"I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: John 14:1-14; John 10:7-10
Memory Verse: "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me." (Pre-K to grade 3)
If you have read and heard the Bible all your life you may never have stopped to think about what a strange way to talk -- as in "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life" or "I AM the Door" or " the Bread of Life" or "I AM the Resurrection and the Life." People in the Bible often talked about life and ideas in stories, metaphors and picture language, sometimes called parables. God in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament could talk about himself as a Good Shepherd. Everyone then had often seen shepherds and knew how they acted. They had all seen sheep and knew how they acted. Teachers used stories of historical events to speak about something new, yet similar, that was happening -- as in "Passover lamb." Their culture was one that emphasized oral tradition -- even though they had books (but only a few had them.) All Jewish children memorized a lot of Bible stories and verses so that Jesus' Jewish listeners would have recognized quickly a reference to an earlier event or Bible verse.
Jesus wants us to know who he is. These days in our culture there is a lot of confusion about this. Today's lesson is one of the "I AM" statements. Several times when Jesus said them the authorities accused him of blasphemy because he "made himself equal with God." It is, in fact, a claim that he and the Father are one -- as John 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." In Exodus 3:13-14 God tells Moses his name. It is "I AM who I AM." When Jesus was arrested in the Garden and said "I AM he," (as translated) but he literally said, "I AM" and the soldiers drew back and fell to the ground in shock. (John 18:5-6)
Words like "way" and "truth" were often used in the Old Testament. "Way" referred to a well trodden road and so was a picture of a journey, a way of living over time, a correct or incorrect route to take. "Truth" as we use it in court means the facts (not just opinions) and often means for us an idea. While that is there in the Bible, when the Old Testament talks about the God of Truth in Isaiah 65:16 ("swear by the God of Truth"), they had in mind mainly God's faithfulness over time, his reliability, steadiness and his covenant love and care like a parent. You could depend on him. When they meant he was the true God, the real God, and not an idol, they often called him the "Living God", or the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" -- meaning One who had a personal relationship with those people.
In spite of this Jesus' disciples were sometimes pretty dense! When Jesus said "I AM the Way" he meant more than that they needed to follow him. (Think of being lost and alone on a country road and when you ask how to get to someone's house, the person says, "Follow me. I will lead you."). Jesus is the way to get to God the Father. The Way is a person and a relationship with him and following him. To know the Way is to know a person. Following Jesus is the route to follow. He is a bit like your personal GPS (but better); but you have to choose to keep on following him to get there. Truth is also a person, Jesus, who came to lead us to the Father.
The reason is that Jesus is "in the Father and the Father in him" -- to see/know him is to "see" (and know) the Father. The Jewish authorities (verse 10) several times tried to kill Jesus for saying things like this because they recognized what he was saying but didn't believe that Jesus was one with God the Father (John 10:30, "I and the Father are one."
Jesus calls us also to follow him on the road/journey of life and to know him personally. We can trust him. In the beginning Christianity was called "The Way". There are many other ways but only his way leads to God the Father's House (Heaven) and new life now and forever. It is possible to have correct ideas about Jesus but never know him as a person or follow him.
Notice that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit of God as the Spirit of Truth. He is faithful and trustworthy as well as revealing the reality of who God is and what he wants us to know. In John 17:17 Jesus prays "sanctify them (make them holy) by the truth, your word is truth," he is referring both to himself as the Truth and the message God gives. The Spirit of Truth always points to Jesus the Truth. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth to be with his disciples and us until he returns in Glory.
We looked in the first two lessons about what Jesus as "the Life" meant. Jesus is Life and he want to give us life and give it abundantly! (John 10:10) Look at the Memory Verse. Word received: Notice the sequence: you start by being on the way with me. As you walk with me and talk with me, truth is gradually revealed. As you walk with me and as you enter into truth, new life springs forth in you.
Now look at John 10:7-10 where Jesus call himself the "Door" -- the Door into life -- new life now and life with him in heaven later. What do you think of when you say a "door", it is a way to get in or out of somewhere. It is narrow -- not an open field and you have to choose whether to walk through, or try to climb over a wall or in a window (like a thief.) In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus talks about the way to life as a narrow way that leads to life in God. There is no other way around it. Think of a narrow mountain road with a cliff on one side and a chasm on the other and it is the only way through. But Psalm 119:96b talks about God's commands as "exceedingly broad." Once through the pass and the narrow road, we discover it is an amazingly spacious, broad valley of God's wisdom and fellowship.
Another "door" all the Jewish listeners would know were the doors on the Israelite homes in Egypt on the night of Passover. Only the doors that had the blood of the lamb were saved. There was life inside and death outside.
Now let's look at the John 10 verses where Jesus talks about being the Door and some verses in Revelation 3 where Jesus talks about doors. These are some words the Lord gave the teachers. What do they say to you? Are we listening to the Lord as we read the Scripture? What is he telling you?
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,'" (Revelation 3:7a) A word received: I want there to be brotherly love in my church. I want you each to care passionately for those who have not yet entered into new life with me.
'These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:'" (Revelation 3:7b) A word received: I AM the way, the truth, and the life. You can only go into the kingdom through me.
"'I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied my name.'" (Revelation 3:8 ) A word received: The open door is my invitation to you and everyone else to come in. Don't stand outside, come in. You will not succeed by your strength, but by my strength. Let my strength be made perfect in your weakness.
"'All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.'" (John 10:8 ) A word received: Listen to my voice, listen to me speaking by the Holy Spirit, listen to me speaking through Scripture.
"'I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.'" (John 10:9) A word received: Look to me for direction.
"'The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.'" (John 10:10) A word received: Come into my abundant life, receive all that I have for you -- hunger for it.
"'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.'" (John 10:11) A word received: .Turn to me, I AM the good shepherd. I will not lead you astray. Trust me to lead you to good pasture
Note: The Greeks used a different word for truth (the New Testament was written in Greek). It means the actual state of affairs, reality, facts. But in the NT the Old Testament idea of stability, faithfulness, trustworthiness is often combined with the Greek idea. So it can talk about truth as something that can be done (behavior) rather than something simply believed. There is often the contrast between God's truth and people's falseness or lies, sin. Also Satan's character is that he is a liar.
Bonhoffer, the German pastor who was part of the "Confessing Church" (underground church) under Hitler, when they were totally surrounded by lies, wrote that they read the Bible every day because it told the truth about people.
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