Backing Up Exclusivity
 
Hopefully Jesus’ statement that He is the Way is not so familiar to us that it has lost its punch. We’ve heard John 14:6 so often, Christ’s words can seem kind of blah and a little discomforting in our pluralistic age. If you want to get everyone in the office worked up around the water cooler or at lunch, just blurt out that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. See how that goes!
 
This week, let’s revel in Jesus being the Way for all and seek to better understand why He alone can be that Way.
 
Today, we need to let the brashness of Christ’s declaration impact us. We need to see how starkly it contrasts with all other religious leaders before and after Him (save a few instances of false Messiahs that crop up from time to time in Christianity, Islam and Judaism).
 
Only a very few people in history have been so brazen to say, “I am the way.” Most of the people who say this we classify as cult leaders, and even though they often have charismatic personalities, they do nothing special to back up their claims. We read about them, shake our heads that people are so duped to follow them, then we forget them.
 
Other founders of religions point to a given way and are revered for explaining that way in detail. They never say, “I am the way,” but rather: “I know the way and want to share it with you.” That’s an entirely different proposition.
 
Jesus is the only religious figure in history who said, “I am the way” and backed that up with everything from miracles to a resurrection. He calmly said he was the way to Thomas and the disciples because He knew He would soon after do plenty to prove His assertion: He would pay the price of human sin, then rise to demonstrate His victory over death and the Father’s acceptance of His payment. That’s an astounding résumé and matches the audaciousness of a claim to be THE way.
 
Jesus saying that He is the Way is personal. He simply says, “Come to ME and I’ll take care of you.” It’s a personal call to a personal God.
 
Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge you as THE way. No one else died for my sin or rose again. I come to You today and every day. Show me Your way as THE way.