Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:6
Over the course of my life, I don’t think I’ve ever heard an interpretation of these words spoken by Jesus as anything other than a doctrinal argument. And while this verse continues to inform my belief about who Jesus is, when I experience them relationally rather than doctrinally, I sense an invitation to inclusion and communion rather than a threat of exclusion. I hear Jesus revealing a little more about himself to his friend Thomas, who perhaps was struggling as I often do with doubt, cynicism, and fear. I hear a friend preparing another friend for both heartache and joy in the coming days.
When I’m in doubt about the way in which I am traveling – about the deeper motivations of my heart, when I’m groping for a hold on the route but the darkness and fog of chaos prevent me from seeing my hand in front of my face. When I’m beset by those who adhere to the view that the end justifies the means… I hear Jesus say, “I am the way.”
When I’m lured by the voice of cynicism, whispering to me that no person and no thing and no event can ever be truly understood, that life is a mirage of myopic perspective. When I can no longer see beauty in the mystery and can only sense a deep sadness and separation from what feels like the unknowability of things… I hear Jesus say, “I am the truth.”
When I awake to news of fear and chaos and destruction, when I think about the myriad of the powerless oppressed by the powerful, when I’m confronted by the empty allure of the path the avoids suffering. When I remember the death of friends over the years, especially my dad… I hear Jesus say, “I am the life.”
I no longer choose to focus on these words as a doctrinal argument. Instead, I view them as welcome into the presence of Jesus, and I say yes… to the way, the truth, and the life. In other words, I say yes to the one who speaks them – who is them. And when my view towards home is darkened and dim, he provides sufficient light for the road ahead.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. 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, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to 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 had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” ~ John 14:1-7