Except Through Him
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
In the upper room, just before he was arrested, hours before he was crucified, Jesus shares some important last words with his closest friends. If you knew you were about to die you would do no less. It would do us well to lean in and listen to what might have been the most important conversation Jesus had with his disciples.
“When everything is ready,” Jesus said, “I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?
Then Jesus reveals to Thomas in those final hours some very significant truths about who he is. “I am the way,” he tells Thomas. Jesus is the gate, the door, the way that leads to life. He is the way toward the restoration of everything we were created to be. He is the way that leads away from sin and guilt. Jesus is the only way to the Father.
“I am the truth,” He also tells Thomas. There can not be different versions of the truth. There are various competing claims for truth, but there can only be one truth and Jesus rightfully says, “It’s me.” He is the one who tells us where we came from, where we are going, and why we’re here. He has given us the greatest handbook for living, the Bible, to help us know right from wrong. Jesus is the truth.
And finally, he says to Thomas. “I am the life.” Our best plans for life can’t guarantee our health and safety or that of the people we love. We live in a fallen world. Plans change; crisis happens. In a moment, our lives can be turned out of control. But nothing ever takes God by surprise. Jesus has a way of turning our tragedy into triumphs when we commit our lives to him. His life equips you for life beyond this human existence. Jesus is the life.
Some day Jesus will come and get us as He told his friends that evening. Make sure you are ready, for He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.