"The Way" Sermon

by Pastor David Layman

April 6, 2008

John 14; Psalm 1

Picture a college dorm room. Several students are having a discussion. They're talking about conflict in the world, and religion. One student, from a devout Christian background, says "Jesus said he is THE way and THE truth and THE life, and that settles it for me." Another says "Not for me. I think there are many ways to find truth in life, just like many rivers flow to the sea." And the debate is on! We live in an age where many believe truth is relative, and love to say "That may be true for you, but not for me!" In the heat of debates like this, we may fail to stop and consider what Jesus meant when he said in John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian pastor and scholar, has written an insightful book entitled "The Jesus Way". (Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, 2007) Peterson notes that Jesus began his ministry by saying "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Shortly after that, Jesus came upon Simon Peter and Andrew fishing, and called out "Follow me." (Mark 1:15-17). Jesus' call for people to "repent" was a call for them to change, head in a different direction. Jesus announced that the "kingdom of God" had come near. We haven't had a king in America since America gained its independence! But a "kingdom" is larger than a city, county, or state. A kingdom is a large realm. The "kingdom of God" is the place where God rules. Not a president, prime minister, or dictator, but God is the authority who rules in this kingdom! Jesus called upon people to change directions, to leave where they're at and enter a state of existence where God is their supreme ruler. Furthermore, Jesus challenged people to "believe", put their trust in, "good news". Much of the news in our world has been so discouraging, from the economy to people losing their homes to violence and war in the Middle East to educational challenges back home, that the idea there might be good news somewhere is intriguing! How do we get to this place where God rules and good news exists? Jesus said "Follow me!"

When Jesus said "Follow me!", he is saying not merely "Listen to what I'm saying", or "Read my text messages". As Peterson writes, "To follow Jesus means that we can't separate what Jesus is saying from what Jesus is doing and the way that he is doing it." 22 People by and large seem to want simplistic answers; they want something that is easy to comprehend. Jesus doesn't offer that. He didn't hand out campaign buttons that said "I'm for Jesus" and dismiss people to go back to their everyday lives, knowing that they had taken care of this religion business and could now focus on things that interested them more. Jesus said "Follow me." No instant ritual would take care of everything to come. Jesus didn't say "Follow me for a day; that'll do it." Just "Follow me!" Not for ten minutes, not for a day, but follow me throughout your life!

In John 14, Jesus proclaimed "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." It wasn't like Jesus was saying "Just get on I 70 and never get off, and you'll get there." Jesus didn't say "I am a trip tic; just read this little guide and you'll get there." When Jesus said he was the way, he was not just talking about a route. He wanted people to follow him, because it wasn't just the direction he travelled, but the way he travelled that direction, the way Jesus treated others, the way he sacrificed and demonstrated joy and love. Have your noticed it's not just the words we say, but the way we say them? You tell one child to apologize to another, and he says "Sorry" in a way that doesn't reveal he's sorry at all! To follow Jesus as "the way" means the way we raise our children will be affected, the way we vote, the way we spend our money, the way we treat the environment, the way we relate to hurting people.

Psalm 1 begins

"Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or take the path that sinners tread,

or sit in the seat of scoffers;

but their delight is in the law of the Lord..." 1-2 The path we walk and the way we walk it is important to God!

It's interesting to note that the book of Acts speaks of the early church as "The Way". (Acts 9:2)

"The Way" is a metaphor. When Jesus said he is the way, "He is not something for us to walk on. He is covered with skin, not asphalt." (THE JESUS WAY, Eerdman's, Grand Rapids, 2007, p. 24) When Jesus was speaking near the end of his earthly life, Thomas, perhaps the most literal of the disciples, responded "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" The metaphors of Jesus often confused his disciples. Perhaps we at times fail to understand them as well! When Jesus told Simon he was a rock, the other disciples did not try to pick up Simon and see how many times they could skip him across the Sea of Gaililee! In our computerized culture, language is sometimes forced to become mere information or definition. Jesus used words to draw us into a new, life giving relationship with God.

There's a relationship between means and ends. Jesus came to draw people to God. But if this "end" purpose was all that mattered, he could have overridden human free will, and everyone would have, robot-like, believed. Satan's temptations of Jesus were to get him to use any means to achieve desireable ends. Jesus refused to do this! Sadly, too often we see people resort to less than admirable means, which they justify because of the ends they supposedly achieve. In the Middle Ages, the church sometimes resorted to inquisitions, fining, even torturing people, to get them to believe what was supposedly right. It was a horrible chapter in the church's history. Our own Congress has debated the appropriateness of torture in fighting the war against terror. But Jesus didn't put the Pharisees who disagreed with him into a hammerlock until they recanted and believed. He didn't use waterboarding. Indeed, torture was the tactic of Jesus' opposition! Jesus willingly went to the cross, suffered and died for the truth. He didn't come down from the cross and put the religious leaders and Roman soldiers on other crosses until they said "I believe!" When Jesus said "I am the way", he was saying "The manner of my life is as important as the words and deeds of my life."

I am not willing to follow popular convention and say that truth is relative, that there is more than one way to get to the destination God desired. In the Garden of Gethsemane, God didn't say to Jesus "There are several options here in the maze you're in to get to the goal of the forgiveness for humankind and eternal life. You can choose the cross, or you can prepare a perfect 1000 word essay on salvation that will become the "Gettysburg Address" of religion. Or you can work an awe-inspiring miracle and that will accomplish the same goal." There was only one way of salvation, and that was the self-sacrifice of Jesus on a cross. All of the world's great religions may offer inspiration. Only the way of Christ, the cross, offered salvation. If there was another option than the cross, Jesus would have travelled it!

Sometimes people object to the statement of Jesus is the one and only way because it's uttered by people that seem to be saying "I'm right and you're wrong. I'm right because I said the magic word 'Jesus', and you'll burn in hell because you didn't." The truth of the matter is that everyone is wrong; it is only the grace and mercy of Christ that can redeem us. There's no room for spiritual arrogance. It's not sufficient for people to say the words "I accept Jesus as my savior" and think those words are a magic charm that can enable them to do as they please, to refuse to walk in the way of Jesus, and still find redemption. Our culture today majors in divorcing words from actions, "It depends what the meaning of 'is' is," etc. If we say the words 'Jesus is the way' but then travel the road to Hell, Michigan, [there is such a place!] chances are, we'll wind up in Hell! And let's never forget that God is the ultimate judge of everyone's ultimate destination. God does not need us to put on a black and white striped shirt and give us authority to make all the calls! Thank goodness for that!

There is only one way to eternal life, the sacrificial love and forgiveness embodied by Christ. We can walk this way of Christ today, difficult though it may be. Steve Clapp tells of a tragedy in downstate Illinois on a high school homecoming night. Brad had been dating Alice for 3 years, and most people presumed they'd marry. Brad's father had died a few years earlier; his mother worked long hours at a low paying job. Brad had spent a lot of time at Alice's home, enjoying the closeness of her family. Homecoming night, unfortunately, Brad had been drinking. Alice wasn't drinking, but Brad was driving. Brad thought he could beat an oncoming train before it reached an intersection, but Brad lost the contest. Alice was killed instantly, but Brad was thrown from the car and survived. A few days later he left the hospital without his physician's permission to attend Alice's funeral. Filled with self contempt and sure Alice's family would not want to see him, Brad sat at the back of the church. At the cemetery, Brad stood far back from the other mourners. After the service concluded, Alice's father noticed Brad and started walking toward him. Brad wanted to run, but stood there, knowing that Alice's father had a perfect right to attack him, berate him, anything he wanted. When Alice's father reached Brad, he put an arm around him and said "I've lost my only child. You lost your father. It looks to me like we need each other." (CARING LIKE JESUS, Daniel Ulrich and Janice Fairchild, Brethren Press, Elgin, Illinois, 2002, pp. 139-40)

That is the way of Christ. It changed Brad's life forever. It's the only way that can transform us and the world we live in!

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