Thursday
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” - John 14:5-7
Several years ago I was asked to give the invocation at a particular civic event. This is not an uncommon occurrence for a pastor, but what caught be a little off guard was the fact that this particular group had one specific request. They asked me not to mention the name Jesus at all during in my prayer. I was surprised at first and I half jokingly asked them if they knew that I was a Baptist pastor. The individuals on the committee said that they just wanted a kind of generic prayer and they didn’t want to offend anybody. I respectfully declined their request and I am sure they found someone else to do it.
I have often thought about that encounter, and wondered why would someone be offended by the mention of the name Jesus in a prayer? If you were to walk into a coffee shop discussion and mention god in general, people might have some opinions, but they would not get too worked up. Even if you brought up the names of Buddha, Mohammed, or the Dali Llama, people are not nearly as likely to have the same kind of reaction as they do to the name Jesus – why? What is it about the name of Jesus that gets such a rise out of people? Well, for one thing, this is nothing new. There have been extreme opinions about and reactions to Jesus since He walked the earth.
Jesus is not a controversial figure because He taught about love, or forgiving your enemy, or self-sacrifice. Many others have taught and proclaimed similar things. The significance of Jesus is in who He claimed to be!
Christians have historically affirmed the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We believe that Jesus is nothing less than the incarnate Son of God in whom the fullness of the Deity dwells in human form; fully divine and fully human—and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is no surprise that most people in the secular culture reject this idea. However, a surprising number of those who claim to be Christians are not quite so convinced of Jesus' unique nature. I have even heard some Christian leaders argue that, in the midst of our pluralist and religiously diverse culture, it might be better to ease off the talk about Jesus as exclusively unique.
The fact is, there is a great deal at stake in denying that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The Way
In the midst of a world teeming with religious diversity, what does it mean to say that Jesus is the Way? Everybody is looking for the way or the path that is right for him or her, and many are claiming to know what that way is. Jesus is unique among all other leaders and teachers in that He did say that He knew the way, or that He could show the way, He said that He IS the Way. It is not popular or politically correct, but Jesus Himself makes it plain that there is no other way, but Him.
The Truth
What does it mean to say that Jesus is the Truth in a world filled with competing truth claims, as well as people who doubt the very existence of truth? Convoluted and inconclusive speculation about truth has led many to become, like Pontius Pilate, cynical about the very idea —"What is truth?" According to the Bible, truth is not ultimately to be found in abstract notions or theories, but rather in the person of Jesus Christ, the unique Son of God and the living embodiment of truth. From this perspective, knowing truth depends on being in proper relationship to this one person who is divine truth. Again, Jesus is categorically different from all other prophets, witnesses, and messengers from God. He did not just know the truth, or teach the truth, He IS the Truth!
The Life
Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came so that we might have the fullness of life, abundant life. Jesus is not just a way we must follow and a truth we must believe, He is an invitation The Life! To be a Christian means to participate in Life, that is, in Jesus Christ as he participated in the life of the triune God. The fullness of Life in Jesus is found in relationship to the Father through Him. This life is not simply an escape from the divine judgment of death and destruction. It is not even the promise of getting into heaven someday. It is the promise of a life lived in fellowship with the God through Jesus right here and now!
Jeff Frazier
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