Sunday's Message: I AM - Jesus in Seven Words (“I am the way, the truth, and the life!” (John 14:1-14))

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words I am. Each of these “I am” proclamations furthers our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God. 

In the Old Testament, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Thus, in Judaism, “I AM” is unquestionably understood as a name for God. Whenever Jesus made an “I am” statement in which He claimed attributes of deity, He was identifying Himself as God. 

During seven messages, we’ll consider the following “I am” statements found in John’s gospel:

• June 12 – “I am the bread that gives life!” (John 6:35, 41-51)
• June 19 – “I am the light for the world!” (John 8:12-20)
• June 26 – “I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:1-10)
• July 3  – “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11-18)
• July 10  – “I am the one who raises the dead to life!” (John 11:1-44)
• July 17  – “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” (John 14:1-14)
• July 24  – “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1-8)

In this sixth message, we considered the statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” The sermon text and podcast is below:

Well, here we are, passing what I think most folks consider the midpoint of summer. Of course, I know that’s not really accurate officially. I mean, the season officially started on June 21, the summer solstice, the day on which the northern hemisphere is tilted most closely toward the sun, and it’ll officially end on September 22, the autumn equinox, the day when the sun crosses the equator heading south. Now those are the official dates. But give me a break, I don’t think that’s how most folks think of summer. I mean, for me, summer is June, July and August, the three hottest months of the year, spanning that wonderful time between the ending of one school year and the beginning of the next. And even though I really hate the heat, as a former kid and a former public school teacher, summer will always be wonderful for me. And right now, we’ve passed that mid-point, which means that we’re seeing all these “back-to-school” ads on television, and for that reason I’m starting to feel kind of down. You see, somewhere deep down in my psyche, I know that far sooner than I want, I should be getting ready to drag my sorry self back to school, and I say that as both a former kid and teacher.

But be-that-as-it-may, we’re passing through the middle of July which also means that we’re getting close to finishing up this series we started last month, you know the one entitled I AM: Jesus in Seven Words. And as we’ve looked at those seven “I am” statements made by Jesus in the Gospel of John, we’ve already talked about how he said, “I am the bread that gives life” [John 6:35b, CEV] and “I am the light for the world” [John 8:12c, CEV], “I am the gate for the sheep” [John 10:7b, CEV] and “I am the good shepherd.” [John 10:14a, CEV] And then last week, we read about how, right in the middle of the story about him causing his friend Lazarus to rise from the dead, Jesus said, “I am the one who raises the dead to life!” [John 11:25b, CEV] And I’ll tell you, if you missed any of the messages or if you just want to hear one of them again, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel, our Facebook page and our church blog, the addresses of which are in the bulletin. Now this is where we’ve been.

And this morning, we’re going to push forward to the sixth “I am” statement in John, one that Jesus uttered during his last supper with his disciples. You see, after he’d washed their feet and they’d shared the meal and after he’d told them about what was about to occur and Peter had said, in no uncertain terms, that he’d died before he’d let it happen, after all that, this was what John wrote:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. You know the way to where I am going.”

Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t even know where you are going! How can we know the way?”

“I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”

Jesus replied:

Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn’t said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.

Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do. [John 14:1-14, CEV]

Now that’s what the Evangelist John wrote: “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father.” [John 14:6, CEV] And as we’ve done during the first five messages, we’re going to approach this statement by asking and answering three questions. First, what did Jesus mean when he said,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life!”? [John 14:6, CEV] And then second, how can we respond to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life? And third, why is our response important? Now that’s our plan for the next ten minutes or so.

And it starts with question number one: What did Jesus mean when he said,  “I am the way, the truth, and the life!”? [John 14:6, CEV] Now that’s what we’re asking ourselves right now, and I think the answer is right here in the passage itself. You see, according to what Jesus said and John wrote, Jesus believed that he was now the place for us to encounter God. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s why, immediately after making this “I am” statement, Jesus said, “Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.” [John 14:6b-7, CEV] In other words, in a very real sense, when the word became flesh and dwelt among us, everything changed. While in the past, the people could meet God at different times and in different places, now it was all focused on the bread that gives life and the light for the world. It was now focused on the one who was both the gate for the sheep pen and the good shepherd for the sheep. It was now centered on the one who raises the dead to life. In Jesus Christ, we encounter God. Now that’s what I think he was saying here. But I’ll tell you, this wasn’t the first time he said something like that. Way back in the second chapter, Jesus said that he’d actually replaced the Temple, the place where every Jew believed God lived. According to the Evangelist John, after Jesus had cleansed the Temple of all the animals that were needed for worship, 

The Jewish leaders asked Jesus, “What miracle will you work to show us why you have done this?”

“Destroy this temple,” Jesus answered, “and in three days I will build it again!”

The leaders replied, “It took 46 years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in three days?”

But Jesus was talking about his body as a temple. And when he was raised from death, his disciples remembered what he had told them. Then they believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus. [John 2:18-22, CEV]

You see, since he’d come, the way to God was no longer through buildings and rituals. The way to the Father was through the Son. Now that’s what I believe Jesus was saying.

But even more than just that, this way to God was both true and life-giving. I mean, just think about what he said. This new way was certainly true, in other words, reliable. My goodness, remember, when “Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.’ Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn’t said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things. [John 14:8-10, CEV] And as he’ll say a little later in this same chapter, “Then you will know I am one with the Father. You will know you are one with me, and I am one with you.” [John 14:20, CEV] You see, Jesus is the way to the Father simply because he and the Father are one; therefore, he’s what you could call the true way.

But again, that’s not all, because this new way also offers life and it offers it abundantly. And I’ll tell you, I think we can get a glimpse of what that life is all about when we think about what happened in the story that came right before the cleansing of the Temple, again in chapter two. You see, at the wedding banquet in Cana, when Jesus turned the water into wine, I believe that represented the kind of life Jesus came to bring. But I’ll tell you, it’s not just something that God offers through Jesus to us. It’s also something that can flow through us to others. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said to Philip in the passage we read a little while ago, “I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.” [John 14:12, CEV] You see, for them and, brothers and sisters, for us, this is what we’ve been given by God. And, for me, that’s what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” [John 14:6, CEV]

And that brings us to question number two: How can we respond? You know, how might we respond to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life? Well, as I read the passage, I think it actually comes down to two decisions, one we shouldn’t make and the other we should. You see, first, I believe we should fight like all “get out” to avoid the example offered by Philip, one that’s mighty tempting at least for most of us. I mean, just think about what happened in the passage. “‘I am the way, the truth, and the life!’ Jesus answered. ‘Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.’” [John 14:6-7, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus said, but do you remember Philip’s response? “Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.’” [John 14:8, CEV] I’ll tell you, that just blows me away. It was like he was saying, “Well, since we’ve been following you around, we’ve seen a lot of stuff you’ve done and heard a lot of stuff you’ve said. And even though it’s all been well and good, we just need a little more evidence before making our decision: you know, a few more signs and then we’ll be convinced. And so, have at it.” “Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.’” [John 14:8, CEV] Man, no wonder “Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father?” [John 14:9, CEV] Man, we’ve got everything we need to trust in Jesus, and so, first, I think we have to resist the temptation to want more.

And I’ll tell you, because of that, second, I think we really have to make the decision to trust, you know, to believe, to have faith in the way, the truth and the life. And for me, that’s reason Jesus said this Philip:

Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do. [John 14:11-14, CEV]

You see, right here, having faith in Jesus would seem to involve accepting three things: one, that the Father and Son are one; and two, that we have a job to do; and three, that God will help us do it. I’ll tell you, along with avoiding Philip’s example, I think this is exactly how we can respond.

And that leaves us with question number three: Why is this response important? In other words, why is it important for us to respond to the one who is the only reliable and the only life-giving place to meet God? And why is it important for us to respond by avoiding a bad example and trusting the true way? Well, for me, doing this will help us in two ways. It’ll give direction for our lives, and it’ll give focus to our work. You see, when we decide to trust that Jesus is the way to God because he and the Father are one, now we have a truly godly example to follow. It’s like Jesus said, “Everyone who has faith in me also has faith in the one who sent me. And everyone who has seen me has seen the one who sent me. I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will stay in the dark. I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this world, not to be their judge.” [John 12:44b-47, CEV] You see, we don’t have to stumble around in the dark anymore. Instead, we can choose to live in the light. And we can choose to integrate the values and the principles of Jesus Christ into our perspectives and opinions. In other words, we can become the men and women we were created to be. Man, our lives will have direction. 

And our work, well, that’s going to have focus. You see, when we trust that Jesus really is the way to God, not only will his light shine within us, we’ll be able and anxious to reflect this light to others. In other words, I believe the example offered by Jesus will shape the way we relate to all those who surround us. And in practical terms, what will that look like? Well, just listen to what Jesus said right before the passage we read:

My children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won’t find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. [John 13:33-35, CEV]

You see, we’re called to love others, because Christ loves us. And that must always be the focus of our words and our work. And along with giving us direction, for me, that’s why responding to the way, the truth and the life is important.

And so now, well, there’s only one more “I am” statement left. And before we know it, summer will be over and we’ll be seeing Reese’s Halloween ads on television, you know, the one with the fangs in the chocolate, and ghosts and witches will be all over the place in Walmart. Soon, July 2022 will be a memory and we’ll be doing other stuff. But before we get to the autumn equinox, let’s pause for just a minute so that we can remember: remember that Jesus is the true and life-giving way to encounter God and remember that we can respond by avoiding the example of those who always want more and by trusting in the one who’s already given us so much and remember that doing this is important because trusting Christ offers direction for our lives and focus to our work. Now this we can remember right here and right now, because Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” [John 14:6, CEV]