Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, 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; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:5-7)

Jesus Is The Way, The Truth, And The Life

Thomas was one of the most focused disciples in the company of the twelve. His discernment of the teaching of Jesus was clearly evident as he listened to the Lord talk about being glorified and going way somewhere. Judas had left the Passover feast to make plans for the arrest of Jesus. The Lord tells the eleven that He will be them but for a short time and where He is going, they are not able to come. Peter was indignant at this at challenged Jesus to go away claiming that he would die for the Lord. It is then Jesus tells Peter of his own betrayal that would take place in just a few short hours. The disciples may have been troubled by this and the Lord assures them that He must go away to prepare a place, an abiding place, so they could come to be with Him. It is then Thomas inquires to the place Jesus is going.

For nearly three years Jesus had taught the disciples showing His divinity by His miracles. When He gathered the twelve around Him, the Lord spoke often of His life and work mirroring the will of the Father. If the disciples would look closely at the life of Jesus they would see the Father. When He was about to leave them, the Lord outlined His mission for the salvation of all men as the means to reach the Father. No one could come to God except through Jesus. The eleven did not realize that in a few hours their Lord would be arrested and the following day crucified. They would understand in time the significance of the death of Jesus as the only way to come to the Father, the only truth that will save mankind and the only hope of life either in this world or the world to come. Three basic needs of humanity are embodied in the life of Jesus Christ. His death and His resurrection would open the doors of salvation through these three ideals. Eternal life would come to only those who accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus is the way because there is no other way. Men have tried from time beginning to establish their legacy with human wisdom and have always failed. No matter the arrogance of men, they have never found a way in life that gives them happiness, hope, and fulfillment. If anything, the carnal nature of man has followed the wrong way with disastrous results. Jesus tells the eleven the only way to the Father is the divine way of the Son of God. The belief system that comes from the teaching of Christ is the Christian doctrine of the Bible. There is no other system of faith whereby man can save himself. God created the world and gave man everything he needed. When sin-darkened the world with its power, the Son of God came and opened the way back to the Father.

Truth is older than error and sin is the antithesis of truth. In creation, truth is found in the laws established by the Creator. The law of gravity is truth because whether a man believes it or not, the results are the same and truth remains unchanged. Jesus taught the will of the Father as truth and many rejected His teachings but it did not change the will of God. Miracles proved Jesus was the Son of God and yet men denied the power. They never denied the miracle but they would not accept the miracle. The miracle still happened. Jesus is the personification of truth because there is only one way of truth. No man can come to the Father unless they follow the only truth given to humanity. Again, the wisdom of mankind has failed repeatedly because, without the foundation of divine truth, there can be hope. Many religions fill the earth with their brand of truth but none are based upon a lasting truth. Jesus is the only way with the only truth as He teaches the word of God as truth. The Bible is the only book available for men today to understand the truth. Without the Bible, there is no hope.

Finally, Jesus is the only life man will know about this life and the life to come. Human wisdom brings little happiness and fulfillment of life. Following the carnal desires of the flesh, amassing the riches of the world, and seeking for all the fame of historical significance will never bring the soul lasting joy. It becomes an empty life. God so loved the world that He sent His Son to give life to all men. This life is joy now as the word of God guides the soul to live godly and to seek life after death. When men refuse to accept Jesus, they deny there is such a thing as life after death but in death, everyone discovers what they denied. Lives are spent wasting away on things that never amount to any happiness. A life fully lived is not measured by what is gained in this world but what is promised in the world to come. Life is in Jesus. There is only one life. Following the way and the truth will bring greater life.

Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the life. When a man desires to come to the Father seeking blessings of eternal life, the Father will examine whether the soul has followed the only way, listened to the only truth, and sought the only life. Without Jesus, there is no hope. With Jesus, there is a way, the truth, and life.