That You May Believe - Study Guide

Week 19 - May 9th, 2021

John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Context: This well-known scripture is easily lifted from its context, but keeping it within Jesus' teaching in John 14 adds even greater depth. As Jesus prepares His disciples for His imminent death, He reminds them that His departure will secure a place for them with the Father.

Meaning: The phrase “I am” is especially important to these Jewish disciples. It ties the person of Jesus to the covenant-keeping God of Israel, and reminds His listeners that, as the Way to the Father, He is the fulfillment of that covenant promise. As the Truth, Jesus argues for the trustworthiness of His words. His disciples ought to take heart, because He can be trusted to return to them. The truth of that promise is bound up in the last statement. Jesus is “the Life” by which He will return from death and through which the disciples themselves will live.

Life Application: This is an instance of scripture where we can directly identify ourselves with the audience. Our Lord would speak these same words to us today. We can take heart that the Jesus who ascended to heaven will return to us and bring us to the Father. In fact, once we have seen Him, we have seen the Father! We will make our way to God through Jesus alone, trusting in Him alone for true life.

For Further Study: This is one of seven “I Am” statements that John records in his Gospel. Each of these statements gives an insight into the mission of Jesus as told by John. This mission focuses on Jesus' role as the personal Savior of believers. Compare this mission statement with that of Matt. 4:15-17 or Luke 4:18-19. How do these passages give us a fuller picture of what Jesus is doing in the world?