Jesus In His Own Words
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
John 14:1-10
One of the most familiar "I Am" statements that was made by Jesus is the one we'll look at tonight. TI's found in John 14.
verse 1-10
This is a really interesting passage of Scripture because, on the one hand, it contains some of the most comforting words that Jesus ever spoke. So comforting are these words, that outside of the 23rd Psalm, they are probably the most quoted words at funerals.
But on the other hand, this passage contains some of the most challenging, offensive words that Jesus ever spoke. Jesus had the audacity to say that He was the only way to get to God!
And they are both right there in the same passage! How can one passage be, at the same time, so comforting and so offensive? Well, honestly, the bible is like that! If we really accept it for what it is, then we can't just pick and choose the parts we like!
That's true of Jesus also! If we really want to understand Jesus, and His life and ministry, we can't just pick the comforting stuff. And we have a tendency to like the nice, gentle Jesus and avoid the judgmental, harsher side of Jesus. But if we want to be honest, we have to look at all that He is, even the challenging parts.
So, let's look at the passage together. There are three things that really stand out in this text that I want you to see. First of all, on the positive side, there is
1. A Comforting Promise
Just o help us get our bearings, this conversation took place the night before the crucifixion. Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem on the previous Sunday, and all through that final week, he had warned his disciples that things were about to get rough. He would be arrested and beaten and killed. And of course hearing that, especially the part about losing Jesus, made the disciples feel confused and nervous and scared.
So on this night, Jesus called everyone together for the Last Supper. He knew the kind of stress they were under, and he spoke directly to what they were feeling and the very first thing He says is,
verses 1-2
If I had to summarize what Jesus was saying, I would suggest He is promising them a home. In other words, in the midst of their chaos and confusion, He is promising them a place of security. And deep down inside, all of us desire that.
Maybe it was when you went away to college or joined the military or got married and moved away from home, but most of us can remember that time when we were away for the very first time, and the homesickness sat in!
Now, I realize that for some of you, home was not a happy thing, and getting away from home was the best thing that ever happened to you.
But it doesn't matter whether it was a happy place or a sad place, it doesn't change the longing for the peace and the security that it offers.
But there's something else that comes to mind with the promise Jesus makes. After a while, in even the sweetest of human homes, you find annoying people living there! There are frustrations and aggravations and they are never as perfect as we would hope they would be.
But the longing remains. And here's what that tells me: the thing that our heart truly craves is not that physical home; it's something that home represents. It's something deeper.
Tim Keller wrote this: "Home...is a powerful but elusive concept. The strong feelings that surround it reveal some deep longing within us for a place that absolutely fits and suits us, where we can be, or perhaps find, our true selves."
I love that first sentence: "Home...is a powerful but elusive concept." It's powerful, because it's a strong emotion that we've all felt, but it's elusive, because it always seems just beyond our grasp. I think maybe that's what the singer, Bono, meant when he said, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." Home, in the truest sense, remains out of reach.
And that's what makes the words of Jesus so meaningful. The disciples were feeling totally uprooted and vulnerable-like there was no safe place for them to go. And Jesus says, "There is a place, where you will be safe and loved and secure." That is a powerfully comforting promise: "In my Father's house are many rooms...and one of them has your name on the door." This is the one place that, when you get there, you will never long to be somewhere else. It's the place that every home in this world was imperfectly pointing to. I'm going to go prepare that place for you.
No wonder we love this passage! Because in one way or another, all of us know what it's like to feel the chaos that the disciples felt. And then we hear the words of Jesus: Do not let your hearts be troubled. My Father's house has many rooms; I'm going there to prepare a place for you. What an amazing promise of comfort!
At the same time, this passage contains
2. A Challenging Claim
After Jesus makes that comforting promise, he says
verses 4-5
Aren't you thankful for Thomas having the courage to speak up and say what everyone else was thinking?
Now, the answer that Jesus gave is something people have struggled with for 2,000 years.
Verse 6
Do you see why that's so challenging, and potentially offensive? The idea of a this perfect home sounds great, but saying there's only one way to get there sounds narrow. And for a lot of people, narrow means arrogant and exclusive and offensive. But "one way" doesn't have to be arrogant or offensive.
Suppose you go in for some medical tests and the doctor meets with you after evaluating everything and says, "Here's the deal. According to the tests we've done, you are in a bad place. But there is one way we can offer you some hope. We need to get you into surgery as quickly as we can, because if we don't, you're going to die."
You're probably not going to say, "You know, doctor, that's a pretty narrow thing to say. I think you're being kind of arrogant." You know what I would say? "Thank you for being honest with me. Let's get it done."
Here's the point: sometimes truth, by its very nature, is specific and narrow and exclusive, but that doesn't mean it's arrogant. It's just true.
And I know what someone will say. They'll say, "But you can't make that analogy because you're talking about medical things that are provable and verifiable. You can't talk the same way about spiritual issues."
Here's why I think the analogy holds up: Doctors have wisdom and expertise that the patient doesn't have. Therefore, what they tell us is based on their credentials and experience and training. Therefore, when they say, "There is just one way", it's not arrogant, it's just true.
In like manner, when Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me", He bases that statement on His credentials and knowledge and expertise also. So if someone says, "How can you say Jesus is the only way?", the right response is, "I didn't say it! Jesus said it, and He's the expert!"
If anyone else said something like this, it would be ridiculous! But Jesus was not anyone else. He is completely unique in the history of this world, so when He says things that really challenge us like this, it deserves our attention.
It all depends on the credentials of who's saying that narrow thing. So the important question to ask is, "Does Jesus really have the credentials to say what He says? Is He qualified to make that statement?"
Look at the next verse
verses 7-9
This is one of those places where Jesus claimed equality with God. He didn't just claim to know God better or be more aware of God's thoughts and actions. He claimed to be God, in human flesh. So if you've met Him, you've met God.
That's quite a claim, don't you think? In case you're wondering how Jesus managed to get Himself killed, it wasn't because he taught people to be nice and forgive each other. The reason Jesus got nailed to a cross the next day was because He said stuff like this. It was offensive.
And speaking of the cross, that's the other big reason Jesus had the credentials to say what He said. Think about that: Jesus went to the cross and died so that you and I could have a home to go to.
Remember what Jesus cried out from the cross? "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus was feeling something he had never felt before:
Because He took our sin upon Himself, Jesus was suddenly, for the first time in eternity, disconnected from his Father.
That tells us that there is one thing that disconnects people from God and it is sin. On the cross, Jesus took on our sin and He experienced that disconnection from God. That means for the first time in all of eternity Jesus was spiritually homeless.
He was physically homeless while on the earth in a human body. He didn't have a place to call home here. But on the cross, he became spiritually homeless, and it left Him so devastated and empty that the pain caused Him to cry out. And He did it, He became homeless, so that you and I would never have to be.
And you can look through history all you want to, but you will never find anyone who did for you what Jesus did for you. None of them gave up their life so that you could have the home that your heart longs for. Jesus is the only one who can make that claim! That's a narrow thing to say, and for some people, that's offensive.
And for a lot of people, this is what bothers them about the Christian faith. They feel like if there is a God, there must be a lot of different ways to reach him. There can't be just one way.
So when you hear Jesus saying, "No one comes to the father except through me," you just tune him out. But what He says is worth considering. After all, what if He's just like the doctor and it's not arrogant, it's just true? What if Jesus was speaking truth about our souls, and he knows what we need? Not because he's arrogant, but because he loves us?
Remember, at the very beginning of the conversation with His followers, Jesus said, "I don't want you to be troubled. Just believe."
It's always an invitation to believe which means to put your confidence in him and entrust your life to him. And that leads to the final point:
3. A Life-Changing Belief
What would change if we truly believed that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life?
Well, first of all, it changes the way we feel
- Toward God
Polls and studies show that 80% of Americans think there is some kind of higher power. The problem is we all define "higher power" differently. Ask people what they mean when they say "God," and you will get all kinds of answers.
So let me remind you what Jesus said in this text. He said, "If you want to know what God is really like, then take a look at Me. come to me, and you'll find out what God is like, and the very first thing He says is 'He's a loving Father'".
That's what Jesus wants us to know about God! Why? When we know God like Jesus knows God, it will give us peace and confidence and security. Believing in Jesus changes our impression of God in a way that removes the worry and raises our confidence and security in life.
Secondly, when we believe in Jesus, it changes the way we feel
- Toward Others
There are a lot of people who think if we believe Jesus is the only way, it will make us feel superior to others. To be a Christian means you look down on others and judge them. The Christian faith leads to arrogance."
But it all depends on whether or not you accurately understand the Christian faith. If you believe you earn your salvation through working hard and living right, then I can see how you might get arrogant.
But the Christian faith doesn't teach earning your salvation, in fact, it teaches just the opposite. It teaches that we are lost and have no hope without Christ. Read the Gospels and you will discover the main opponent of Jesus was the Pharisees. The Pharisees were an elite sect within Judaism; they were very devout and religious, and they couldn't help but look down on everybody else. Their identity was based on their moral goodness. And they were absolutely no fun to be around.
But in Biblical Christianity, our goodness is not dependent on us, it is dependent on Christ. It's based on recognizing how morally messed up we are, and how desperately we need what Jesus did for us on the cross.
And when we really understand that, there's no way we can look down on anyone else. There's no basis for superiority. In fact, the more you live this faith, if you're really walking with Jesus Christ, your heart actually gets more humbled and more softened; slower to point out the sins of others, and quicker to
see your own faults. We follow a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. And the more we walk with him, the more we will become like that.
In fact, believing Jesus is the only way makes us more compassionate toward the lost and more passionate about winning the lost!
And then finally, believing that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, who's preparing a place for us, changes the way we feel
- Toward Earthly Homes
We started by talking about the strong desire that all of us have for a home. It's this universal human feeling. We long for home. And because of that, it's easy for us to hold on to houses and other places that are important to us. We try to find our true home in these earthly places. It's a normal instinct. The problem is, life has a funny way of ripping those things out of our hands.
Your company transfers you, and suddenly, the house you thought you would always live in now has a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. Or you grew up in a town you love, in a house you love, surrounded by friends. But then you go off to college, and your parents decide it's time to downsize, and you come home on Thanksgiving break to a strange new house.
Or you're retired, and you raised your family in a home where you have so many memories, but then your spouse dies, and it just makes sense to move into a retirement community, and that beloved house goes on the market.
Or you fulfilled your lifelong dream of retiring and buying the perfect home in Hawaii, because what could ever go wrong in paradise? And all of a sudden, you're checking your home insurance policy for volcano protection.
It happens in a million different ways! It might be a flood or a fire or a tornado or black mold, but the homes we have on earth are very fragile and very temporary. And knowing that our true home awaits us helps us to hold those earthly places loosely. To appreciate them, and make them welcoming and warm, but to not get too attached.
The New Testament talks about this in other places as well. For instance, look at
Hebrews 13:14
It is a wise person who realizes that nothing here endures. So in those difficult times in life when we lose a home, or a flood hits our home, or we have to move, it doesn't devastate us, it just builds our anticipation for the real home that's coming.
I've been at a bedside many times as an old saint of God was dying, and more than once, I've watched them begin to reach up and out. Why because they were "looking for a city not made with hands whose builder and maker is God."
Jesus said, "My Father's house has many rooms; I'm going to prepare a place for you." A home. And the way to that home is not a doctrine or a religion. The Way is a Person, named Jesus. That's what He claimed. That's who He said He is. So, who do you say that He is?
