The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”

What is life? For starters, life is what God breathed into the first man, Adam, after forming him from the dust of the earth on day 6 of creation week. The account is certainly a humbling reminder that we are created beings, dependent on God for life. This truth is affirmed throughout the rest of the Bible. One ancient Babylonian king was told that “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified” (Daniel 5:23). On another occasion we are reminded that it is God who “gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

God warned the first human, Adam, that life would be forfeited in death – if he disobeyed the one rule he was given. Genesis chapter 3 records that Adam did disobey God, and that God kept His promise, and that death spoiled what was originally a “very good” creation. Death affects all who are subsequently born into the human race. Today the statistics speak for themselves: it has a 100% success rate, no one has escaped death yet. What’s more, even while we are alive our existence is very fragile – the Bible describes our life as “a vapour” (James 4:14), as grass that “withers” away (Isaiah 40:6-8), and “like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4).

How is Christ the life? Christ is “the life” because He is the source of all life (John 1:4). Christ is “the life” because death has no power over Him; He did what no one else has done and rose from the grave three days after his death, never to die again (Matthew 28:5-6). Christ is “the life” because to all who are by nature destined hopelessly for death, and the judgement which follows (Hebrews 9:27), He offers hope; the hope of new life, given as a gift to all who come to Him for it (John 6:37). Christ defined the life that He gives: “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. How is He the truth?

First let’s ask, what is truth? This question was ironically asked by Pilate, with Christ who claimed to be the truth standing before him. At the point of asking, Pilate was overwhelmed by his responsibility as the judge at the trial of Jesus Christ. He knew he could not justify sentencing Him to death with no charge against Him, but he still felt the pull of the crowd who were loudly shouting for Christ to be crucified. Torn in his conscience, he overrode what he knew to be true, and to please a crowd sentenced an innocent man to death. In the process he grappled with the question, what was it he had just done? Why did he have a sense of accountability to truth, what is this thing, truth? It is a profound question. On one level there is a straightforward answer: truth is whatever corresponds to reality. It is what a witness is called to speak in a court of law – what he has seen and heard, what really happened; not some made up story, but reality. In a court of law it is necessary for justice to be served. In any relationship it is necessary for trust to be built, just think how hard it is for trust to be regained when you discover someone has lied to you.

How is Christ the truth? It may help to think of it like this: of everything that is true, of everything that is real, he is the originator. Take the world around us – the Bible says “all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians chapter1 verse 16). Take our ability to decide between right and wrong. The Bible indicates that we have a working knowledge of right and wrong written on our hearts (Romans chapter 2 verse 15), ultimately because Christ made us that way. Where do we find absolute truth that we can rely on? We find it in Christ, and in God’s word, of which Christ said: “Your word is truth” (John chapter 17 verse 17).

The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. Where is He the way to?

Language that describes life as a journey, or a path, or a way, is frequent in the Bible. One of its effects it to provide a sobering reminder that life is a one way street – we’re born, we live, we die. But it is also used to describe how we live. Take one example which starkly warns of the consequences of living in the, “it’s right for me, so it’s right” mind set:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12).

Then again, Christ summed up all of humanity using two roads (Matthew chapter 7 verse 13-14). One is broad, indicating it is popular, easy to travel along, and no doubt enjoyable – but it leads to destruction. The narrow road on the other hand is not so popular, not so easy, but it leads to life. The point is clear, there are two ways to live. If we want to face God’s judgment: do nothing, just go with the flow all around. But if we want life – then there is only one way, and don’t expect it to be either easy or popular.

Christ actually answered the question we are asking, because after declaring that He is the way, He went on to say, “No one comes to the Father except through me”. Don’t miss what He is claiming here – He is saying there is only one way to God, and it is through Him. It’s not through being good enough for God, we can’t be. It’s not through doing enough for God, we can’t. It’s not possible to come to the Father through someone else, there is no one else. If you want to get to God, then the way to get there is not a road to walk on, but a person to believe in. And that person is God’s Son Jesus Christ – whose death to provide forgiveness for sinners made the way: “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 5).

Our title comes from words famously spoken by Jesus Christ, found in John’s Gospel: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John chapter 14 verse 6).

Yesterday we noted that Christ directed these words to people who already believed in the existence of God, a vital first step if we are to search for and find God. Today we ask the question, what subject was Christ addressing when He said them? Look again at the opening words of the chapter: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me” (John chapter 14 verse 1).

Christ was addressing heart trouble in His disciples. They were afraid because He had just warned them that He was about to die and that He would be leaving them. Still today, troubled hearts are not hard to find. Some are anxious over how the outcome of the referendum will affect them. Some have ongoing anxieties about making ends meet, about broken relationships, about ill health, about debt, about job security, to name just a few. Surpassing all these issues however is a matter we all ought to be concerned about, because the stakes are eternal: peace with God. The good news of the gospel is that God has a way for hearts wearied by guilt and failed efforts to find true peace, and it is through believing in Jesus Christ. Consider one of the Lord’s most beautiful invitations, where again He presents Himself as the source of this rest: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”. (Matthew chapter 11 verse 28).

Our title comes from words famously spoken by Jesus Christ which are found in John’s Gospel, chapter 14 verse 6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”

Who was Christ speaking to? What was he speaking about? Where is He the way to? How is He the truth? What does He mean by saying He is the life? We’ll try and pick off a question each day starting today with the first – who was Christ speaking to?

The words were originally spoken as part of an address designed to comfort a close group of His followers, commonly referred to as his disciples: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). I am not sure if you are more startled by the thought of believing in God, or by Christ’s incredible insistence that He is worthy of your trust as equally as God is. Certainly the disciples had no problem with belief in God; after all, they were Jews whose scriptures taught them that they existed because of God’s special creation as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. As the godly Jew observed the universe all around, he did so worshipfully; recognising that all the beauty, all the intricacy, all the immensity – was the direct handiwork of God. One Jewish king expressed it with these emphatic words: “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).

So, who was Christ speaking to when He announced that He was the way, the truth and the life? He was speaking to people who believed, at least in the existence of God. That’s important; because we’ll never search for God, far less find God if we don’t believe that He exists; and indeed, if we don’t believe that our life is somehow better in His hands than ours. The Bible puts it this way: “without faith it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6)