What's In a Name?
•I Am the Bread of Life
•I Am the Resurrection and the Life
•I Am the Light
•I Am the Door/Gate
•I am the Good Shepherd

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Stop Asking the Wrong Questions!”

–John 14:1-7 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

The Duh-ciples

—John 13:21 Jesus tells them one of them is going to betray him.

v. 33 Jesus tells them he will be with them only a little while longer.

1.The first of three wrong questions from the Duh-ciples., this first one from Peter.

“Where are you going?” (v. 36)

Jesus responds, “Where I am going you can’t follow now, but you will follow later.”

Peter brags, “Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” (v. 37)

“Will you really? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times!” (v. 38)

2. Thomas - another wrong question.

–John 14:2-4 “My Father’s house has many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And then I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”

“rooms” -- monai, from meno = “to stay”

not specific rooms— places to stay, or abiding places.

not about heaven but about a place of intimacy with the Father

–John 14:18;20;23 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you…Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Thomas’ response: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

“We don’t even know where you’re going! How can we know the way?” (v. 5)

This is not a request for information; it’s an expression of confusion.

“Don’t be troubled. Trust God. Trust me.” (v. 1)

Jesus said it here: “Trust God; trust me.” Now he repeats the reassurance:

–John 14:6-7 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know the Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.

“know” Not intellectual clarity- personal knowledge.

knowing about vs knowing

— John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

“Without the Way there is no going, without the Truth there is no knowing, without the Life there is no living.” ~ Thomas a Kempis

3. Now the “non-get-it” factor continues with Philip.

–John 14:8-11 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.”

—John 14:9 “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Three times -Jesus asks Peter if he loves him.- Peter says he does
Jesus: “Feed my sheep.”

“What about him?” (21:21)

Jesus responded, “What is that to you? You must follow me!” (21:22)

Stop asking the wrong questions!