On the night before he died on the cross, Jesus met with his disciples in the upper chamber of a house in Jerusalem. After the disciples washed their feet and went out of Judaea Iscariot, the Lord began to talk very closely with his 11 disciples. He knew that he did not have much time to spend on earth, for he was about to die in a few hours. He knew that his disciples were concerned about him. So, in the face of death, because of his love, even though he was anxious, Jesus commanded the disciples to remove the anxieties of the heart. But he not only obeyed the command, but also reminded his disciples of his responsibility to carry out the command, and gave them one real promise after another.
He realized that Jesus' presence was essential in that moment and in their future life. So he told them to believe in the Father and in him. He also informed them of his intention to return to the Father, saying that he was going to prepare a place for the disciples in his Father's house, but that he would return and take the disciples to him; As long as he lives, so can his disciples. Suffice it to say that he is preparing a place for his children, where we can spend eternity with him.
After saying this, Jesus told his disciples about the way to reach the Father, "You know the way to the place where I am going" (verse 4). By this he meant to say to them, “You know me; I am the way. " But that is the way he is, he said a little later in reply to Thomas's words. Now, he has already revealed to his disciples and others that he is the way to reach the Father. Earlier, when the Jews asked him about the Father, Jesus said to them, “You do not know me, nor do you know my Father; If you knew me, you would know my Father too ”(8:19). Again, when the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy, Jesus said to them, "If I don't do what my Father does, then don't believe what I say. But if I do the same things my Father does, then you should believe in the things I do. You might not believe in me, but you should believe in the things I do. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father”(10: 37-38). To the Jews he added: “The person that believes in me is really believing in the One (God) who send me. The person that see me is really seeing the One who send me ”(12: 44-45). Speaking of his coming for the salvation of the world, Jesus added, “I do not say anything of my own accord; But what I will say is that my Father, who sent me, has commanded me. And I know that his command is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say, I say as the Father has said to me ”(12: 49-50). So, Jesus says here, "Wherever I go, you know his way."
In John 14: 5, we can realise in Thomas's words that Thomas failed to understand the meaning of Jesus' words because he did not pay enough attention to what Jesus had said about himself before; It is a manifestation of his characteristic weakness. But Thomas's words also show his affection for Jesus, because Thomas could not bear to hear Jesus leave them. So, Thomas wanted to say to the Lord, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, how do we know how to get there?" By this Thomas has revealed his mind. We know that believers often call Thomas "the unbeliever Thomas". But we can question whether this name is appropriate or not, For, we see in Thomas a personality, who, without real understanding of any subject, never speaks of understanding it; That is to say, he does not speak without understanding or understanding anyone. In this, His honesty is revealed in it.
Respecting this honesty of Thomas, instead of rebuking him, Jesus gave us one of the best revelations about himself, “I am the way and the truth and the life; The only way to the Father is through me ”(14: 6). The six “I am sayings” found in the Gospel of John {Life - Food (6:48), Light of the World (8:12), Door (10: 9), Good Shepherd (10:11), Resurrection and Life (11: 25), the true vine (15: 1)}, it is one of them. In the Greek or English Bible, the term, way, truth, and life are used before each word in a direct article.
This claim of Jesus about himself is very serious. Jesus did not say of himself here, "I lead the way!" Or "I teach the truth" or "I give life." Like other religious leaders, Jesus is not just a guide, nor a teacher of truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life itself. By this Jesus wanted to say, “I am that way. When you come to me, you meet God; then you find the ultimate reality and truth; then you find life there. " Since Christ Himself is God, He is equal to His attributes; That is, each of His attributes is infinite. So, he is not the only one who deserves love; He is self-love, 100 percent love. He is righteousness again, 100 percent righteousness. That is the way Jesus is; He is the only mediator between God and His chosen ones by His every action, word, and disposition. For this reason, there is no other way for us to be saved than to have a living fellowship with Jesus Christ, who is inseparable from the Father (Rom. 5: 1, 2). Thus he is the way to reach God from such people; In the same way, he is the way for all heavenly blessings from the Father to reach man (Matthew 11:27, 28).
Again, Jesus is the embodiment of truth in his personality. He is the real truth against all lies. He is the reliable source of our salvation. Hence, in that verse 7, he describes himself as the revealer of God the Father. Like the living way, as living or active truth, Jesus captures and influences our lives. This truth cleanses us, guides us, and sets us free (8:32). Because He Himself is true, He is the one who frees us from the bondage of sin in His personality. We know that during Jesus' trial Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth? ”(18:38); Here Jesus, his disciple and believer, answers the question, "I am the truth."
But not just the way and the truth, Jesus himself is life. And here is the meaning of life, which is the opposite of death. All the glorious attributes of God are present in His Son (1: 4). And since there is life in that Son (1: 4), He is the source and life-giver of life for His own children. He gives the light of life to His children (8:13), speaks of eternal life (6:68), and gives the overflowing life (10:10). Just as death indicates separation from God, so life indicates fellowship with God (17: 3). In that way, that way brings us to the Father, that truth sets us free, and that life produces fellowship with the Father.
Thus, when Jesus reveals to us the truth of God's plan of salvation for man, it frees us from the dominion of sin; Again, when He sows in us the seed of spiritual life, it produces our fellowship with the Father; And it is through this that He, as His own way, brings us to the Father. And so Jesus added, "without me - no one comes to the Father."
Now, to know the truth of God's plan for man's salvation, we rely entirely on Jesus (since He Himself is that truth). and He is the one who gives us new birth by that truth, it is not possible for any of us to come to the Father without Jesus. Therefore, the truth of salvation, eternal life, and the way to reach the Father is never possible without Christ. For this reason, only that person who has attained salvation, or eternal life, or the presence of the Father, in whom the assurance of that salvation is present, can testify on behalf of the one and only Savior in his salvation. No one can ever be assured of his salvation by being born into a Christian family, by gaining knowledge or knowledge of the Christian faith, or by being a leader of a church or congregation, or by being a professor in a theological school. But when we receive God's salvation through faith in Christ alone, and when we receive the heavenly assurance of that, we also bear witness according to Peter. Peter did not back down for fear of what the supreme religious leaders of Israel, such as principals, elders, professors, and priests, would think, but boldly stated, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, God raised him from the dead. The person (Lameness from the womb) is standing in front of you in a healthy body. ... and no one else has salvation; For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved ”(Acts 4: 10-12). From the words of Jesus and Peter, we can easily understand the extremes of the Christian faith and the urgent need to spread this faith everywhere.
Now, according to India, Jesus' words (without me - in fact, no one comes to the Father) in a country as far as it may go can be condemned as religious narrow-mindedness or orthodoxy. But there is nothing to do; Because that is the essence of truth; The truth is always the same, it can never be more than one. My key ring may have multiple keys, but my front door will only open with one of them; No matter how much they look at one another same, the other key won't work. So, if we accept the truth of Jesus' statement that He is the only way to reach the Father, then those who are trying to reach the Father without Jesus are the Creator of this universe, the Savior, our Savior, the God who revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. They will never be able to reach; Instead, they will reach to their imaginary God.
Now, for those of us who identify ourselves as Christians, to whom the Bible as the Word of God is the only way of faith and practice in our lives, since we acknowledge Jesus as God, and since God can never lie, the only way to our salvation is according to Jesus. The name is Jesus Christ. Do you believe that? Because, without this faith you can never be sure of your salvation. And that uncertainty is forcing you to open the door to other possibilities.
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