I want to explore the meaning of Jesus saying He is the way. The scripture we find this in is John 14:6.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Any scripture taken by itself is powerful, but it is better understood in context. Jesus is speaking to His disciples about what is going to happen.

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”

“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Jesus explains to His disciples, that He is the way to His Father’s house. He is the way and He is preparing the way. Both are true.

I have a few more scriptures I want to look at.

“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Consider this passage in light of the previous one and with what we know of Jesus death and resurrection. The gate is the way made for the shepherd to go in and bring out the sheep. Jesus is the gate and the shepherd. He leads the sheep, going ahead of them. Jesus goes ahead of us, because He laid down His life.

This passage also says, “The gatekeeper opens it for him.” I believe this refers to Jesus coming from the Father. All others climb over the fence. Only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, comes through the gate from heaven, coming from the Father.

Let’s look at some Old Testament references.

Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬

…Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭20b‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The way I see it, the new thing is Jesus laying down His life, making a way in the wilderness. Jesus is the Teacher who, just like the Good Shepherd, leads the way to the Father.

One more scripture to wrap this up.

Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭37‬-‭40‬ ‭CSB‬‬

This is the plan of God: Jesus, sent from heaven by the Father, to be The Way for us.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

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