April 30
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,’” John 14:6.
The Lord Jesus had informed His disciples that He was on His way to Jerusalem, where He would be taken captive and where He would be condemned and crucified. Naturally, the disciples were sad when they heard this news, because, as Scripture says, “His disciples did not understand these things at first,” John 12:16. There were things that they did not understand until after Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples were in need of being comforted.
Comfort is exactly what Jesus offered them. He told them, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me,” John 14:1. He encouraged them to keep their faith and trust in God the Father and in Himself as the Son of God and their Savior.
Indeed, Jesus was going away, but His going away had a purpose. He gave His disciples, and us, a brief vision of heaven. “In My Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you!” John 14:2. How comforting it is to know that Jesus is preparing a place for us in the heavenly mansions.
Comforting and clear as His words were, they were still misunderstood. Thomas, to whom we often refer as ‘doubting Thomas,’ said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” John 14:5.
In response, Jesus spoke in almost all one-syllable words: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me!” Jesus is the Way to eternal life. He opened for us the gate of heaven. He suffered and died to take away our sins. He rose from the grave to conquer death and the devil. This was clearly proclaimed by all the apostles. Don’t look for a different Savior or another Savior. The apostles proclaimed, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” Acts 4:12.
Jesus is also the Truth. This is the Gospel truth: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation . . . (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21.
Jesus is also the Life. He, our risen Redeemer, rose from the grave, and He tells us that we too shall rise. He will give to all believers in Him life everlasting in the halls of heaven. As Christians, we confess regularly, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” This confession rests securely on the promises of our good and gracious Savior.
“Thou art the Way – to Thee alone
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek,
Must seek him, Lord, by Thee.
Thou art the Truth – Thy Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
Thou only canst inform the mind,
And purify the heart.
Thou art the Life – the rending tomb
Proclaims Thy conqu’ring arm;
And those who put their trust in Thee,
Nor death nor hell shall harm.” Amen.