By Chalcedony Williams
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:1-8 (NIV)
Imagine: in a film the leader of a group, the one holding everyone together and guiding them on an epic mission, is lost or dies. We share the disbelief of the characters, the despair at their loss and the sense of defeat at the thought of a mission unaccomplished. In Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf’s sacrifice to save the group from the Balrog comes far too soon – the journey has barely begun, and it seems the members of the ‘Fellowship’ will not survive without Gandalf’s wisdom, power, and direction. But survive they must and complete the mission.
I wonder if this is how the disciples felt, as they ate supper with Jesus, only to realise it would be their last. In John 13, Jesus tells the disciples He is only going to be with them a “little while longer”. Peter responds for us all when he asks, “Lord, where are You going?... Why can I not follow You now?” Jesus then spends the rest of their time preparing them for what comes next – life without His physical presence. To the disciples, it probably felt like a bitter end. But Jesus’ departure was not the end, it was the start of a new chapter.
Jesus tells the disciples He is going away to prepare a place for them and that they already know the way to where He is going. After Thomas insists they do not know the way, Jesus says plainly: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the only Way, the exclusive route to the Father, the path to truth and life. The disciples said they did not know the way, but Jesus reassures them that they do because they know Him. They had been following Him for the past three years, living daily under His instruction, learning to walk in His ways. They knew the way because they had been walking it. Not only that, but Jesus promised to send a Comforter, the indwelling Holy Spirit, who would point them towards Christ and guide them in the way.
The Holy Spirit would also guide them into all truth. Jesus is the absolute Truth. There is no reality outside of Him. In John 17:17, Jesus prayed to the Father “sanctify them in the truth, Your word is truth”. John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh, He is the living Word of God. Every word from His mouth is the measuring line, the standard to which all things are compared. His word reveals the Father’s perfect will. To follow Christ is to be sanctified by the Word of God, to be made holy, righteous and to be freed from the power of sin and death. (Difficult for someone unused to Christ to consider/understand)
Jesus left disciples to die on the cross. But His death would not be the end of life, instead, it is the beginning of new life for all who follow Him. Jesus is the antidote to death. He promises that those who believe in Him will live even though they die. Gandalf sacrificed himself to defeat Balrog, but he rose to new life, returned to the ‘Fellowship’, and led them to victory against the powers of darkness. Tolkien did not invent this. He was inspired by Jesus Christ, the true Life who sacrificed Himself for us and rose to life. Jesus’ word promises that He will return and lead us into final victory over death and into eternal life with the Father. This is our glorious destination. Mission: accomplished.
Ask: How can we know the way?
Seek: In what ways am I struggling to follow Jesus? How can His Word help me?
Knock: Heavenly Father, thank You that I can know You through Your Son. Thank You that I am not walking this path alone. Holy Spirit, please help me to understand more of who Jesus is so that I can follow Him more closely each day. Please lead me in truth, turn me away from unrighteousness, as You make me like Christ. Remind me of the gift of true life now and the sure hope of eternal life with You.
(Upper Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Les Argonautes on Unsplash)
