When Jesus says, “I am the Way,” he implies the opposite - we are not. Humans are not the way to God’s future. Our way is completely broken. We are not the truth, we lie constantly and we are always trying to take advantage or have advantage. We are not the life, we die. But by faith in Christ, God decides to work in us despite our humanity. Isn’t that an amazing thing? How often do we become frustrated and give up on other people? Sometimes we even give up on ourselves. But God has chosen to not only continue reaching towards us, God became one of us to show the way that we might join God in the work of redemption and restoration.

Welcome to the May 8, 2020 post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. We’ve been looking at John 14:1-14. Yesterday we talked about Jesus preparing places, you might want to check out that post before entering this room. He ended by saying, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” And Thomas, the one we appreciate for trusting but wanting a lot of verification, says, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” And to that Jesus responds with what is arguably some of the most famous words but also what some of the most weaponized words in the Bible.

John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” 

There are two main ways these words have been mistreated, misused and abused and they both have to do with exclusion. People have used them as a way of saying that eternity is an exclusive club limited to those people that have come to their side of understanding - that if you believe in our way of understanding God, then you’re in. But if you don’t, you’re out. It has been used to exclude rather than include. On the other side, it has been used by some to say that  Jesus is creating exclusions to God by limiting their access; that there are many ways to God.

What maybe both groups forget is the exclusive nature of the Temple, about which Jesus is speaking and has been speaking. When he was talking about his Father’s house, the many room and preparing a place, he was talking about the temple. It helps to remember that only the high priest, and then only once a year, could enter the place where Jews believed God’s presence existed on earth.

So rather than some kind of exclusive message that is based on a negative, we should read these words in their positive: Jesus answered: I am the way and the truth and the life: Everyone comes to the Father through me, not just the high priest, not just the Jew, but also the Greek, also the Gentile, also you and also me. Everyone has access to God through Jesus because he is God on earth and because he has ascended and left his Spirit to indwell within us so that we also become representatives of the way. And God does this despite our humanity. He is the way, and we are not. We can’t fit God into our boxes of understanding, regardless of what religion we claim. God won’t fit into our boxes, but Jesus will come and fill us so that we can fit into God’s cosmic plan of redemption. It is a movement of inclusion, not exclusion; a faith that breaks down barriers instead of boxing people in. It is a way of truth that leads to life beyond life, not just life beyond death. It was hard for those disciples to grasp. And they still didn’t really understand where Jesus was going. Because after Thomas asked his question about knowing the way, Philip follows up by saying, “Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us.” 

Let’s meet together on Sunday in our zoom worship to see how Jesus responds. And come back tomorrow to hear again the beautiful music that Lamar Savage, our Organist and Thomas Ballew, our Music Associate have made during this time of distancing. See you Sunday!

One of the details of The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel is that God is the one desperately reaching and Adam’s arm just happens to be lazily up.