I am the queen of GPS.
Not because I’m particularly good at navigation. Quite the opposite.
I am geographically and directionally challenged, so when I’m heading somewhere I’ve never been, I want that little map on my phone telling me exactly where to turn. And heaven help us if I lose the signal somewhere along the way.
I like knowing where I’m going.
Maybe that’s one reason Jesus’ words in John 14 mean so much to me. When Thomas asks how the disciples can possibly know the way, Jesus doesn’t hand him a list of directions.
He gives Thomas Himself.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
When it comes to finding our way to the Father, we aren’t left staring at a map and hoping we’ve chosen the right road.
Jesus is the way.
Today’s Saving Grace of God
John 14:6–7 (ESV)
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’”
Setting the Scene
John 14 begins during one of Jesus’ final conversations with His disciples before His crucifixion.
Jesus has told them that He is going away. Understandably, His disciples are troubled. These men have left their former lives and followed Him, and now Jesus is talking about leaving them.
He comforts them by telling them not to let their hearts be troubled. In His Father’s house are many rooms, and He is going to prepare a place for them. Then Jesus tells them that they know the way to where He is going.
Thomas says what I probably would have been thinking:
“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus’ answer is one of the clearest and most important statements He makes about Himself:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus doesn’t merely show us a path to God.
He is the way to the Father.
Reflection
I understand Thomas.
Tell me we’re going somewhere and one of my first questions is probably going to be, Okay…but how do we get there?
For my own sanity, I like the certainty of knowing that I’m headed in the right direction. Losing my GPS connection somewhere unfamiliar is enough to make me question every turn I’ve made for the last twenty miles.
But when it comes to salvation, Jesus doesn’t leave us guessing.
We don’t have to sort through a hundred different spiritual roads wondering whether one of them might eventually lead us to God.
Jesus says plainly:
“I am the way.”
Not a way.
The way.
And He doesn’t stop there.
Jesus is the truth. In a world where truth can sometimes seem negotiable and everyone seems to have their own version of it, our hope isn’t anchored in whatever happens to sound convincing today. It is anchored in Christ.
And Jesus is the life. Eternal life isn’t found apart from Him. It isn’t something we discover after following enough religious directions correctly.
Life is found in Jesus Himself.
That’s considerably better than my GPS.
Because even with perfect directions, I can still miss a turn. I can get distracted. I can decide I know a shortcut and discover ten minutes later that I most certainly did not. 😂
Jesus isn’t asking me to navigate my own way to the Father.
He’s asking me to follow Him.
And there’s another beautiful truth in His answer. Jesus tells His disciples that knowing Him means knowing the Father. Later in this same conversation, He tells Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
If we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus.
His compassion.
His holiness.
His mercy.
His truth.
His willingness to go all the way to the cross for sinners like us.
Jesus doesn’t simply tell us where the Father is.
He brings us to Him.
Short Prayer
Jesus, thank You for being the way that leads me home, the truth that sets me free, and the life that fills my soul. Thank You for the reassurance that through knowing You, I come to know the Father. Help me to know You more deeply each day and show me how I can lead others to You. Show me Your perfect will for me and teach me to trust Your guidance. When I start to falter or doubt, confirm again in my mind and heart that You are always and forever the way and the truth and the life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Reflection Question
Are there places where you’re still trying to find your own way to God? What would change if you stopped searching for the right road and trusted Jesus when He says, “I am the way”?
Closing Encouragement
Thomas wanted to know the way.
Jesus gave him something better than directions.
He gave him Himself.
We don’t have to guess our way to the Father. We don’t have to find some hidden spiritual route and hope we’ve gotten it right.
Jesus has already told us the way.
Follow Him.
And unlike my GPS, He never loses the signal. 😂
Helpful Daily Resources
- Read the full chapter on Bible.com ~ John 14
- Enjoy Bible.com ~ Verse of the Day
- Try Bible.com ~ Bible Recap: Read the Bible in a Year Plan