"I am the way, the truth and the life"

You're lost in a foreign city at night, and your phone is dead. Would you rather have a paper map, or a local who says, "Come with me, I'll take you there"? Most people pick the guide. A map gives you directions. A guide goes with you.

Lots of religious teachers have offered directions to God. In John 14, Jesus says something different. He doesn't say, "I'll show you the way." He says, "I am the way." It's one of the most loved, and most argued-about, things Jesus ever said.

What you'll learn

• Why Jesus' friends were so troubled on the night before he died
• What Jesus means by "the way, the truth and the life"
• How Christians can hold this claim honestly and kindly

Troubled hearts

It's the night before Jesus dies. He and his disciples have shared a last meal. He has washed their feet. Judas has slipped out into the night to betray him. Jesus says he's going somewhere they can't follow yet, and he warns Peter that he'll deny knowing him three times before morning.

How would you feel? Confused, scared, gutted. So Jesus says:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well." (John 14:1)

Then he makes three promises. In his Father's house there are many rooms, like a big family home with space for everyone. He is going to prepare a place for them. And he will come back to take them to be with him. Notice that this is said to comfort frightened friends. It isn't a debating point. It's a promise.

Thomas's question

Jesus says they know the way to where he's going. Thomas isn't so sure, and he says so:

"Lord,’ said Thomas, ‘we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:5–6)

Thomas asks what everyone else is thinking. That's the same Thomas who was ready to die with Jesus back in John 11, and he'll be back again at the end of John's Gospel.

Jesus' answer gathers up many of the claims he has already made in John:

• The way. Jesus isn't a signpost to God; he is the road. You get to the Father by coming to him. (He's already called himself the gate, in John 10.)
• The truth. Jesus shows us what God is really like, and he is completely reliable. (John 1 called him "full of grace and truth".)
• The life. Jesus gives real life with God, now and forever. (He is the bread of life, and the resurrection and the life.)

A moment later, Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus answers that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father. The invisible God has made himself known in Jesus.

"If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him." (John 14:7)

The only way? An honest look

The second half of John 14:6 says no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Many people today think that sounds narrow or even arrogant. It's worth thinking through carefully.

• Religions share some things. Many teach kindness and honesty, and Christians should respect people of every faith.
• But they disagree on the biggest questions: who God is, who Jesus is, and how people are made right with God. For example, Christianity says Jesus died and rose again; other faiths say he didn't. Both can't be true.
• "All roads lead to God" is also a claim. It claims to see the whole mountain and every path up it, which is a big claim to know the truth.
• Jesus' claim isn't "our road is better because we climb better". The Christian message is that no one can climb up to God, so God came down to us in Jesus. And that way is open to absolutely anyone.
• Christians should hold this with humility and kindness. Peter told Christians to explain their hope gently and respectfully (1 Peter 3:15–16). Believing Jesus is the only way never gives anyone permission to be rude or superior.

If you're not a Christian, you might find this claim hard. That's fair. You could weigh it alongside Jesus' other claims this term, rather than decide about it on its own.

Key words

• Disciples: followers of Jesus, especially his twelve closest friends.
• The Father: God the Father; Jesus speaks of God as his Father.
• Way: a road or path; Jesus is the road to God.
• Truth: what is real and reliable; Jesus shows us what God is really like.

How this points to Jesus

Ever since Adam and Eve left the garden, the Bible's big question has been: how can people get back to God? The tabernacle, the temple and the sacrifices all pointed to the answer without being the answer. Jesus says the way back home isn't a set of rules or a building. It's him.

Think about it

Take it further

Think about the map-or-guide question. What difference does it make that Jesus says "I am the way", not "I'll show you the way"? Your worksheet helps you unpack the three words in John 14:6.

If you'd like to, you could pray:

Jesus, thank you that you comfort troubled hearts. Thank you that you are the way, the truth and the life. Help me to be honest with my questions, like Thomas, and kind to everyone. Amen.