September 4, 2023
The Only Way
“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” John 14:5-6 (NASB)
In the early 2000s, our family took a trip overseas to see my sister in Germany. We did it for our son’s graduation present too. While there we traveled through Germany and the Southern Pass of the Swiss Alps. We rode in my sister’s Chevrolet van, while her husband carried the remainder of us in his 1980’s model Mercedes sedan. When we left Germany, we traveled up the Southern Pass, to about 8000 feet. On this road, there are only a few large boulders on the sides. If you miss the road, it could be a 2000-3000 fall. When we started back down, my sister noticed her brakes began to get soft. She had been riding the brake. I told her to use the transmission to slow the vehicle, otherwise, we would lose the brakes; which would lead to a complete disaster. There was no other way around this mountain range. We had to take the only road (which had recently been opened for the summer). As we finally made it into the valley, all of us breathed a sigh of relief. We were now in Switzerland. For those who don’t know, there are very few highways in this area. The roads are often smaller than two lanes. It was a great trip, but there was only one way across the mountains, and that was it. Jesus is the only road to salvation.
“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way? I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” There is so much within this statement from Jesus to the disciples, but Dongell says it so clearly, “The destination Jesus had in view was the Father—or better yet, relationship with the Father. The pathway toward such a relationship was Jesus himself. The following aspects of these claims should not be overlooked. First, ‘the way’ is Jesus the person, not merely the principles or truths taught by Him. Jesus permitted no separation between Himself and His words and expected loyalty to His teachings to flow out of loyalty to Himself. The authority of Jesus’ teachings arose from His origin and status as the Father’s Son. Second, ‘the way’ is Jesus alone. No other way to the Father will be found than through this one way the Father himself has provided. Efforts to approach the Father without going through Jesus offend not only the Son but also the Father who offered the Son for the world’s redemption. Third, ‘the way’ is Jesus as the truth, Jesus in contrast not only with the false but with the incomplete. Coming to the Father through Jesus assures “the fullness of his grace” (1:16–17) which surpasses earlier (partial) manifestations of grace, and rules out the need for fuller manifestation. Fourth, ‘the way’ is life. Jesus has been authorized by His Father (5:25–27) to overturn the physical and spiritual death threatening humankind with total ruin.”[1]
To know you are on the right road (or salvation) is comforting. You don’t need to know how to get there. You just need to know Christ as your Savior. He takes care of our end. It’s about relationship, not following the leader. As we were driving through the Alps, I remember a Porche 911, blowing by us as we went downhill. There was no way we could have caught up. He knew the way down, probably because he lived there. Jesus knows the way to Father because He too came from there. He knows the way to heaven, so trust in Him to know. He is the only way!
[1] Dongell, J. (1997). John: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (pp. 173–174). Wesleyan Publishing House.