The Way

The following is an excerpt from Who Is This Jesus? by Daniel Owens (pages 115-119). Visit the bookstore at www.eternityminded.org to purchase Who Is This Jesus? or other books written by Dan Owens.

THE WAY

Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my father's home. If that weren't so, would i have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready. I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."

Thomas said, "Master, we have no idea where you're going. How do you expect us to know the road?"

Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me." (John 14:1-6)

There are many people in our world today who think they know the way to God.

Some people claim the way to God is through enlightenment or through doing good works. A few cults even believe they can get to God by killing themselves.

Jesus makes a bold claim when he claims to be the only way to the Father. Jesus explains to his disciples in Josh 14 how to find him in the future. He leaves a forwarding address. That's why we worship him. Our worship of Jesus is not just for the here and now; it's a worship that will last forever.

John 14:6 is one of the most frequently quoted and memorized verses in the Bible: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The way, the truth, and the life. Those three words contain so much meaning that they merit our focus for this entire section.

The disciples were concerned because Jesus had recently spoken about leaving them. So he comforts them by telling them that he is going to prepare a place for them and that he will come back again. Is is a passage that we read often at memorial services and funerals because it gives us great hope. If the person who passes away was a follower of Jesus, we know we will have a joyful reunion someday in heaven.

Of course, Thomas was not satisfied. "Lord, we don't know the way," he said. The disciples were certainly upset. Jesus was going to leave them, and they wanted to know where he was going.

As I read that passage, I think that Jesus must have been a wonderful person to "hang out with". The disciples wanted to be with him, and not just because he could turn water into wine or feed multitudes from a couple of loaves and fish. They wanted to be in his presence.

I can't wait to get to heaven and hear about what it was like to spend time with Jesus here on earth. I wonder if he joked with his disciples. Perhaps he teased them a little bit. I wonder what it felt like to watch him do miracles.

Thomas expressed a concern that all the disciples felt at Jesus' statement. None of them wanted him to leave. But Thomas was the pessimistic one, always a little doubtful, and he was going to make sure he knew where Jesus was going. The look on his face must have been priceless as Jesus replied, "I am the way."

The Way Is an Offense
While the words of Jesus in the beginning of John 14 are full of hope, when we get to verse 6, they take a little turn. He goes from talking about mansions and rooms in his Father's house to a very select statement: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That's strong language, and it is offensive to many people.

In 2003, news correspondent Peter Arnett los his job with CNN because of his critical statements about the military in Iraq. However true his statements may have been, they offended a lot of people. At about the same time, the singing group Dixie Chicks made some negative comments about President Bush and found themselves facing the disapproval of country music fans.

Words can be offensive. The words of Jesus have offended people for centuries, and they will continue to be offensive to those who choose not to face the truth. Many of Jesus' claims did not sit well with the leaders of the day. " I am the Bread of Life." "I am the Light of the Word." "I am the resurrection." "I am the Good Shepherd." But John 14:16 may top them all. "I am the way . . . . No one comes to the Father except through me."

One of the biggest reasons his claim is so offensive is that it leaves them without a choice. We don't like being told that we have only one viable option. We are a country of consumers who like choices -- many choices. We want choices about the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the churches we attend, and on and on. With so many religions, each claiming to lead people to God, Christianity stands alone in its declaration: "There is only one option. There is only one way. Jesus is the way."

We Americans have choices in just about every area of life -- airlines, cars, mortgage plans, restaurants, or marriage partners -- and we like it that way. But Jesus says there's only one choice when it comes to how to get to heaven.

Some people will say, "Don't tell me how to find God. I will do it myself and in my own way. Don't tell me I have only one choice, because I will find God on my own. I'm smart enough. I can figure it out." The message of the cross is an offense, just as Paul wrote: "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1:23).

Those words are hard, strong, and unbending. That should prompt a couple of responses from us. First, because the message can be offensive to unbelievers, we need to pray. We need to pray that the Lord will open their hearts to receive it. Second, we need to be careful how we say such things. We need to give the message, without diminishing the meaning, in a spirit of love. Otherwise it comes across as arrogant and obnoxious.

One of the tellers at my bank knows I'm a Christian, and she likes to bait me. Whenever I tell her she is doing a great job, she makes a snide comment to see what I'll do. I don't give her a speech on Christianity or "Genesis to Revelation in ninety seconds" or anything like that. But we are building a friendship, and I am planting spiritual seeds. She is used to aggressive, offensive Christians who bludgeon her with their message. I want her to know that I am not pressuring her.

When we witness to an unbeliever, it is so important to communicate in loving words. In fact, it is impossible to communicate the love of God in non-loving words. When we tell someone how wonderful it is to know Jesus Christ, and we share Jesus' words, "I am the way. There is no other way to the Father," it shouldn't be with an air of superiority. We don't have to shout. We don't have to push. All we need to do is calmly put it out there and let the Spirit of God do the rest. You and I can't bring anyone to the Lord. Only the Spirit of God can do that.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, speaking of Christianity, "I like their Christ. I don't like Christians." Why? Because he had observed a spirit of harshness and a spirit of arrogance. He waited to see the spirit of love that Jesus said we, as his followers, should have.

We cannot change the message that Jesus is the way. There will always be those who find it offensive. But we can present our message in a loving and kind way that demonstrates how Jesus desires everyone to find the way to the Father.

God bless you,
Dan

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