Get the appShadow and Substance: Old Testament Contexts for the I AM Statements in John’s GospelSample
“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)
This statement has its roots in the prophetic writings of Isaiah. More than 700 years before Christ, Isaiah had prophesied a day when God would once again dwell with His people. He painted a vivid picture of this glorious future, with God opening up a highway (sometimes called a ‘way’) for the righteous to directly access Him. Israel longed for the arrival of this day, when their sin would no longer keep them from God’s presence: “A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way” (Isaiah 35:8).
What is this Way of Holiness, and how does someone find it?
The answer is found in Jesus’ farewell discourse with His disciples (John 14-17). There Jesus tells them, “I AM the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way to gain direct access to God is through Jesus. He is the highway that Isaiah had prophesied would come!
Interestingly, “the Way” was one of the first names for the early Christian movement (see Acts 9:2; 22:4; 24:14, 22). This reference probably came from the fact that their proclamation about Jesus could be summed by this claim He had made about Himself: Jesus is the only Way to God!
SHADOW: In Isaiah, there recurs a theme of a coming ‘way’ or ‘highway’ that leads to a place where God would dwell with His people (Isaiah 35:8; 40:3; 62:10)
CONTEXT: Jesus is telling the disciples that He is about to leave them. And by doing so, He will make a way for God to make His home with them.
SUBSTANCE: Jesus is that highway—the only highway—giving us unrestricted access to God!
Reflect:
As you read John 14:1-11, consider the implications for your own life of Jesus’ claims in this passage. How does the passage from Isaiah shed even more light on the nature of His claims?
Do you find it easy or difficult to accept Jesus’ claim to be the only Way to God? How have you heard this claim challenged? What is your response to these challenges?
Scripture
About this Plan
Delve into the biblical contexts behind Jesus’ powerful ‘I AM’ statements found in the Gospel of John. As we look at look at these statements more closely, we will discover the Old Testament “shadows” which served as hints and signposts of a “substance” that was ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
More
