The Way, The Truth, The Life | John 14
John 14
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Chapter Notables:
Jesus comforts His disciples - verses 1-4
Jesus and the Father are one - verses 5-14
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit - verses 15-31
One Way | Lemuel Ayudtud
Certain questions only have one correct answer. There are certain places that you can only get to by one way. There are equations that arrive only at one right answer. No matter how many choices some questions may have, there are just some that only have one correct answer.
People often wonder about the amount of religious methods or ways out there in the world. There are gods and goddesses in one culture or another. Fundamentally, humans have an innate understanding that some thing or someone is greater than they are and that somehow we are in this planet not by our own doing. No matter where you go whether now during the modern era or back thousands of years, there’s not one place where the vast majority of people do not or did not believe in a god of some kind.
Now this is why people get frazzled with Christianity. Christianity claims there is only one way—and that way is Jesus. In our defense, we don’t make that claim on our own. Jesus was the one who said it. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” That’s pretty exclusive and self-explanatory. Jesus is claiming there’s no other way to God but through Him. This claim upsets even some would be believers of Jesus. To them it just doesn’t seem fair. “How can God be so exclusive?” is their question.
Of course Jesus goes deeper when the disciples ask Him, “Show us the father and it suffices us.” Jesus tells them, “When you see Me you see the Father also… I and my Father are one.” With that statement not only did Jesus make the way to the Father exclusive, He declared that He is the Father. So now the dilemma even deepens.
Not only did Jesus say there’s only one way to the Father, but that that way leads back to Him. So in Jesus, He’s both destination and journey. Of course, that makes sense for believers. Ultimately in order for us to get to God we have to believe in Jesus, and once we believe in Jesus we’re there. We’re not trying to get to God when we believe in Jesus. We get God because we believe in Jesus.
And that’s the issue of people that don’t believe in Jesus. It’s so exclusive. There’s only one way. Why should there be no other ways to God? Why is Jesus the only way?
God is exclusive. There’s no other way, because there’s only one God. If there were many gods, maybe there will be many ways. But if there’s only one God, then He’s the one that makes decisions about Himself.
God is Sovereign. It’s not our ideas that shape God, it’s God that should shape our ideas. We don’t consider what God should be, we accept who He says He is. We’re not the ones who make up a way to God, He expresses His way to us. So no matter how one may feel, it doesn’t matter. What God says is what matters.
God became man. When we look through the religions of the world, only Christianity boasts of God coming to reconcile Himself with man. That was through Jesus. In fact, this is the reason why Jesus is the only way; because Christ Jesus was the only way God reached out to man from heaven on earth. Most religions talk about how humans get to God, but as far as I know only Christianity anchors it’s faith foundation on God coming to man by becoming man.
Math would have to be the most concrete, no other way but the right way, subject there is. 2+2, will always 4. The square-root of a thing will only have that one answer. You multiply two numbers, there can only be one product.
Let’s consider that there’s only one way to the moon: via rocket. There’s only one way to get pregnant: sperm meet egg. There’s only one oxygen for breathing. There’s only one way to pump the blood in our body: by the heart. Of course, there are a lot of artificial things now that do what once was done by nature alone, but the catchphrase is “artificial“. There’s only one type of gravity. Heat only heats. Without heat, there’s cold. And cold can only be more cold. Only one way nothing in between. And apparently, there’s only one way to God: through Jesus. Don’t like that? Take it up with God because we didn’t invent it. Much like answering 7 when the question is 4+4. You’re teacher just taught, it wasn’t his/her idea. The answer is 8, by the way. No other answer is correct.
Lord, thank You for the revelation of who You are. Thank You that You’ve opened my heart and my mind to the understanding of Your divinity. Thank You that You’ve given me the grace to know You, and so doing I know the way, the truth, the life. Help me to be grateful for this revelation. Help me to rejoice in the understanding that You’ve given me. And help me, Lord, to share my hope in You with others. I know the world out there may see so many other ways, but You are the only way. Teach me to share that lovingly and with grace, not condemning people but comforting them with the knowledge of who You are. In Your Name Jesus I pray, amen.
