The Way, the Truth, and the Life

BY Kaitie Stoddard

I don’t know about you, but I tend to overanalyze things. Sometimes even a small decision can lead to an overwhelming list of pros and cons. I know I want pizza for dinner in my heart of hearts, but maybe I should want the soup, or the salad…or the chicken. You’d think dinner would be a simpler decision. (The answer is pizza. Always choose the pizza!) When it’s so easy to complicate the tiniest of decisions, how do we come to any sense of peace and assurance about the bigger matters in life?

The Christian faith is simple and complicated at the same time. We are called to have faith like a child (Matthew 18:3), and also to grow toward maturity (Hebrews 6:1). In some places the Word of God seems so straightforward, and yet the psalmist declared some knowledge too wonderful and lofty to grasp (Psalm 139:6). The seeming contradiction between this simplicity and complexity speaks to the mystery of the gospel. But when it comes to our salvation, Jesus doesn’t want there to be any confusion.

It’s funny—and oddly reassuring—just how human the disciples were. By the time we come to John 14, they were well into their ministry alongside the Son of God. You would think after all the miracles and face-to-face teachings from Jesus, they would have learned the basics. But when Jesus talked about the way to heaven, the disciples seemed totally and utterly confused!

So, once again, He spoke clearly, telling them:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
—John 14:6–7

Jesus spells it out for His disciples—and for us, too—so that there can be no misunderstanding. He is the way to freedom. He is truth and life.

There are parts of our faith that are truly complex because we love and serve an infinite God. Some questions don’t have simple answers. The gospel is like an intricately woven tapestry, with threads intertwining in hidden places, forming the most epic story of all time. God gives us minds to think and question and analyze these mysteries with humility so that we might grow in our understanding and love.

But, some parts of the Word are crystal clear. 

Jesus came to our world in the form of a man so that His followers could see, know, and touch the love of their Father. In a world full of confusion, God wants His people to know exactly who He is.

If you know Jesus, you know the Creator of all and the way to salvation. As you “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), may you find peace in the straightforward declarations and promises of our Lord.