Jesus the Life

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but by me.  (John 14:6)

The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy.  I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.  (John 10:10).

The God who made life, gives life again.  Jesus came to die that we might have life.  He came to show us the way to a joyful, hopeful, meaningful life.  Alcohol overindulgence, drug abuse, immorality give the illusion of giving us a temporary meaning for living.  In the process of their false hope they take away hope.  Jesus shows us that the way to life is the way of love- His way. 
    In July of 2017 Stephen Hawking, a well known physicist, said that we should be fearful of life dying on our planet.  He said we should spend huge efforts at colonizing another planet.  He also said that we should fear contact with other forms of life.  Such fears forget that there is a God who gives life to all forms within the universe. C. S Lewis has a great response (exotheology) to this that he wrote.  His space trilogy (starting with "Out of the Silent Planet."  He also wrote a series of essays, (The World's Last Night and Other Essays).  Without God, we may fear this life, and ruin this life. But God calls us to value life and to be good stewards of the life we have been given and the earth we are called to tend as a gardener tends a garden. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to live my life abundantly-without fear.  Help me to live it with great love, hope, and meaning. 
   

3-23-14- The Way, Truth and Life

 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.7If you really know me, you will know^b my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?  (John 14:5-10)

Thoughts: Thomas and Philip speak for those of us in the West who have a hard time believing if we do not see.  Jesus had more confidence in them than they had in Him, in themselves, or that the way would really work for getting them to heaven.  Jesus was trying to get His disciples who had lived with Him and seen His miracles, love, and grace to trust that He is the One who will pave the way to heaven for them.
      Jesus makes the outstanding and unique claim that he is the only way to the Father.  Then He says He is the way, truth, and life.  The way- was not just the gate to heaven, but the path of righteousness and holiness that led to the holy Father (Dt. 5:32,33; 31:29; Isa. 30:21; 35:8).  Jesus not only is holy and teaches holiness, He is able to make us holy by His sacrifice-providing a way of restoration to the right path to God.  He is the truth.  Pilate asked- looking at Jesus- "What is truth?" For many there is no purpose, meaning, or truth in life- but Jesus stands against them all as a marker of truth and hope.  Jesus is the life.  He makes life worth living- giving direction and purpose to it.  Jesus earlier had said He comes to give us life to the full (Jn. 10:10).  He offers us meaningful life here and eternal life after this life is over.  Many others would claim to know the way, teach the truth, and show us how to live- but Jesus claimed more- to actually be the way, truth, and life.  He claims divinity here when He claims that to see Him is to see the Father.  His claims to be more than human are everywhere in the Gospels, and they make a claim to give the path, the truth, and life to us.  

Prayer:  Lord, keep me from going the wrong way, seeking falsehood or apathy instead of truth, or giving up on life instead of living my life for you and in you.