John: Jesus is the Way (John 14:1-14)

Jesus preparesa perfect place for us.

John 14:1–4ESV

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? 3And 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.”

In this passage, Jesus speaks to his disciples to reassure them during a time of great anxiety. The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus, but now he tells them that they will be separated from Him. He provides the remedy for their anxiety by encouraging them to trust in God the Father and Himself. Jesus explains that the new temple of heaven will have plenty of room for the disciples, despite their failures. He emphasizes that the purpose of His death on the cross is to prepare a place for them in heaven. Through His death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus is preparing a place for His people. This new temple will be a place of perfect relationship with God, providing comfort to a troubled people. Jesus reassures them by pointing beyond their present troubles to the eternal reality of what His death is going to achieve. By undergoing the trouble of the cross, Jesus is providing the ultimate comfort to His disciples.

How can we know the way ?

John 14:5–7ESV

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. 7If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

In verse 5, Thomas asked a question that shows that the disciples haven't fully understood where Jesus is going. Despite their lack of understanding, they want to follow Him wherever He goes. Jesus then begins to address the topic of the way to the Father. His response to Thomas includes the sixth of His "I am" statements.(6:48, 8:12, 10:7, 11, 11:25, 15:1) is linked to all the others: to 10:7 by ‘way’; to 11:25 by ‘life’ and to the rest by ‘truth’. His use of the familiar ‘I AM’ reveals that the way is to be found in Himself. He explains why that is so by summarizing what He has already taught about salvation, revelation, and life.

Salvation

Salvation. At the start of the Gospel, Jesus promised the disciples that they would see ‘heaven open’ (1:51), through the ‘lifting up’ of the Son of Man (3:14) as He gives His flesh ‘for the life of the world’ (6:61). And so when He says, ‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself’ (12:32), He anticipates His statement to Peter, ‘you will follow later’ (13:36). By dying on the cross He is the way to God.

Revelation.

In the prologue of John's gospel, he emphasizes that Jesus is the truth (1:17). Jesus is the truth because His words are in line with the Father's words (7:16; 12:49), and His actions are in line with the Father's actions (5:19ff; 8:29; 14:10). All that Jesus says about God is true, and all that He does and says perfectly reveals His Father. Since the Father's work is salvation and judgment (9:3, 39), when Jesus says He is 'the Truth', He means that He is the truth about God's rescue. Therefore, in verse 4, when Jesus says, 'you know the way to the place', He is referring to the eternal life that comes through Him, the truth....’

Life

The book of John teaches that life is found in Jesus (1:4), who has 'life in Himself' (5:26) and is also known as 'the resurrection and the life' (11:25). It is mentioned that 'whoever believes in the Son has eternal life' (3:36), as Jesus laid down His life for the sheep (10:15, 28). Therefore, when Jesus says 'I am the life', He means that eternal life, which comes from being in relationship with God, has its source in Him. Furthermore, Jesus’ statement in verse 6b that 'no one comes to the Father except through me' shows that salvation is only available through Him. This means that if someone wishes to reach heaven, Jesus is the only way..

Show us the Father

John 14:8ESV

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

Verse 7 of the text provides the reason behind Philip's request, which can be interpreted in two different ways. The first interpretation is that Philip, like many other disciples and non-believers, wants to see a unique vision of God as proof of His existence. He wishes to be transported to heaven and be granted exclusive viewing. If this is the case, Jesus' response exposes Philip's shallow understanding of who He is and what He has done. If only Philip would realize what Jesus is doing, he would see that Jesus has provided him with a far greater privilege than a mere one-off glimpse of God. Therefore, there is no need for further visions. The other possible interpretation is that Philip is frustrated by the ongoing complexity and apparent difficulty in knowing the Father. In this case, his request is for a simpler and more straightforward means of revelation. He might be saying, "Can't you just show us right now?" However, if Jesus were to do that, Philip would be left immeasurably poorer. This is because the only vision of God ever given to sinful humanity has been the merest glimpse of His back (Exodus 33:23), for "No one has seen God..." (1:18).

Jesus replies…

John 14:9–11ESV

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

You need to believe !

When Jesus spoke, he was doing the work of his Father. If someone listened to Jesus, they would understand who the Father is. Jesus commanded people to believe his words and to accept the evidence of his works, which included not only his miracles but also his teachings and actions.

You will do greater works than these!

John 14:12ESV

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus explains the further consequences of His relationship with the Father and His imminent return to the Father. He promises that believers who have faith in Him will be able to do "greater works" than Jesus. However, this promise has been misinterpreted to suggest that Christians today should expect to do more miraculous acts than Jesus Himself. This is wrong. In John's Gospel, Jesus defines "greater works" as the giving of life and judgment, so that all may honor the Son. In other passages, the "works of God" are defined as belief in the One He has sent and salvation. In John 14:9ff, Jesus' work is making the Father known through His words. Therefore, the "greater works" in John 14:12 do not refer to greater physical signs but rather to disciples proclaiming the words of the Father about Jesus so that God will work to bring "life" to people through them. Because of Jesus' work on the cross, what He achieves through His followers in the post-resurrection age surpasses what He did in person before the cross. The "greater works" are the worldwide, Spirit-endowed, effective proclamation of the message of salvation and judgment. Anyone who has faith will do "greater works."

How on earth will this be achieved?

John 14:13ESV

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:14ESV

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus gives part of the answer in the promise of verse 13 – it is as we pray . Jesus is not saying that believers will be given anything that they ‘name and claim’ in the ‘name’ of Jesus, but that as we pray for God to work to bring glory to His own name through the salvation of sinners, He will hear and answer our prayers. This is no charter for self-centred, happy, wealthy, care-free living, but it is a glorious promise to disciples who witness to the Father in a hostile world – He will work to grow His Son’s kingdom.