The disciples were stunned. In the midst of their last supper together before His death, Jesus had just announced He was going somewhere they could not follow (cf. Jn. 13:33, 36). This was devastating news: they had left everything to follow Jesus. Worldly comfort. Worthwhile careers. Even family. For years now, their entire identities were defined by following Jesus. Now they couldn’t?
“Let not your hearts be troubled,” Jesus comforted: “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” (Jn. 14:1-4). No matter what lay ahead, they could be confident in Jesus – confident in His love and that He would do what He said. Yet, Thomas asked for a bit more: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (Jn. 14:5). He wanted something he could wrap his arms around. Step-by-step instructions would be nice.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14:6). We have read that verse before, but do we understand it any better than Thomas? We might appreciate the exclusivity Jesus claimed there: He is not just another Teacher, nor is Christianity one of many equally valuable religions. Jesus is the only way to come to the Father; but have you considered how Jesus is “the way”? It’s not just that, “Jesus died on the cross so He could give us step-by-step instructions to get to heaven.” That is still too close to where Thomas was. What Jesus actually said is much bigger: He personally is the way. These men had spent the last few years of their lives following Him every day, so they literally knew “the way” because they knew Him. They knew how He spent His days, treated people, and saw the world. So, to be where Jesus was, they just needed to keep following. Live like Jesus every day. Teach others to do the same. He is the way, and the truth, and the life.
In fact, “Christian” is only used twice in the book of Acts (cf. 11:26, 26:28). Do you know what our faith was usually called in those early decades?
They called it “the Way.”
Join us as we learn from the real people in Jerusalem, Antioch, and Ephesus how to truly follow “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” of Jesus Christ together!