Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 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 know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."
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The Questions for Discussion over Dinner Were:
In your personal life, in this community, or in another community -
where have you experienced
Jesus as the Way?
Where have you experienced
Jesus as the Truth?
Where have you experienced
Jesus as Life?
One person answered that they experience Jesus as Life in
the gathering of family.
Another said that they hear Jesus as Truth in music.
A few of our youngest members said that they experience
Jesus as the Way in Church – which got an “amen” from some of the adults.
Concluding Reflection:
People these days often come across this verse in which
Jesus says that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and they tend to
interpret it in one of two ways.
People who tend to hold more “conservative” views, on the one hand, will
say that this verse means that Christianity is the only true religion – this
verse means that Christianity is the only Way; Christianity is the only Truth;
Christianity alone offers real Life.
And “liberals” on the other hand react to that saying, “No, no, you’ve
got it wrong; that can’t be right.”
They say that this verse means that Christianity is a Way – a
way to the Truth, a way to
abundant Life.
A plague on both your houses!
Both interpretations overlook one simple point. In this verse, Jesus doesn’t say that Christianity is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Rather, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the
Truth, and the Life.” This verse
isn’t talking about your “religion.”
It’s not talking about your personal beliefs. It’s not talking about your opinions on spirituality.
In this verse, Jesus is saying that when you encounter the
Truth, you encounter him. When you
really encounter Truth – the kind of truth that draws you to it, that
transforms the way you see, that convicts you of the life you’ve been living, and sets you free – you encounter Jesus.
And where Jesus is, there the Father is also.
Jesus is saying that when you participate in Life in all its
abundance, you participate in him.
When you realize that your own life is not your property but a gracious
gift from God freely given in Christ, then you realize that Jesus is as
close to you as the air your breathe and the thoughts you think. And when you live more fully into the
gift of abundant Life, then you find that you’re participating in the very
life of Jesus. And where Jesus is,
there the Father is also.
Jesus is not saying that Christianity is the Way. Jesus is telling us that he is the
Way. He is the Way because he and
the Father are one. He is the Way
because he is the love of God made manifest in a person. He is the Way because we participate in
his life when we live into the gift of abundant life God has graciously given to
us. He is the Way because we
encounter him whenever we encounter the Truth. He is the Way because he is the Father’s way of showing us
how much he loves and cares for us.
