Bible Verse: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Scripture Reading: John 14:1-31
About 25 years ago, a group of friends and I went on a 60-mile hike through the wilderness of northwest Montana. It was an incredible experience. We walked through some of the most incredible country I have ever seen—lush valleys, mountain peaks, high-country lakes, and wildlife of all sorts: elk, deer, sheep, bears and more birds than I can remember.
Besides the memories, I still have a map of the area and the trail we took. The map showed us where we were going. We could see the paths that would be “easier” and others a bit less so; some days, we might make 5 miles, and some days, we might be able to go 7-10 miles or more. This helped us get where we were going, and the map is a great way to reminisce about the trip.
In a time of great confusion, Jesus told His close disciples that He was a map. He was the way to get to where they need to go.
The Upper Room Last Supper is a scene familiar to many who have read the stories of Jesus. But in the Gospel of John, we are given an extended view of what happened and was said during that last Passover meal. From declarations of fidelity unto death, to predictions of betrayal and denial, to promises of a Comforter to come—the time Jesus spent in the Upper Room before His trial and execution is full of significant interactions.
There was some understandable confusion when Jesus told His disciples He was going away. Thomas admitted that they didn’t know where Jesus was going, so it was impossible for them to know the way to follow Him there.
Jesus’s famous reply was that He was the way, and the truth, and the life—the only way to the Father.
Jesus is both the map and the trail. The full life He has come to offer (John 10:10) is gained by following Him. It leads us to the truth (the best way to live) and takes us to the Father, where there is life everlasting (John 3:16).
Praise God that though Jesus has left, He has shown us the path we must walk to be one day forever united with Him.
Prayer: Jesus, some days it is easy to feel like Thomas. We’re just not sure. Our days seem filled with the sometimes humdrum, sometimes dramatic events of everyday life. Help me to keep my gaze focused on You, my map and my guide.
Reflection: How regularly do you consult the place where you can find the path and the guide: the pages of the Bible? Commit yourself to meeting Christ in Scripture every day this week.
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