The Only Way: Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But how can Jesus be the only way? Many people wrestle with the exclusivity of Christianity. This claim rests on the totally unique identity and work of Jesus — there is no one is like him. But once you see that the Christian faith is a real relationship with a real person, how could it be any other way? Recorded on Feb 11, 2024, on John 14:1-14 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
Well, all year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Today, we’ll be working on John chapter 14 if you’d like to start heading there in your Bibles/apps, and we’ll consider the exclusivity of the Christian faith. In his sixth of seven “I AM” statements, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But how can this be, and does this still work? In 2024? To claim that there is only one way to God? Because, we live in a pluralistic society with many different people claiming many different ways as the right way. I know a number of people who would look at this exclusive claim of Jesus as being narrow-minded at best and hateful at worst. There’s a modern phrase that captures this desire to be fully inclusive: “You do you.” This phrase means that any way you want to follow is good if it’s good for you as defined by you. And on the surface level, this sounds like wisdom. But is it true? Does it work? It doesn’t seem to work at all. In many ways, we’re more liberated from traditional rules/norms today than ever before. And this has led to some good things. But do we now have peace, individually or as a society? Not at all. We seem to have only ever-increasing anxiety, division, and conflict. And this is all very discouraging and depressing. The so-called progress of our progressive culture seems to be doing more harm than good. Now, I’m not saying we need to bring back all the traditional rules/norms. But there must be a better way. Well, according to the Bible, there is a way that God has made that is openly offered to all, no matter your background, ethnicity, morality, or class. Young and old, rich and poor, all are invited. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 14:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.
John 14:1–5 (NIV), “1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Ok, let’s pause here. If you’ve been with us for the last few weeks, you’ll know that this teaching of Jesus is happening on the night before the cross of Christ. This is the Last Supper, which began with Jesus washing his disciples’ feet to demonstrate humble service. Then Judas left to betray Jesus, while Jesus gave the remaining eleven the new command to love one another just as he had loved them. But at the end of chapter 13, Jesus started talking about his departure, saying, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” (Jn 13:36). This bothered the disciples because they didn’t understand that Jesus had to die and rise again from the dead. Our text for today starts out with Jesus comforting his disciples. Even though the weight of the world was on his heart/mind, and even though Jesus would utterly change the world in the next three days, he still is not thinking only of himself and what he would endure. Jesus loved his disciples and deeply cared for them. So here, he’s comforting them, saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Don’t worry. It’ll all work out in the end. But you have to trust me. “You believe in God; believe also in me.” Put your faith and trust in me, and you’ll see what I’ll do. Jesus goes on to talk about where he’s going and that he will return and bring them to a place he will prepare for them. He talks about this as his Father’s house. An older translation said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” But the word translated as rooms here in the NIV simply means dwelling place. The context is not the Father’s city but the Father’s house. This is why the NIV used the word “rooms” instead. Now, it’s not like the disciples of Jesus got a downgrade from mansion to room, like times have been hard in heaven. In the book of Revelation, the image of a new heavenly city is used to describe this place, the new Jerusalem. But here, Jesus is using the language of the Father’s house not to emphasize the size or the quality of the dwelling place, but our relationship with the Father through the preparing work of the true Son. Let’s think about it: who lives in a family home? Well, usually, only the members of the family! So Jesus is saying here that he, the true Son, is going to prepare a place in his Father’s house for us. And that through faith in the Son, we can become adopted sons and daughters of God, children of God, with a rightful place in the Father’s house. This is far better than some heavenly mansion. Because it means that as children of the Father, we get a relationship with, we get personal access to, the only source of life, light, and love in the universe, forever. We get a new inheritance in the Kingdom of God, the kingdom where Jesus is King. And every single disciple of Jesus, no matter how great or how small you are in this world, is welcome and has a place prepared for you. But Thomas speaks up and reveals that the disciples still aren’t sure what Jesus is talking about. “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus responds in v. 6.
John 14:6-7 (NIV), “6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Let’s pause here one more time. This is huge. Thomas said he needed to know the destination so he could figure out the way. But Jesus said that’s not how it works. All you need, Thomas, is to trust me. You don’t need to figure out the way because I am the way! This is such a big claim. Every other prophet, every other religion, claims to reveal the way. The way to God or the way to avoid punishment for evil or the way to transcend suffering. But only Jesus claims to be the way. And this is the sixth of the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. We’ve had I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, and so on. And we’ve seen that these “I AM” statements point to the divinity of Jesus, that Jesus was fully man but was also fully God. And the different statements point to his character or his work in the world, to who he is and what he does. What this means is something like this: Do you want to know the true answers to all the biggest existential questions? Why are we here? Where did everything come from? What is wrong with the world, and what can be done about it? Where is all this headed? Then, look to Jesus. Listen to Jesus. Because he is the truth. It’s not just that he reveals, he illuminates. Any good teacher would do the same. It’s that he is the very word of God made flesh, a living embodiment of the truth. In fact, Jesus says, “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” We’ll come back to this point but Jesus reveals the truth about who God is. But also, do you want to know how to find the life that every single one of us longs for? Do you want to know how we ought to live? And what can be done when there is evil or injustice in the world or in our own lives? Do you want to know how to find life that lasts even beyond death? Then, look to Jesus. Listen to Jesus. He is the truth but he is also the life. He doesn’t only heal and restore. Any good doctor would do the same. He doesn’t only model a better way to live. Any good leader would do the same. It’s that Jesus has the life of God within him because he is God. And he will share his life with you. Even in the face of death, he is the resurrection and offers life beyond the grave. But if Jesus is the truth and is the life, and not just one truth or one life among many options, then it only makes sense that he would be the only way. Now, Thomas asked about where they were going, but Jesus said this was the wrong question. To whom are we going is the right question. And Jesus is the only way to the Father in heaven. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” No one can have a place in the Father’s house, and no one can become a child of God unless they follow the way found by faith in Jesus. But if you do not come to the Father, if you are not accepted into the Father’s house, then you remain condemned already. You are choosing to stay separated/alienated from the only true source of light, life, and love in all creation going on forever. That, in the Bible, is what the hell is. It’s darkness. It’s fire. It’s bitter cold. It’s to remain a cosmic orphan when there’s a seat at the Father’s table and a place in the Father’s family for you. What a terrible condition. But the way to the Father is open to all. The gospel is good news for everybody. The Apostle Paul writes that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Ti 2:3–4). The Apostle Peter writes that the Lord “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2Pe 3:9). Will the disciples understand? To be fair, it would’ve been so hard for them before the resurrection, before the gift of the Holy Spirit, to understand these things. Nothing like this had ever happened before. And, as we’ll see from the last section, there is no one like Jesus.
John 14:8-14 (NIV), “8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” This is God’s word. From the prologue of John’s gospel on, the relationship between the Father and the Son has been one of the major themes. And certainly the most contentious claim of Jesus. Over and over, the Son talks about who his Father is and about the unity they’ve enjoyed from before the creation of the world. As Jesus says in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus, the one and only Son, says that no one has seen the Father except for him. Therefore, no one can reveal the Father as he can. But they are so united that if you’ve seen the Son, you’ve seen the Father. When the Son works, whether creating/saving/judging/healing/leading/feeding, the Son does the works of the Father. When the Son speaks, he speaks the words of the Father. When the Son saves, he saves the ones that his Father has given to him but also the ones he has chosen. When the Son comes into the world, it’s because he was sent by his Father, and those who receive the Son receive the Father. When the Son is glorified, the Father is glorified, but the Father also glorifies the Son. In the coming few chapters, especially in chapter 17 and the high priestly prayer of Jesus, we’ll continue to see this theme. Of course, the rest of the NT is shaped by this doctrine, as well. Colossians 1 says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God…” Hebrews 1 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” The stunning conclusion to all this is that there has never been anyone like Jesus. There is no one like Jesus. There’s no one who knows God the Father and makes him known like the Son. So it’s only natural that in the wisdom of God, the only way to get to the Father would be through the person and work of the Son. If Jesus is who he claimed to be, how could it be any other way? “You believe in God; believe also in me.” Now, as we’ll see next week, God is not only a unity between the Father and Son. God is a tri-unity or a trinity of three equal persons: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the departure of the Son will usher in the final days, our current age, with the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is much more to say about all this, but Jesus is far from done teaching here at the Last Supper. For now, Jesus is emphasizing his relationship not with the Spirit but with his Father. All this comes from Philip’s request for Jesus to show them the Father. And this wasn’t a bad request! It reminds us of Moses’ request to see the fullness of God’s glory at Mount Sinai. Philip wants to know God and see God. But you can almost hear the hurt in Jesus’ response. “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time…How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Ouch. Jesus says, in effect, “If you don’t believe in me, at least believe in the evidence of my works and my words. Do they seem like the works and words of God to you or not?” But if you do, then it will change everything. It will change your works/words/identity/prayers, and so much more. And the Father will be glorified in the greater works and the faith-filled prayers that are accomplished by his children in the power of the name of the resurrected and exalted Son.
So, what does this mean for us today? Well, an easy application would be to respond to the open invitation to believe in Jesus. Receive him, trust in him, and learn to follow his way. It is a way of truth and a way that leads to real/eternal life. And if it’s true, then everybody needs to hear about this. Everyone needs to receive this invitation. But secondly, how might we think about the exclusivity of Christianity? At the end of the day, again, if this is true, then there is only one way. Over the years, it’s been helpful to me to remember that this is a function of the relational aspect of Christianity. Sure, the gospel provides a way to be forgiven and freed from the power of sin, but sin is only a problem because sin separates us from a relationship with God. If Christian salvation was based on our moral performance or our religious devotion, then the way could be a law. If Christian salvation was based on adopting a new perspective/mindset, then the way could be a new philosophy. But Christian salvation is based on a real relationship with a real person. Our relationship with this person does affect how we think and act, but it is first a relationship. And the only way to have a relationship with a real person is by dealing directly with that person. I can’t merely talk about my wife, Holly, or think about Holly, or tell others about Holly and call that a relationship. If I don’t deal directly with Holly, if we don’t talk and spend time together, if I never let her have input in my life, which affects how I think and act, then I will not have a real relationship with her. But as wonderful as my relationship is with Holly, how much greater is it that our Creator, our Father in heaven, wants a relationship with us? And if we want to receive that precious and life-giving gift, then there is only one way. And his name is Jesus. No one is like him. His way is a better way. And if we as a church truly believe this, then it will utterly transform our works/words/identities/prayers, and so much more. All are welcome. Let us pray.
