In John 14:6 we have
one of the seven “I Am” statements made by Jesus; in this case a triple I am:
“I am the way and the truth and the life”.
I find this a powerful
distillation of what Jesus is all about.
First He is the way:
He shows us the path to follow. The path may be hard but we can take comfort
that it is the same path that Jesus the man also trod. At the same time, though
His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus actually is the path.
Second He is the
truth: the authentic personification of God. He shows us what God is like
because He really is God. The cosmic implications of this are mind-blowing, but
on a day-to-day level it also means that Jesus provides a practical example of
how we should behave if we are to become more God-like. The “What would Jesus
do?” question leaves no wriggling room!
Third He is the life.
Not a narrow biological life, but something far more significant. This is real
Life - a Life with, for and in God. This verse has made me realise that the
defining quality of ‘eternal life’ is not how long it lasts (even if it is
eternal), but the sort of life it actually is. If I want to understand what
that Life is then I should study Jesus. If I want to live closer to that Life I
should emulate Jesus. But ultimately, if I am to have or be that Life, if I am
to “come to the Father”, then I must put my trust in Jesus Himself because, in
a way that I confess I do not yet fully understand, He is that Life.
(member of the
congregation)