No one comes to the Father except through me
Fri, 24 March, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
There used to be many things that you just couldn’t do or say as part of polite society, but those restrictions have slowly been falling away. More and more things that were formerly a cause for shame are now openly celebrated. In fact, it seems the only thing that can not be tolerated anymore is intolerance. The people who say that their way is right, especially when it comes to religious matters, are the most despised people, for they are considered narrow-minded, judgmental, and (worst of all) intolerant.
But what of Jesus?
What do we learn from this?
Jesus tells us that He Himself is the way, and the truth, and the life. He is the way to God. You can not get to God any other way than through Jesus Christ, for, He says, No one comes to the Father except through me.
This is either the height of arrogance and blaspheme, or it is the truth. But whatever it is, it is not tolerant of other views. There are not many ways to God, with Jesus showing us one of them. The way to heaven is not a smorgasbord where you pick your favorite way from the many offered. No. According to Jesus, there is only one way to God, and that is through Him.
Where is Christ in this passage?
There is no salvation in being good enough. You can’t earn it by doing the right things. You can’t find it in some other religion espousing some other god as taught by other prophets. All the other ways that purport to lead to God in fact end in destruction.
There is only one way to God. As intolerant as it might be, according to the words of Jesus Christ, He is the only way to the Father.
