John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’”



I was contemplating this scripture today and thinking about the mystery of Jesus’ proclamation here. In the typical fashion of St. John’s writing in this gospel, he provides us with a glimpse into the ancient mystery that has entered the world. It’s a glimpse of the triune nature of God, but also it is a proclamation of Christ’s person within the Trinity.

The Way



I think it’s actually a narrow definition to only say Jesus Christ is proclaiming He’s the “way to God”. While I’m not disputing that, I think it’s more multi-faceted in it’s meaning. Jesus is proclaiming he’s the way in all things. He’s the way to eternal life, the way to peace, the way to perfection and so on.

If we find there is a path we are being lead to, the beginning, the middle, the pavement beneath our feet, and the end of that path is Christ, although that may not be revealed until after we have passed and our reaction to the destination may vary.

The Truth

Every truth is God’s truth in the sense that the underlying reality of everything is tied to Him. Every person who seeks truth is basically looking for Christ. The truth is also not just a known variable. It’s not math. It’s in alignment of heart, mind and soul to God. All the truth of God is revealed in Christ, so as we seek to become like Christ, we then become a part of the truth. Notice, I said we “become”, not “know”. This truth is transcendent from knowledge.

The Life



We are dead. We may not know it, but we are. We had been stuck under the thumb of death and corruption. Not just in our flesh, but in our very being. Sin is the start of corruption and death is the continuation of corruption beyond this life. In Christ, we find life….true life. And that life becomes the antidote curing us from within our inner being outward. Christ redeemed us from the condemnation that death offered to us based on our sinfulness and we will be resurrected to life everlasting.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”



I guess what I’m trying to say in all of this is that all three of these are inseparable revelations of the Christ, just as the Trinity is three persons inseparable. It’s a great mystery and I’m sure I’ll continue to see it differently throughout my lifetime. But our faith is built on great mystery and paradox.

“In the Christian context, we do not mean by a “mystery” merely that which is baffling and mysterious, an enigma or insoluble problem. A mystery is, on the contrary, something that is revealed for our understanding, but which we never understand exhaustively because it leads into the depth or the darkness of God. The eyes are closed—but they are also opened.”

― Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way