesus Christ.
Not only does Jesus stating that he is the way oppose universalism, but it also opposes easy believism.
Easy believism is the pervasive belief that all that’s necessary for you to be a Christian is to say a simple prayer, walk the aisle, get baptized, and then you're free to live however you like. No doubt, it’s important to profess your faith and to be baptized but that doesn’t mean you’re born again.
But isn’t there an underlying belief that if we can just get people to check these boxes: if they can make a profession, or get baptized, it doesn’t matter what they do beyond that because they're now in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is the summation, totality, halakah, the way, to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
If you’re truly born again, then not only do you know the path, but you want to walk on it.
If you truly believe that Jesus is the way, then you're traveling upon him for your whole life. That certainly doesn’t mean you’re doing it perfectly. We’re all sinners. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian steps off the path at various points, but he always makes his way back to it and then continues to travel upon.
The Truth
Probably one of the best ways to understand John 14:6 is Jesus saying “I am the way because I am the truth, because I am the life.” The fact that he is the truth validates or confirms that he is the way.
You can almost hear the words of Pilate where he famously asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Well, Jesus answers it right here: He is the truth.
And again, this is a point that John emphatically makes in his prologue:
John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And similarly in John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
You may initially think that Jesus is speaking of holistic, objective truth, and no doubt, I do believe it’s entirely legitimate to understand Jesus as saying that, but he has something a little more specific in mind.
The truth of Jesus Christ is the fullness of redemptive revelation. That is, what Jesus has said about himself, that one is saved by faith in him, and that his sacrifice atoned for the sins of the world - that’s as we sometimes say is “the gospel truth.” You’re saved through Jesus - that’s the truth that he is emphasizing in John 14:6.
And that truth about how you and I are saved through Jesus Christ stands against the lies of this world. What are the lies of this world? Well, there are lots of lies that we’re told each and every day.
One of the lies is what I mentioned earlier - that there is no truth and that we’re unable to know it. That’s certainly a lie of the world.
But what about this one? You will find fulfillment and purpose in life through experiencing the maximum levels of pleasure and happiness.
Therefore, you need to make more money so you can travel more, focus on yourself more in order to experience the pleasures of this world that you personally enjoy because all of that is what will make you a happy person. And a happy life is a fulfilled life. Isn’t that the lie that we’re sold each and every day?
We’re told that that’s the truth. That’s the principle that we need to live our life by. But Jesus says, “I am the truth.” The definite article is key here, right? Jesus says he’s “the truth” not a truth.
Here’s the reality about the truth: we cannot change the truth. We cannot alter it to conform to what we like, however, we can and should conform ourselves to it. Because we cannot change the truth, but the truth can and will change us. We cannot change Jesus, we cannot get him to conform to the image we have in our minds.
But Jesus certainly can change us. He is the truth.
The Life
But he’s not just the truth. He’s the life as well.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Jesus as the life is again, a point that John has made throughout his gospel. John 1:4, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Or in John chapter 5, Jesus said, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” Or consider the “I AM” statement he made in John 11: “I am the resurrection and the life.” And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also John 3:16, 6:33, or 10:28. Eternal life proceeds from Jesus.
But it’s really interesting because the Greek word for life that Jesus uses has a wide range of meaning. It can of course mean eternal life. Faith in Jesus Christ is how you receive eternal life. And the word ‘life’ is used throughout the New Testament in that way. But ‘life’ can also mean a redeemed life.
In other words, if you’re a believer then Jesus gives you life not only for eternity but for the here and now as well. It’s not like your faith in Christ only matters when you're on your deathbed.
But Jesus Christ not only gives your future life meaning but he gives your present life meaning as well.
Your faith in Christ should affect the way you live your life right now too. The promises that he makes about the future should impact the here and now. Your trust in Christ and his promise for eternal life should manifest itself today.
Your life hidden in Christ should give you joy, purpose, and hope. Pouring yourself out for Christ is a life worth living.
To say it another way, if your faith isn’t in Christ, then you're not really living. You’re not experiencing life in all of its fullness and joy if you’re not living for Christ.
And if you’re not living for him, you won’t experience heaven and communion with God.
Jesus is the way because he’s the truth, because he’s the life and “no one comes to the Father except through him.”
He’s the only way to heaven. He’s the only way to God. There is no plan B. And of course if you listen to Jesus then you know how to receive eternal life and commune with God. That’s what he’s really getting at in verse 7.
But there’s a critical component to “I am the way, the truth, and the life” that we must all understand this morning: Jesus isn’t saying that people are punished because they don’t believe in him.
Rather, all unbelievers are punished because they’re sinners.
That’s of course, true for unbelievers that have never heard the gospel, they’re not being punished for their ignorance, they’re punished for their sin. In God’s courtroom no one is innocent. We’re all guilty. There are no innocent tribesmen living in the jungle. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one is righteous, no not one.
All sinners deserve that punishment, which of course includes you and me, are given the exact same escape hatch for what we all deserve and his name is Jesus Christ.
That’s what makes this passage so beautiful. Jesus doesn’t tell Thomas what condemns him, rather, Jesus tells him what saves him.
Which brings up another point: whenever John 14:6 comes up in conversation, it’s usually in reference to the fact that Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he is the only way to heaven. Salvation comes exclusively through him.
And that’s often a sticking point for people. Because after all, what about the sincere Muslim, Hindu, or Jew? Isn’t what Jesus said in this passage is too narrow-minded?
Jesus does deny universalism and or what is sometimes called inclusivism, but what Jesus says here is inclusive.
I’m sure many of you have heard of the Bilderberg Meeting. It’s this extravagant meeting where only elite people like politicians, billionaires, CEOs, high level executives and bureaucrats are invited.
And me being me, was wondering earlier this week, what do you have to do in order to be invited? So I did what all of us do in these sorts of situations… I Googled it!
And sure enough on the Bilderberg website it has a frequently asked questions page and one of the questions was this: “What criteria do I have to meet and what do I have to do to get an invitation for a Bilderberg Meeting?”
Answer: “Please note that there is no application process for joining the Bilderberg Meetings. Participation is for invitees only.”
In other words, they’re not going to tell you how to get in. There’s criteria for sure, because some people get invited while the rest of us don’t but they’re never going to reveal why people get invited. They’re not going to tell people like you and me. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s exclusive.
And what makes it exclusive is that we don’t know how to be included.
In order to play the game you must first know the rules. If a bunch of people are playing a game but refuse to tell you the rules, that's being exclusive. But on the other hand, if the rules are clearly posted for everyone to read and understand, well, ladies and gentlemen, that’s being inclusive.
And that’s precisely what Jesus has done. Look at these verses again as a whole beginning in verse 4:
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus tells Thomas and by extension all of us as well, exactly what we must do in order to get to heaven: Believe on him. Trust in him. Turn ourselves over to him. Why? Because he is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through him.
You see, transparency, honesty, forthrightness, are critical elements in determining whether something is inclusive or exclusive.
And no one is more honest, transparent, forthright, and inclusive than the Lord Jesus in John 14:6. “He is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him.”
That’s glorious news, isn’t it?
But the real question that I think all of us should ask ourselves as we leave here today is: do those words include you? Do you believe that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that your only hope for heaven comes through him?
May we all believe those glorious words today. Amen. Let’s pray together.
