Or, Jesus Is the Only Way
Scripture: John 14:1-7
Date: September 1, 2013
Speaker: Sean Higgins
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This chapter, this paragraph includes maybe the second most frequently quoted verse in John’s Gospel after John 3:16. John 14:6 is well-known and often used in evangelism. Do you want to meet God? Jesus is the way. Do you want to know reality? Jesus is truth incarnate. Do you want life? It can only be found in Jesus. He is the exclusive Savior, the ultimate revelation of God to men, the single path to God and source of eternal life. Outside of Jesus every man wanders in lies and death.
In our pluralistic society, just as in John’s day, we know the one and only good news. We can and should feel free to use John 14:6 when talking with unbelievers. It’s part of John’s overall purpose to show men that they should believe in Jesus for eternal life. Jesus Himself said it.
However, the context of Jesus’ claim is more personal than public. He addresses His disciples, not unbelievers. We don’t need this passage mostly to make disciples, we need this passage to be disciples. While verse 6 has implications for our telling of the good news, it primarily offers strength to troubled hearts. Jesus provides exclusive encouragement for His sheep even as He is only hours away from laying down His life as the Shepherd.
Chapter 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse, more conversation on the final night before Jesus’ crucifixion. Judas left, so only Jesus and the eleven men remain. He prepares them by telling them what is about to happen, by leaving them an example and a commandment, and also by encouraging them with what He’s going to do for them. More than a message for them to share with others, Jesus meant for them to take it to heart.
There are three imperatives in verse one, one that prohibits, two that urge, but all of them pull the soul into the same harbor out of turbulence.
”Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. (verse 1, ESV)
In how many more ways could things have been worse at this moment? One from within Jesus’ inner circle arranged to betray Him. Another one of them, Peter, was about to deny Jesus three times before dawn. Jesus announced that He was leaving them. The only way it could get worse is if Jesus died. If the disciples had known how badly Jesus was about to be treated, their hearts would have been more discouraged. How troubled would their hearts be when they looked at their Lord hanging on the cross?
Troubled means disturbed, upset, stirred up, agitated, anxious. From their perspective, the disciples had more than enough reasons to be troubled. In our vernacular, Jesus commands them (the form is plural, not singular as when He addressed Peter at the end of chapter 13), “Guys, don’t be upset.” Maybe even, “Stop freaking out!” implying that they already were troubled (since the imperative is in the present tense). He says, “Stop it.”
Instead, Believe…believe! or “Trust God, trust Me.” The command is clear about who to believe, but what should be believed? The disciples should believe that Jesus’ departure is good. He’ll give them reasons to believe in a moment.
A troubled heart is not a trusting heart. Or maybe more accurately, a troubled heart trusts in the wrong thing. A troubled heart sees the circumstances rather than the one in control of the circumstances. God says good things are coming, we need to wait with trust. Faith steadies the soul, fear stirs it up. When the wind blows and the boat rocks, we don’t trust the boat, we trust the One who sets the boundaries of the seas.
Who should have needed emotional encouragement at this point? Wouldn’t it be Jesus? He knew what He was in for. He knew that the disciples’ trouble was nothing like what He would bear. They should have been offering Him support. Instead, Jesus urges them to trust.
This part of the conversation extends through verse 14 but the subject switches in verse 8 to deal with a question that arises from one of the reasons Jesus gives for being encouraged. There are three reasons, two promises and one reality that should keep His men from losing heart. It’s better if He goes. Really.
Even when He leaves His disciples He’ll be working on their behalf. Jesus may be out of their sight but they won’t be out of His mind.
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? (verse 2, ESV)
Many of us who cut our Bible teeth on the KJV can’t help but hear this verse as “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” I can’t count the times growing up I sang the chorus: “I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop.” “Mansions” isn’t the best translation of μοναὶ. It came into the KJV through Tyndale from the Latin mansiones meaning “dwelling place.” Rooms is more accurate (though less literary), maybe “suites” or “units” or even apartments. It is odd to think of mansions in a house anyway. The point is that there is a place for Jesus’ people with the Father. There are many , so there’s plenty of room. It’s a house because we’re family.
What does it mean that He needs to prepare the place? Does it need renovation or remodeling? Decorating? Is it unfinished? It doesn’t mean that He’s preparing the place as we might prepare to host a guest. He’s preparing a place for us by being there to vouch for us. He’s going ahead on our behalf, which means that His death is part of the preparing work. If He doesn’t go, we can’t go. We need Him to go first and vouch for us, so it is an encouragement, not discouragement.
To His disciples on that Thursday night, Jesus was going to prepare. For us, now that Jesus finished the sacrifice, I think we can say that He has prepared the place.
The second reason for our confidence is a second coming. There are a couple questions about this coming but there is no question about Jesus’ desire for His people to be with Him.
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.” (verses 3-4, ESV)
He isn’t suggesting that He might not go after all. He’s saying that the fact of His coming again is just as certain as the fact of His going away. Jesus says, I will come again . He must be speaking beyond His time after the resurrection before His ascension. He also must be speaking about something more than sending His Spirit to be with them (see 14:23). He will come again and take you to myself . More than a particular place, Jesus wants them to be in His presence: that where I am you may be also .
Rather than taking to heaven or to the house, though He does, He says to Himself. The promise Jesus makes is about fellowship. He will temporarily leave the disciples in order to take them to Himself eternally. This is His desire all along (and His prayer in 17:24). Really, the disciples could be excited about Jesus leaving, certainly not distressed.
But this can only happen a certain way. And you know the way to where I am going . The way is the way of death, of sacrifice. He had already told them. That didn’t mean that they understood.
Here is the third reason that His disciples should be confident: He will bring them to His Father.
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.” (verses 5-7, ESV)
This reason comes in answer to Thomas’ question (at least it wasn’t Peter again). Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Thomas and others ( we ) didn’t understand the metaphor. They were thinking of a place and, without knowing the city, they couldn’t know the right road to take. But they weren’t understanding the point; they didn’t realize that they knew better.
Now the well-known verse: I am the way, and the truth, and the life . Jesus isn’t offering them salvation, He’s reminding them of what they already know in order to keep them from being troubled. Another “I am” statement is followed by three identities. The front of the line, the emphasis of the passage, is the way . That is Thomas’ concern in verse 5 (“Which way?”) and it is the stress of the second half of verse 6.
We can count on it because Jesus is also the truth . It isn’t only that He speaks the truth or that He knows the truth. He is the truth. He reveals God (John 1:18). All that is real and true He embodies. The metaphor of light also applies here.
And all this leads somewhere. He is the life . In the Prologue we already read that “in Him was life and the life was the light of men” (1:4); He is the “resurrection and the life” (11:25). Life is fellowship. That’s why the following statement is so important. No one comes to the Father except through me . The through is the same as the way , the except is the same as the truth , the Father is the same as life .
The claim of Jesus is exclusive. No one has God without having Jesus. It’s why vague prayer in school is worse than worthless. Unless we’re praying to the true God, we’re praying to an idol. The only way to come to, to pray to, to worship the only God is through Jesus. Salvation is only through one name (think Acts 4:12). I heard a preacher say that all religious roads do lead to the same place: judgment. Only Christians have someone who takes the judgement in our place so that we could have fellowship with God.
So Jesus reveals the Father and brings His people into relationship. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen him . The from now on follows the death and resurrection three-day weekend. Jesus enabled them to have what they otherwise could not: life, eternal life, fellowship with God.
As Leon Morris observed, Jesus’ claims are ironic since the lies of men (contrasted with truth) would lead to His death (contrasted with life).
Jesus commands us to believe and be confident based on three reasons: 1) He is preparing a place for us with the Father. 2) He will come to get us. And 3) He will bring us to the Father. This is the gospel: Jesus came to bring His disciples to God forever. He is the only way.
Early believers were identified as being followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It irritated first century syncretists and pluralists, and it should do the same today. The early church wasn’t the majority and, even when their lives were threatened, they did not surrender the exclusive claims.
Jesus is the only way to the Father, and this is life. Jesus tells His disciples that they know Him, which means that they have the life and they have the Father. The same is true today. No one does come to God except through Jesus. Humanity lost fellowship with God through one man, Adam. Sin flooded the road between men and the Father. Humans regain fellowship with God through one man, the Second Adam, Jesus.
Jesus is also the only way out of trouble, and this is nerve. That’s the primary reason for this section. We deal with difficulties and troubles by trusting Jesus. Even His death was for our benefit. He went so that we could come. He comes so that we will be with Him. We’re with Him and with the Father. It didn’t change the immediate circumstances, but it did offer the disciples a way to deal with their circumstances. Jesus is exclusive encouragement.
We look for future, uninterrupted, unending fellowship with the God of life. We have the promise of a place in His presence which Jesus prepared and to which He is the path.