“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father’s house has plenty of room; 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.”
—John 14:1-7 (TNIV)
Today’s Gospel lesson has come under fire from various enemies of the Cross. “How,” they say, “can Jesus be THE way?” Surely he is only A way. But no, this is not what our Lord said. Jesus said he is THE ONE AND ONLY WAY to the Father. This is true because he is the only one who once and for all has taken care of the problem of sin and the attendant alienation that separates us from God. No other religion except Christianity addresses adequately the problem of sin. Sin separates us from God and we can do nothing on our own to end that separation. But by his blood, Jesus has satisfactorily addressed the intractable problem of sin. By becoming human and dying for us, God in Christ has redeemed us. This is why Jesus is THE WAY.
Moreover, the claims of exclusivity leveled against Christianity are ridiculous. Jesus himself tells us that there are plenty of rooms in his Father’s house. God in Christ invites everyone into a saving relationship with him, but sadly not everyone is interested or will accept God’s gracious invitation to have life, real life, in Christ. You can’t be excluded by another if you don’t accept the offer to come to the party. You have simply chosen not to participate and that is not exclusivity as it is properly defined.
Christians do not believe we are saved because we are good people. To the contrary, we know our transgressions and our sin is ever before us (Psalm 51:3). We believe we are saved because we have a God who loves us and gave himself for us in the person of Jesus Christ. We do not claim to know whether salvation is impossible for those who are not Christians. That is up to God alone. But if we believe our Lord’s words here, it does not look real hopeful for those who do not put their whole faith and hope in Christ. That is why evangelism should be such an important priority for any Christian who takes Christ (and the rest of the NT) at his word. It really is a matter of life and death and love dictates that we should not desire anyone to perish. The thought of that is too heartbreaking to bear.
Our Lord invites us into a life-giving relationship with him. Have you accepted his offer? If so, do you know the joy of living forever with the Source and Author of all life, starting here and now? If you haven’t accepted his offer, what’s holding you back? Come and see. Check Jesus out. If you make an honest effort, you will discover that he is good to his word. You have God’s very word on it and the consistent testimony of countless Christians over time and across cultures.