JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
Reflections on John 14:1-14

Greetings to you all in the name of the Father, and of the Son Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit. Indeed I am privileged to minister the Word of God this morning on the fourth Sunday after Easter and the second before Pentecost. This Sunday is the middle Sunday in between the Resurrection event of Jesus Christ and the down pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and therefore sets the perfect tone and setting in challenging the Church to reinvigorate itself with the power of resurrection and to rededicate itself for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

A man returned home on morning, carrying a parcel, a present to his wife, and was greeted by his differently able daughter with blindness, who asked his dad that she might have the pleasure of taking it to where her mother was. “But you know dear, you cannot carry it”, he said thinking of her disability. “Give it to me dad and see”, she challenged him. So the gift was handed to her, then she said, “Now I will carry the gift, and you carry me, for you know the way!” Dear friends, so it is with us, “we may not be able to see, but Christ carries us, for he knows the way, and He is the Way”.

It was said that, “Christ’s way was so narrow that when it ran up against a Cross there was no room for him to pass round that Cross. He had to hang on it.” But with the resurrection of Christ, the way continued and continues for he is alive. The theme for this Sunday has been the most popular verse and theme from our Scriptures recorded in John 14: 6, “ Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life”. Time and again we as a Church have been reflecting on this saying of Jesus, and have drawn several important implications in our faith journey. This theme is part of the seven ‘I Am’ sayings of Jesus Christ recorded in the John’s gospel.

The Gospel lesson that has been read out to us from John 14:1-14 is part of the longer discourse of Jesus Christ with his disciples and is at the back drop of his prediction of death and suffering. 13th Chapter is Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples, the last supper episode and Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial of Christ. Then when the disciples are disturbed and their hearts were troubled; Jesus comforts his disciples through these verses in John 14. Therefore as we meditate these verses now, the Word comes alive to all of us who are disturbed and troubled at heart, to all who pledged to be faithful to the values of Jesus Christ in our Baptismal and Eucharistic sacraments but fall short of our promises, to all whose ways are perplexed and to all who are caught up in falsehood and death. To all of us Jesus is the way, the life and the truth.

Our reflection today is divided into three sub-sections for our spiritual nourishment.

1. The Essentials of Jesus’ way
2. The Enquiry for Jesus’ way
3. The Eminence of Jesus’ way

1. The Essentials of Jesus’ Way ( 1-4 v)
In these first four verses, Jesus gives brief details of his journey, his route, his destination and his companions in his way. To all those troubled in heart, Jesus prescribes a way out, by being a way himself. He gives four important essentials in his way.

a. Faith in God as a ticket to his way
In verse 1 Jesus says ‘Trust in God and Trust in him’ as the key in his way. Trust in God is the ticket to travel Jesus’ way. It is not a ticket to Hollywood but a ticket to life, truth and liberation. Such ticket is available to all free of cost and a joy ride is rest assured. There are no waiting lists, no travel agents, no long queues in buying a ticket to Jesus’ way. Always available, in all seasons only with a simple trust and faith in God. Friends, let us all avail such a facility to travel in Jesus’ way.

b. Father’s house as the destination
The destination for Jesus’ way is nothing but the Father’s house, the oikos of Father, where it has several rooms and places in it. Father’s house is not an illusionary, imaginative, high class resort, but a realistic house which has space for all who come, irrespective of any class, caste, region, religion, gender and ethnicity. This is the only destination available to all and is open to all. Father’s house is the destination of Jesus’ way, which was originally the point of origin for Jesus. Friends, let us not miss this destination, once we will miss, we may have to miss it forever, so try out Jesus’ way to reach the destination of Father’s house.

c. Five-liner lanes as the connectivity
Jesus’ way has a five-liner lanes connectivity. From this model I suppose today’s roads are developed for faster and safer travel. The first lane in Jesus’ way is the connecting road of Father to son Jesus Christ, where Father reveals his will in the plan of salvation and liberation with Jesus Christ. The second lane is the connecting road of Jesus Christ to his Father, where Jesus seeks his Father’s help and guidance. The third lane is Jesus going to his Father’s house to prepare rooms and place for all his people. The fourth lane is Jesus coming back from the Father’s house to the peoples place. The fifth lane in Jesus’ way is Jesus taking his people with him to his Father’s house, a house of total freedom and liberation. Friends, the fifth lane is open and is ready for all who choose Jesus’ way, the way of life and truth and lets rush to get connected to that lane.

d. Fellowship as the comfort
Jesus as the way, when he promises to take with him the people to his Father’s house, the desire of Jesus was that the people would be with him equally in his Father’s house for fellowship and as joint heirs with him in the reign of God. Jesus as the begotten and only son of God came to his people and when he goes back to his Father’s house, he does not want to lose the friendship of the humanity and wants the fellowship of the people to continue in his Father’s house. Jesus wants us to be together with him. Therefore friends, as we choose Jesus’ way today, let us be reminded that Jesus is seeking the fellowship of you and me, but are we willing to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ, if willing lets start living to be in total coherence with Jesus life style and his value system.

2. The Enquiry for Jesus’ way (5 v)
After giving a glimpse of the essentials of Jesus’ way in the first four verses, and particularly in verse 4 Jesus says, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus explained about his way assuming that the disciples with their association and affinity with Jesus for the last three years would surely know what he was talking to them about, his way. But surprisingly Thomas, one of the disciples, be it out of innocence or ignorance again asks Jesus in 5 v “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Thomas represents the voice of the disciples of Jesus then, and also the voice of the Church today, for he puts his question in a plural tone ‘we don’t know’.

a. An Apprehensive Enquiry
Probably Thomas would have thought that Jesus goes to places like Mt. Olives (Jn8:1) on his own to pray, and some times withdraws to a mountain by himself and appears again walking on the waters (Jn6: 15-19), so his goings and comings were unknown and uncertain; so also when Jesus said about going to his Father’s house, Thomas expressed his apprehensions that they are not sure of where he is going, and how is it possible to trace his way then.
b. An Appealing Enquiry
Thomas, in all sincerity would have asked Jesus to really throw some more light on his going and his way, and therefore makes an appealing enquiring to Jesus by asking this question. If it were a rude quizzing, Thomas would not have called Jesus as Lord in his asking the question. He would straight away asked the question in all arrogance. The thirst for knowing the way of Jesus and the curiosity of knowing the destiny of Jesus’ journey played an important role in Thomas asking this question.

As Church and individuals are we interested in enquiring the way of Jesus? Have we ever expressed our genuine desire to be in the way of Jesus? Quest for knowing leads to a query, and query on answered leads to the quietness in life. Thomas questions about Jesus’ way and that lead Jesus to give the quintessence of what he meant by way.

3. The Eminence of Jesus’ Way (6-7v)
As Thomas questions Jesus to get a more refined extract and estimate of Jesus’ way, Jesus immediately answers in 6 v, as “I am the way, and the truth and the life.” These first person sayings of Jesus Christ are the invaluable revelations of his self-consciousness. The usage of “I” particularly adds dignity to the statements of Jesus. It is remarkable that this usage does not sound audacious on the lips of Jesus. What would be presumptuous in others may be natural to him. In Exodus 3: 14, God names himself to Moses as “ I am who I am”, and invests in “I am” a great richness of specific divine significance. Therefore a special eminence is seen in Jesus’ way, when he says that, “ I am the way, and the truth and the life.”

a. I am the way, not way show-er
The eminence in Jesus’ way is seen when Jesus says that he is the way, and not a way shower. One can show a way, trace a way, create a way and find a way, but it is only Jesus who is the way. He is way to what? Jesus is the way to his Father’s house, the house of healing, the house of freedom, and the house of liberation. He is way for whom? Jesus is the way for the people who agree to be in the discipline of Christ’s values and principles. What is the distance of his way? Jesus is the way, and the distance it covers is the distance between him and his Father, when calculated numerically the distance may be zero, because both son and the Father are one in substance, however Jesus links the finite human beings to the infinite God.

b. I am the truth, not truth giver
Jesus to the question of Thomas, how can we know the way? Could have ended in telling “I am the way.” But he phrased his answer as “I am the way, and the truth and the life.” What is the significance of Jesus extending his answer with truth and life? I presume that Jesus meant that he is the way to truth and life or he is the true way to life. Whatever could have been the reason, for Jesus as the way; truth and life are the parameters to his way. When Jesus said “ I am the truth”, he did not mean that he is a truth giver, but rather he as the word who became flesh is truth and truth is that the word became flesh. And therefore Jesus else where in Jn8:32, says, “ You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The eminence in Jesus’ way is his embodiment of truth is all set to free all those chained and bonded in the pangs of falsehood and darkness.

c. I am the life, not life donor
For Jesus’ way, life serves as another parameter. When Jesus said that “ I am the life”, he did not mean that he is a mere life donor, he emphatically says himself if the life. There is life in him and neither death nor grave could conquer him, because Jesus has chained death in his empty grave and broke the sting of death victoriously. A statement like “ I am the life”, makes no sense except on the lips and life of the one who gave life to this creation, offered his life for the redemption of this creation and who resurrected from the grave of death blossoming a new hope and new life to all those oppressed and chained. Therefore Jesus’ way oscillates between truth and life, and all those travelling the Jesus’ way are bound to oblige with the rules and functions of those parameters in order to reach the destination of Father’s house.

The energy for Jesus’ way is Jesus relation to his Father, all along Jesus was God-conscious and was God-centred. In 11v Jesus says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Jesus was together in mission with his Father all through his life and therefore could mediate liberation to the creation. And that God-consciousness in Jesus gave him the strength to proclaim boldly that he is the way, the truth and the life. That God’s realisation in ones self will be the basic pre-requisite in our faith journey.

Epilogue to the Church Today
My dear brothers and sisters, having heard that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, yet one more time in our life, what it is for us as a Church? Does this reflection has any relevance for our times? As a Church our calling today is that
a. Let us as Church inculcate an active faith in our God, to walk boldly in Jesus’ way. Faith in God should transform us as a way for liberation and transformation to the people in our society. Faith in God should inspire us to project Jesus’ way to many around us. If you believe in God and Jesus’ way, you will be a way yourself in driving away all falsehood, corruption and oppression in our society. Come one rise up and be a way yourself, as Jesus was.
b. The Churches connectivity to God and people is the prime need of the day. How well are we connected? Most times God wants to connect to us, but we as Church have been either switched off, or busy talking to ourselves. People outside the Church want to be connected to us, seeking a way to life and truth, and again as usual we are busy with our dogmatic conversations or petty politics within the Churches. The calling today is connect to God and people and be a way yourself. May be “get paid for your incoming” may attract many because we always expect a reward.
c. Enquire and relate Jesus’ words for our times. Develop a quest for newer life paradigms and be a way in driving away all the exploitative forces of night and day.
d. Let us live in all truth and be agents of life. There are many around us dying in falsehood and darkness, let us as Churches and Christians be truthful to our calling and speak all truth, live and let others live a life in all its fullness and be a way as Jesus was.

“We may not be able to see, but Christ carries us, for he knows the way, and He is the Way”.

To that end may the Good God grant us his strength to be the ways of life and truth as Jesus was and bring glory to God, our Father.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life,
Calling us to be his way,
Granting us strength to overcome the strife,
And victorious will be all the day.



(Preached at CNI-All Saints Cathedral, Nagpur on 20th April 2008)