I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life

When I was a kid, like around 6 or 7, I took a class that combined drama, dance and singing.  In the drama portion, we went out into the town square, downtown and we watched people walk and then we had to copy them.  We had to try to walk the way others walked.  We tried to capture the way their feet moved, their arms, if they were carrying something.  It was silly and we had fun.  I remember it, even today, because I feel like it made me aware of myself and my own place in the world. 

At 6 it was kind of profound, I realized that I can be anyone I wanted to be.  This drama teacher taught me I could be who I want, I could choose.

It wasn’t six months later and my drama teacher made front page news for breaking into seven homes in a gated community.   This why we are initiating our Safe Sanctuary Policy… Who we follow matters. 

This is the beginning of the end for Jesus, or at least before the crucifixion.  This scripture is the beginning of a last teaching to his disciples found in the Gospel of John.  He had just had the Passover meal with his disciples, and he even sent Judas on his errand to betray him.  Jesus knew that this was his last evening with the disciples, the last night he had to explain what was going to happen.  

As he begins this conversation, he can see that they are getting upset. Peter is emphatically claiming that he will never deny Jesus, Judas has just left to do his work… They are having an upsetting meal to say the least.  Everything is coming to a head, and they all can feel it, sense it.  Jesus had just rode into Jerusalem on the back of the donkey, Palm Sunday.  It was Passover, tensions where high in the community… Jesus knew it , the disciples knew it, too. 

He tells them that he is going to go to his Father’s house, and he is going to make it ready for each of them.  Thomas questions him about it and he wants to know how they are going to get there.  They are confused, Jesus is talking about the bread is his body, and he is the bread of life, and the wine is his blood… It had to be confusing.  But at the same time, talking in metaphors or parables or story was very common during that time period. 

So when he begins speaking, he is bringing a sense of peace or calm, he is trying to ease their minds.  This is the last time he has with the disciples to really teach them, explain to them what is going to happen, to prepare them. 

And really, he had been doing it all along, but as it gets closer, Jesus really just wants them to hear and know.  And what does he tell them first.  He explains that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.

The Way.  Hodos in Greek.  It means a travelers journey or a travelled road, it also means a manner of conduct.  Jesus is the way to go, the way forward.  He is both the road and the example of how to travel. 

The Truth. Aletheia in Greek.  This is absolute truth, like in any circumstance, can never be questioned or refuted. It is always true.  It is the essence of truth.  It can also mean truth as in personal excellence and consistency, so truth in thought.  Jesus is irrefutably truth and he is completely reconciled in trueness within himself.  He is consistently true.

The Life.  Zoe in Greek.  It is life, but not just like living, but life as in possession of a soul.  Jesus is the life, the originator of that indescribable part of us that makes us alive.  The inner essence of life.



So I am going to take this a little backwards.

Jesus is the life.  He is the author of our very souls, the originator of the most alive part of us, that which is eternally alive.  The question is what are we doing with this life?  We can just take this life and deny that it exists; we can say that there is no eternal part of ourselves.  We can deny our connection to God, the Creator.  We can easily miss the sacred part of ourselves.  And when we do, it is even easier to miss the sacred part of one another.  God is the author, originator of all souls, all people. In Hindi, a common way to say, ‘hello,’ is to say, ‘Namaste.’  It literally means, ‘I see the divine in you, or I see the God in you.’ 

Now I don’t necessarily think they are thinking about Jesus when they say this in India, but imagine what it would be like if we held this position with every person we met.  What if every person we met, the frustrating neighbor, the aggravating toddler that won’t go to sleep, the person who cut you off in traffic, the politician who keeps ranting on news.  What if every encounter with another person we took the time to recognize that Jesus is the author and originator of their life and soul?  What if we saw Jesus in every person we met?

Jesus is also the Truth.  Jesus is the essence of truth and he is consistently truth.   Jesus represents truth in thought and in action.  This poses a challenge for us as we consider what it means to be consistent in thought and action.   When we want to know truth, we can look to Jesus.  So this means all truth.  If it’s true, it’s from Jesus.  Truth in integrity or right from wrong.  Truth in mathematic equations, truth in grammar, truth in science, truth in relationships. Jesus is the truth.  All things that are true, are from Jesus.  Do we see Jesus in those things we know to be true?  Do we see Jesus in gravity?   Do we see Jesus in the square root of 16 is 4?  Do we see Jesus in the conjugation of verbs? 

Where do we look for truth?  Do we look to the media?  Do we look to one another?  Do we look to education?  Where are we searching for truth?

Do we live a fully integrated life, where those things that are most important to us, those things that we hold to be true in our very souls are exhibited in our actions?

Life and Truth, but Jesus is also the Way.  He is both the road and the example. Jesus has set the example, the ultimate example.  And in his example he shows us truth, and a fully integrated life.  

But we do get confused.  We compartmentalize our faith so that we say, that’s something we do at church, and then we get even more specific… that’s only something we do in that part of the church.  This part of the church is where we talk and drink coffee.  Sunday school or Bible study becomes something important for our kids and youth in confirmation, but when we’re ‘grown’ we get ‘too busy.’ Instead, we follow politicians or political ideology.   We follow media.  We follow ideologies that we or others have created.  We follow the bottom line, and become preoccupied with money.  We follow people, what our families expect of us, trying to keep up with our neighbors or friends.  We follow what’s popular or trendy.  We follow social media.

But Jesus says, “I am the Way.”  Let there be no confusion, Jesus is the one we are following.  There are lots of ‘ways’ for us to follow.  But none of them, none of them are the essence of truth and the essence of life, except Jesus. 

You can’t sort of follow something, when you do, you are following without direction.  But to be a follower, a true follower, takes intention.

If you aren’t passionately and intentionally following Jesus, what or who are you following?  Passionately and intentionally following Jesus… And the only way to follow Jesus, is to know Jesus, like really know Jesus.  I have to say, that it’s easy to say, ‘I’ve read my Bible,’  or ‘That pastor teaches the Bible’ but that is not enough.  To passionately and intentionally follow Jesus you have to keep on the Road, keep seeking the Way, keep studying. 

But Jesus says, “I am the Way.”  Let there be no confusion, Jesus is the one we are following.  There are lots of ‘ways’ for us to follow.  But none of them, none of them are the essence of truth and the essence of life, except Jesus.