The Way, The Truth and The Life
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV).
This was the promise that Jesus shared with his disciples in a time of their own fear and confusion. Thomas worried he wouldn’t know the way. Philip asked for reassurance from the Father, a sign of promise. The humanity in them begged for security and hope, and Jesus responded with a promise we must never forget.
The temptation to be swept into fear and confusion because of the realities foretold or those already ensuing is increasing. To live in the world and not be of it is a choice we make each day. Fear and confusion are not of the Lord, which means that, as people who bear God’s image, we must learn how God invites us to respond to times of trouble in ways that magnify that image, not muddle it. Jesus never promised we would not face scary or perplexing realities, but He did affirm that we can abide in Him amidst those realities, and it starts with believing Him when He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I believe this is one of the most captivating “I am” statements in the Gospels because of how its truth is revealed in the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark begins by proving who Jesus says He is without Jesus even telling us. The first section details the contours of Jesus as The Way, using John the Baptist as a parallel who bears the image of Jesus as one who partnered with God to point towards Jesus as The Way. From the beginning, the Gospel of Mark uses language like, “...who will prepare your way,” or “prepare the way of the Lord,” and even “After me comes he who is mightier than I … I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In the following section, God confirms the identity of His Son, in whom He is well pleased. As we take Jesus at His Word, our first step towards magnifying the image of Jesus that we bear is trusting Him as the True Way amidst the trouble we face.
The next section details the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. Jesus begins by announcing, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Jesus invites us to believe the Truth of which He speaks, which is the Gospel. He formally invites Simon and Andrew to follow him, reminding us that Jesus is the Way. In following Jesus, Simon and Andrew bear the image of Jesus as the Way, and they soon witness His Truth. Jesus makes His way into the synagogue and begins teaching. We read that the people were “astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one with authority.” Jesus begins revealing Himself as the Truth, and His identity is confirmed when, in that same setting, Jesus heals a man by speaking to him. The people then stand astonished as Jesus teaches and speaks with the Truth that transforms. As we trust Jesus as the Way, we must remind ourselves and others of His Truth!
Immediately following, the rest of the chapter focuses on many miracles and healings performed by Jesus. What is so powerful about these stories is that Jesus literally speaks life to those He heals. He brings and restores life where it was broken. Jesus continues to reveal Himself as the One who bears Life, as he “went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
The first chapter concludes with the story of a leper who was transformed by experiencing Jesus and can’t help but share about the radical, transforming love of Jesus who came and delivered him from the midst of trouble. The identity of Jesus as the Way, Truth and Life is transformational, and the Gospel of Mark captures this truth in a way that invites us to respond by trusting Jesus.
In the face of much trouble, we must stand firm as a people who have been given the Way, Truth and Life that sets us free and grants us peace. It is getting more and more tempting for us to be swept into believing that the way to more freedom, more truth or a better life is a way that politics or culture try to prepare. This is not the truth we believe in, and it will not settle the fear or confusion we may have in our present circumstance. If we truly believe that Jesus is who He says He is, our life must look different. Our response to politics, to work, to our neighbor and even to ourselves must look different. God does not offer us a spirit of fear, but rather His Spirit who bears love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control in our life.
I encourage you to reflect on the way, truth and life you are abiding in as you respond to the foretold or present realities of life as we know it. Let yourself dare to trust the incorruptible love of the Father, and may you dare to respond to the world around you with a spirit of peace and joy amidst trouble. Jesus knows what it is like to feel betrayed and beaten. Jesus knows what it is like to witness injustice and pain. Jesus knows what it is like to be filled with deep sorrow. Trust Jesus as you learn to let yourself release your fear or confusion and abide in the One who has made the Way, the One who speaks Truth and the One gives you Life.
