Exploring commentaries on this verse reminds us of other things Jesus promises – that he is bread, living water, a light in the darkness, our source vine, and so much more. Today, we have an access to an abundance of lucidity on what each part of this verse means.
But the disciples’ firsthand witness of Jesus’ teaching here is thrilling because they are in the presence of God—who begins by washing their feet. All of the discourse in John 14 is before the Passover Feast when Jesus knew the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. As he walks them through painful predictions of those who will deny him, he continues with this reassurance:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2).
As Philip questions, “Show us the Father,” Jesus emphasizes that his very words are the Father, living in him, doing his work through him. He asks the disciples to believe at least on the evidence of the miracles they have seen thus far. Then he promises that in his absence he will ask the Father to give them another Counselor, a Spirit of truth. And that he will not leave them as orphans, but come for them. He explains:
“…Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
Is Jesus the Only Way, Truth and Life?
Bill Bouknight, retired Senior Pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Tennessee, addresses the cultural anxiety around the “only” claim, stating, “When Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God the Father, He was motivated not by arrogance but by compassion.”
And he offers this singular salvation through grace and mercy, not by our own ability to perfect ourselves apart from him, if we confess that we believe.
Bouknight explains, “the only person who cannot experience God’s forgiveness is the one who thinks he has no sin. The only person who cannot be saved is that one who feels no need for a Savior. Jesus does not exclude us. If we reject His offer, we exclude ourselves.”
And while many world religions claim a spiritual reality, only Christians believe and trust that God, the maker of heaven and earth, made himself flesh to speak to us throughout all generations as we follow Him into eternity.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
Photo credit: Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw