John 14:5-14
Introduction
A number of years ago I read a book that talked about some of the darkest moments in history. He referred specifically to the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Holocaust. He actually saw all three of these things as sins of the church, even though the Holocaust was not directly connected to the church. He actually saw a common cause to all three of these horrible events, and surprisingly it was a Bible passage. “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) This author, who was a former minister, saw a literal interpretation of that verse as being the foundation of all three events and many more smaller acts of intolerance. He saw John 14:6 as the key verse promoting the exclusiveness of Christianity and the natural outcome is the persecution and even murder of those who believe differently than us. Interestingly, the solution that the author adopted to the problem of believing that Jesus is the only way was to reject the idea of Jesus as even a historical figure.
I disagreed with almost everything the author said except the fact that the Crusades, Inquisition, and Holocaust were wrong, and that persecution and harm toward those different from us is inexcusable. I do not think that John 14:6 is the reason why people, including religious people, have done bad things. Nor do I believe that a conviction that Jesus is the only way requires us to hate people who believe differently.
I have already done a message on Jesus as the Gate and what it means for us to have to enter through Jesus and I don’t want to repeat what has been said before. But this also requires the question of how this passage is different that the other. Are two of the I Am statements saying the exact same thing? I don’t think so.
As I was reflecting on this passage, I noticed something that I had never noticed before. This teaching was not an evangelistic message offered to outsiders to convert them to followers of Jesus. This was a teaching that was aimed at the disciples who were already followers of Jesus. This got me thinking, how would we read this passage if it was not just aimed at people out there but was aimed at us? If the passage is about how to know the Father, could it be that it is about more than just meeting the Father for the first time but having an ongoing relationship with the Father. I’m not saying that this passage has nothing to say for seekers but it may have a message for Christians that we have for too long neglected.
The Way
How do we know the Father? Jesus is the Way. I always took this as meaning simply that unless you believe in Jesus, you have no access to God. But what does the word ‘Way’ even mean? There are two ways we can look at it. You have to go the bathroom and you are sent down a hall that has three closed doors. One of those doors is the way to get where you want. Once you step through, you are where you want to be. But another way would be if you asked the way to get to Sydney on Cape Breton Island. Now instead of a door it is a road. It is more than a choice, it is about a journey.There is a place for us to make a choice to follow Jesus but there is also a place to take a journey accompanying Jesus.
In a previous message, we looked at living the Jesus Way. We saw that the early Christians, before it was called Christianity, referred to our faith as the Way. What were they thinking of? It was more than just saying a prayer to Jesus. The early Christians had a clear sense of living the Jesus Way, that is trying to model our life after Jesus. Let me be clear, it did not mean that our salvation was based on how perfectly we emulated Jesus. But I am saying that embracing the values of Jesus is essential to being a Jesus follower. When we hear about a high profile Christian leader who has been caught in some scandal, we have a certain reaction, different from if it was just the CEO of a large business. The reason is that someone who claims to know the Father is expected to be living the Way of Jesus, at least in some imperfect way.
It is important for us to immerse ourselves in the Gospels and learn the Way of Jesus, not to earn God’s love, but because as we embrace the Way, we naturally come closer to the Father.
The Truth
Not only is Jesus the Way, Jesus is also the Truth. Interestingly, elsewhere in John, the devil is described as the Liar and the Father of Lies. When we look at Jesus in the Gospel, everything he does is about revealing the truth. This is one of the reasons that he got into trouble with some of the religious leaders. In communities in general, there is often a certain level of deception that is just endured because it makes things rum more comfortably.
In recent years, there has been a greater focus on what is called fake news. Things are reported as being fact when they are actually the opposite. Things that are true are called lies and things that are lies are called true. It can leave you with a massive headache.
Of course we cannot always be sure that our interpretation is correct and we need to have some humility and grace when it comes to these things. But we should be passionate about truth. We should also look at how Jesus used truth. Truth is not to be used to prove how much more intelligent you are than other people. Jesus used truth to promote justice, especially among marginalized people. Racism, sexism, ableism, are all based on lies. The first step toward bringing justice to these areas is to shine the truth into the deceptive beliefs that have caused so much damage.
Do you want to know the Father? Embrace the Truth that is embodied in Jesus and you will know the Father.
The Life
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The concept of life is very important in the Gospel of John. There is a focus on eternal life, which many assume means heaven. Heaven is part of it, but it is not something that we have to wait for physical death to experience. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that he has come to give us abundant life. When we get to another of the I Am statements, we will see more about how being connected to Jesus brings life.
For too long, Christians have focused on quantity of life, as in eternity, instead of quality of life. I am not promoting the prosperity gospel that teaches that we can be healthy and wealthy as long as we have enough faith. The quality of life is not measured by society’s standards but by Jesus’ standards.
There is a kind of life that is available to us that is based on our connection to Jesus and is a reflection of our relationship with the Father. It is not about having an easy life or a prosperous life but having a good life. It is about having a purpose for living, of having a sense of where you fit into the big story. The Gospel of John talks about us being adopted into God’s family and there is something about understanding that transforms our life.
Conclusion
I began this message by talking about how someone thought that a belief in John 14:6 naturally led to the worst crimes of both the church and humanity. He thought that if we really believed that Jesus was the only way to the Father that we would progress toward hatred of those different from us. I would like to argue that it is actually the opposite.
What if we as Christians fully embraced what it meant for Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life? If we did this, would we treat others worse or better? If we are reading the Gospels correctly, we should be treating other people better. One of the biggest criticisms was that he spent too much quality time with the wrong kind of people. The strongest words that Jesus had were toward those who were convinced that they were better than others.
Hatred, intolerance, bigotry, they are not the Way, the Truth and the Life. Getting closer to Jesus is the way we get closer to the Father, not by condemning people who are different from us.
