In this Second Sunday of these 50 days of Easter we are in a series on the “I AM” statements of Jesus. Of course, the significance of the “I AM” statements places Jesus on a divine plane. Theologically, we regard Jesus as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and Co-Creator of the universe. The gospels clearly portray Jesus as someone who preached the kingdom, healed people and even raised the dead as we saw with Lazarus last Sunday. And the culmination of the gospels is the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus has done what no other human person could do, because Jesus is no ordinary human. He is God in the flesh!
These statements would unmistakably draw upon the Word of God in the Old Testament who identified Himself as the great “I AM” to Moses. It certainly points to the eternal nature of God who has no beginning and no end. And Jesus clearly places himself in this category, particularly in the words He speaks here relaying his departure to prepare a place but returning to take the disciples with him into glory. Jesus has risen above sin and death and hell. And then, he makes this incredible statement in answering Thomas question about knowing the way to the place He is going. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. I want to look at each of the statements in the sermon today.
First, Jesus is THE Way.
I like how the Amplified Bible puts this, Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (Amplified Bible). The Amplified Bible put emphasis on these statements that are easily overlooked or misunderstood.
The distinction here is the exclusive nature of this statement. Jesus did not say, “I know the way”. He did not say, “I am A Way”. Jesus said, “I am THE way”.
Many in Jesus’ day to the present time find this statement rather offensive because of its narrowness. As you know, in our world and culture there is an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. This has made a lot of headlines, and it has impacted nearly every facet of life, including the church. To be sure God created a lot of diversity in the world. Just look around and you will see incredible diversity in the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom and in the human realm. And there is beauty in diversity. For those who grow or even view vegetable gardens it is amazing how corn and squash and potatoes and carrots and watermelon blend to make an incredible meal! It makes me hungry just thinking about it!
But here is the key idea…The creation in its diversity and complexity is made for one singular purpose and so are all the people in creation. Paul instructs us that the purpose is to glorify God! The singular aim is to please God in all we do. Herein, the diversity has a singular plan and purpose by God’s design. God has a way for us to follow.
Let me put it another way. We are created in the image of God. John Wesley believed that part of the image of God relates to our moral behavior and holy living. God is a holy God who desires us to be a holy people following the way of God.
But this is where the struggle begins. God has a plan and purpose, and we deviate from the plan. God has a way for us to follow, and we are tempted and often go in a different direction! As we sing in the hymn, Come Thou Fount, “Prone to wander Lord, I feel it”. Or as Isaiah put it…All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. Catch the contrast here. We are following on our own way… rather than God’s way!
And Proverbs reminds us, There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 I will come back to this in a moment because it indicates that we can be deceived into thinking we are on the right path where we are actually going in the wrong direction. But this implies that there is a right way to live.
I thought so much of the song made popular a few years ago about Jesus coming to our world. It has the lines, He came from Heaven to earth to what??? Show the way… From the earth to the cross my debt to pay… Jesus came to show us the WAY. How did He do that? Primarily, through His words and works.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus very clearly taught us about being on the right path ro following the right way! Recall Matthew 7:13-14 presents a contrast between two paths: the wide is the gate and broad is easy path to destruction and straight is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life. The verse encourages followers to choose the narrow path, even though it is harder and less popular.
I think it is obvious that we can choose many different paths to follow in life, again there is great diversity. There are many different religions and beliefs in our world. However, what Jesus is talking about here is that all the paths that would lead you away from God’s way are part of the broad road. Sadly, Jesus seems to be saying the road is broad because so many people are following the wrong way.
The first time I drove in a major city and saw 10 lanes across I was shocked. And then I was even more shocked at all the cars stacked up in congested traffic in those 10 lanes! It was a broad road to try and accommodate all the traffic. It is easy to follow the crowd and the path of what is popular or promoted in our world. But Jesus is showing us a better way, even though it may not be an easier way. It is the only way that will lead to life.
The other part of this scripture is Thomas asking, “How do we know the way? Long before GPS devices, I was in a moving van with my uncle traveling from Connecticut through NY City back to WV. And we lost our direction and were totally turned around and finally stopped to ask for directions. The person tried to give us correct directions… Go down 2 Streets turn left at the red light then go down 2 blocks and take a right… then two more streets and turn right. Well, by the time you get through all the directions you are more confused than when you started! But then there is a person there who says, I am going that way… Just follow me and I will take you there!! Now that is exciting and so encouraging! This is exactly what Jesus is doing here. He is not just giving directions for disciples to follow. He is the Direction. And His simple request as with his disciples down to you and me today, remains… FOLLOW ME…
Let me emphasize again this is a very exclusive statement that certainly caused many people to be offended. It is still the case today as we think about universalism that embraces many roads to God. But friends, the scriptures are clear… A parallel passage reads, ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. These are words of Peter addressed to the Jewish leaders as recorded in Acts 4:12.
Friends, simply put Jesus is not just THE Way… He is the ONLY way!
One of the reasons Jesus ended up on a cross is because of what He claimed here. Sadly, many rejected him or did not accept His claims. Which really leads to the next point… which has people asking… Is this true? Can what Jesus claims be true?
Second, Jesus is THE Truth
Western culture has made a fundamental change in its religious base. We have exchanged that One who said, “I am the Truth” (John 14:6) for the incredibly expensive doctrine of modern psychology and the words of all its varied disciples. Our new religion says with Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” and teaches that our status is one of “original victim” rather than “original Sin.” (Carol Tharp)
So truth for many in our time is often relative to our situation and not absolute or timeless. So, the common phrase today is, You live your truth and I will live my truth, and we will work to get along or be tolerant of each other. I am all for being tolerant but not for redefining or reframing truth. Or somehow trying to change the truth to fit our needs or desires. Again, back to the Proverbs… there is a way (and there is the word again) that seem right to a person, but it ends in destruction.
Rick Mattson put it like this… I’m not the one making the exclusive claim about salvation—Jesus is. He is the one who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). I’m simply trusting his authority to know these things. It’s like going to my excellent family physician, Dr. Lehman. If he tells me my cholesterol is too high and that I need to cut down on sweets and fatty foods, I believe him. He’s an expert on the matter. Sure, there are plenty of other voices I could listen to about my health, including celebrities, infomercials and tabloid articles. To the extent that these voices disagree with Dr. Lehman, they’re most likely wrong. My physician has made the “exclusive” claim that his patient, me, has a certain malady that requires a certain treatment. I’m just the amateur who believes him. So are we believing in like manner with Jesus!
Christian apologist, CS Lewis made famous the argument concerning Jesus claims. He mentioned that only 3 conclusions could come from Christ’s claims. He was either a liar, a lunatic or truly the Lord. If Jesus was a deceiver in giving claims that he knew were false, he would be a liar. Or if Jesus was making claims that he believed were true but only in his imagination, he was lunatic. Or if Jesus was speaking the truth, then this makes Him extraordinary, like no other human, He is indeed the Lord!
I came across a statement of Bono…the famous lead singer of U2 music group.
I think a defining question for a Christian is: Who was Christ? And I don’t think you’re let off easily by saying a great thinker or a great philosopher, because actually he went around saying he was the Messiah. That’s why he was crucified. He was crucified because he said he was the Son of God. So, he either, in my view, was the Son of God, or he was … nuts. Forget rock ‘n roll messianic complexes, this is like Charlie Manson type delirium. And, I find it hard to accept that millions and millions of lives, half the earth, for two thousand years have been touched, have felt their lives touched and inspired by some nutter.
This is why Paul wrote in Philippians 3 that he considered everything as a loss because of the surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ. He went to say that that all things that were gains to him were considering as garbage so that we may gain Christ. Paul and the other disciples were staking everything they had on the truthfulness of Jesus.
CS Lewis went on to say that this truth must never be nominal or unimportant. Rather it is of upmost importance because it deals with ultimate realities, it deals with eternal life. It deals with our eternal destiny. We believe the claims of Christ are true and serve and worship Him as our Lord. And his promise of eternal life leads to the last point.
Third, Jesus is THE Life
John’s gospel speaks a great deal about Jesus being light and life. Early in Gospel he says of Jesus… In him was life – and of course John begins his gospel speaking about the Word being with God in the beginning tracing him back to Genesis and creation. One part of that creation consisted in “breathing into man the breath of life,” Genesis 2:7.
God is declared to be “life,” or the “living” God, because he is the source or fountain of life. This attribute is ascribed to Jesus Christ here. He not only made the material world… but even more importantly only He gave “life.” He was the agent by which the vegetable world became living; by which animals live; and by which we became a living soul. We do not have live within ourselves; it is a gift from God.
But there is another sense in which he was “life.” The “new creation,” or the redemption of humanity and our restoration from a state of sin and death. Jesus is the source of “life” to the soul dead in trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1.
And the resurrection of Jesus is proof that He is life. How did Jesus get out of the tomb? It was the Spirit of Jesus that raised him to live. The gospel of John tells us, “For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself,” John 5:26
Last week we looked at the statement Jesus made, “I am the resurrection and the life,” John 11:25. And remember this is where He called Lazarus from the dead. Speaking words of life… Lazarus come forth… The meaning seems clear Jesus is the source or the fountain of both natural and spiritual life.
And here is John 14 Jesus is talking about eternal life. Where He is Coming in the Second Advent to bring final victory and the fulfillment of our salvation with eternal life in heaven. And friends, Jesus is the only way we can get there! Bible scholar Merrill Tenney summed up this statement by saying, “Without the Way we would not go, without the Truth we would not know and with the Life we would not live. (M Tenney)
I John simply says this…He who has the Son has life…he who does not have the Son does not have life. (I John 5:12)
I would close by simply ask you today. Are you sure you are following the right path in your life? Are you following the crowd or popular opinion? Or are you following the One who is the Way?
Are you living in the truth of the gospel message? Or are you making up your own plans and directions? Or following someone else’s?
Are you following the Only One who can give you eternal life? Or are you so caught up in the world that you are subtly following the broad road that leads to destruction?

Additional Notes
A few years ago, a subway stop in New York City had two movie posters right next to each other. The first poster was for the film Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford. The tagline for the film was “Don’t Hope for a Miracle: Make One.” The second poster, for the film The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington, had this tagline: “Deliver Us.”
Both films represent two radically different approaches to life. Extraordinary Measures summarizes life under the law. The basic message is this: You are on your own, so your salvation, however you define that word, is up to you. The basic message of The Book of Eli summarizes the gospel: You are not on your own, so your salvation is a gift from the true deliverer. When we cry for deliverance, he will answer us. And our Deliverer is Jesus. Who is the only way to God and to heaven.
John Calvin commented on Jesus statement wrote, The whole may be summed up thus: “If any man turn aside from Christ, he will do nothing but go astray; if any man does not rest on him, he will feed elsewhere on nothing but wind and vanity; if any man, not satisfied with him alone, wishes to go farther, he will find death instead of life.” (John Calvin)