JOHN 14.6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (ESV)
In the Gospel of Luke 22.10-13 it is recorded that the time Jesus shared with His disciples before His arrest was in an upper guest room. The chapters of John 13-17 record this time in the upper room and they reveal many insights into the priorities and composure of Jesus as He readies Himself for His suffering. They also show the personalities and participation of some of the disciples.
These chapters are also full of doctrines and truths spoken by Jesus where He gives instruction on how it is best for us to behave and function as followers of Him. I would like to focus upon the verse John 14.6, which is highlighted above. In my opinion, it is the most significant truth related to the Gospel Jesus taught in the upper room. It summarizes the Gospel in one verse in a way similar to that of John 3.16.
Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the Way”. That is, Jesus ‘Himself’ is the only way through which me may go to be with God the Father in heaven when we die. And there are plenty of Bible verses that teach that it is by faith in Jesus that we receive Him into our lives as the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.
I believe the manner in which Jesus said, “I am” can best be understood as communicating, “I Myself Am”. Some people have asserted to me that they think this verse means that Jesus came to ‘show’ us the way, but it is up to us to get to the Father by our efforts. But Jesus Himself is the Way. And it is by our faith in Him that we receive what He has done for us.
And this truth should be comforting to us. We can not even come close to living our lives in such a way that we can get to heaven by our own efforts. James 2.10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (NASB) We have all stumbled more times than we can count. And that even on a daily basis. Therefore, the consequences to us are such that we are in effect guilty of violating all of the law’s commandments.
Jesus Himself is the only solution to our sin problem. If you have not put your trust in Him, I encourage you to do so.