John 14:6 … The Truth of the Way of Life (03/29/17)
“I represent the Way [of Oneness],
the Truth [of Love], and the Life [of God].”
~ Jesus (John 14:6)
This verse traditionally reads “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”, and is extremely popular among conservative Christians – those who believe wholeheartedly (actually half-heartedly, for no truly whole Heart can believe such exclusivist rhetoric) that it proves their belief that the self-appointed apostle Paul was right; namely, that Jesus Christ is the only Son of the only God, and that salvation in the eternal Hereafter can only be attained by worshipping him as Lord … And I will freely admit: taking this verse all by its self (i.e. refusing to read it in the context of Jesus’ entire ministry) and neglecting to examine the actual G reek words used in its ancient manuscripts could very well lead one to harbor such a dramatically errant belief. And yet when we do apply context and scholarship to this verse, a very different meaning blossoms forth from its words … Please consider:
First of all, remember that the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus Christ consisted first & foremost all of one primary message – a message he called “the Good News” (or “the Gospel”) – a message that for him at least consisted of two parts: first, that Heaven was already “at hand” (i.e. already fully available in every moment of our current lives – see Matthew 10:7), and second, that entry into this internal experience of Paradise was made by serving others with acts that were both selfless & Loving (see Matthew 24:12-14). This Gospel was very different from Paul’s self-created “gospel” (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 & Romans 10:9, the message of which Jesus openly and vehemently rejected in Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 7:16, John 8:50-54 & John 12:44 et al) and yet Jesus’ is the Gospel that we must keep in mind if we ever hope to accurately decipher what he meant by his words …
Second, remember that Jesus’ heavenly Father was an internal essence (John 14:20); an essence that was viable in the “Heaven” available in each & every present moment (Luke 17:20-21) – not an external, celestial, benevolent tyrant looking down from some “elsewhere heaven” to which only the “worthy” could go and live eternally after their deaths …
Third, note that the word translated in the second half of this verse as “through” was the Greek dia – a word that did not mean “via” or “because of”, but rather meant “throughout” or “on account of” (see Strong’s #1223) – in this case referring to the emulation of The Way that Jesus taught, not the worship of the man he was (he always said “follow me”; never “worship me”) …
Fourth, note that Jesus’ heavenly Father was composed of unconditional, perfect Love (Matthew 5.48); a Love that showed constant mercy (Luke 6:36), a Love that radiated limitless forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22), and a Love that punished no one (John 5:22 + John 8:15 + John 12:47 + 1 John 4:18) – all scriptural facts that in & of themselves fully preclude the validity of the conservative interpretation of this verse …
Fifth, for Jesus “I am” never ever meant “only I am.” Instead, every time he told us all what he was, he was also showing us what we too could choose to become (see John 14:12 + John 12:47-48). In support of this Truth, note the Greek used here – not merely “I am”, but “I, I am” (ego eimi – see Strong’s #1473 & #1510), an emphasis that did not pertain to Jesus himself, but rather to the common “Advocate within” that we all share (see John 14:20-26) …
Sixth, Jesus was also clearly a fan of combining Truths listed in a series (e.g. his 2 Commandments were actually two planks of one sole Commandment – namely, Love God wholeheartedly by selflessly Caring for others – see Matthew 22:37-40), and the same is true here – it is not that he is the Way & the Truth & the Life, but rather that he is The Way (i.e. the interactive embodiment) of the Truth (the raw viability of selfless Love) in the Life (lived accordingly).
Amen … Let it be so.
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