Beginning A Relationship With JesusSample

"The Real Captain"

One way to describe Jesus is as a rescuer on a rescue mission. When Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” He didn’t say, “I am a way and a truth and a life.”

Our question to Him is similar to our questions to the captain of the plane or the ship we’re on because we want to know, “Are You really the captain (the Son of God)?”

As life progresses, many of us gradually develop a disinterest toward this question. Most of us feel comfortable just trying to get a seat with enough legroom on the plane. And most of us aren’t facing our mortality with the kind of intensity that we would be on a sinking ship. But having confidence in the captain is the main question in both analogies.

On the ship, your belief (or not) in the captain would make all the difference. Same with Jesus. If it’s a rescue mission, we are less likely to say, “I can go whichever way I please.” Yes, you could if you would like, but if He really is the captain, the one who knows all of the nuances of human existence, then He really does know the way.

Or maybe as you start exploring what the Bible says about Jesus, you begin to ask yourself the question, “Do I believe He knows the way?”

If you’re reading this plan, you may or may not yet have come to the point where you have said yes to this question. Or you may have said, “Yes, I believe. But I still have questions.” If that’s you, we’re with you and we’re for you. Keep the questions coming. Good questions are how we grow. Doubts and uncertainties are not unusual.

But let’s say you agree that Jesus might know the way. If that’s true, the first question you might have is, “What do I need to do to get going that way?”

And this is where Jesus surprises us. He doesn’t say, “Follow this.” He says, “Follow Me.” The captain of the cruise ship didn’t point us to a map; he pointed us to himself. Jesus also points to Himself, and He invites us to commit.