As much as the Star Wars prequels get a bad wrap, they do a great service in showing us the path of Anakin Skywalker. Upon the realization in The Empire Strikes Back that Darth Vader had once been a promising young Jedi and the father of Luke Skywalker, people began asking the question, what would lead such a person to become the most ruthless and dangerous person in the galaxy?
One day a man came to them. This man, a Jedi Knight, had supernatural abilities and was able to free Anakin from his slave master. He was unable to rescue Anakin’s mother, but he promised Anakin that he would learn to be a Jedi as well. To a young boy that wants only to protect those he loves, this was essentially a promise that he would one day be able to rescue his own mother.
Fast forward many years and Anakin has grown in his knowledge and skill of the force. Circumstances bring him back to the planet of Tatooine, and he sees the opportunity to free his mother. However, he is too late and watches as his mother dies in his arms. He had finally learned enough to rescue her from her slavery, but he was not able to rescue her from death. For a man who values these relationships above all else, this is devastating.
He continues to pour himself into his studies. He falls in love and secretly marries his childhood friend, Padme Amidala. However, not long after discovering that he will become a father, Anakin is plagued by a vision of Padme dying. Flashbacks of his mom run through his mind again. He had lost her, and he was in danger of losing Padme as well.
It’s at this point, along with a series of events, that he decides for himself that he knows what he must do. He will do anything within his power to save those whom he loves, but he doesn’t have enough power. With all of his knowledge of the force, he is still unable to save those he loves from death. He determines that he must do whatever it takes to achieve that level of knowledge and power, even if that means venturing toward the dark side.
His closest friends have warned him of the dark side. They’ve told him of its dangers, but he has determined that that is the way he must go. It is the only chance that he has of saving those he loves. However, through this quest for power and knowledge, he ultimately brings about the death that he had fought so hard to prevent. He had chosen his way, but like he’d been warned, that way had led to death.
Many of us can relate to that story. Maybe your story doesn’t end in the death of those closest to you, but we each have determined for ourselves which way is the right way. Be it right or be it wrong, we’ve each forged our own path to bring about the outcome we desire. Each of us has determined for ourselves which way is true and right. However, as we can see from Anakin’s tale, even the most well-intentioned paths aren’t always right.
As we’ve been studying through the book of John over the past six weeks, we’ve seen many declarations and statements from Jesus. We have seen that he is the bread of life. He is the light of the world, and he is the true vine. As we conclude this sermon series this morning, we come to John 14.
It was on the night that Jesus was to be betrayed and arrested. He had gathered together with his disciples to celebrate the passover meal. Trying to explain to them one last time what was about to happen, he tells them, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:2-4).
If you’re confused by that statement, you’re not alone. Jesus’ were much like any average person of the day. There were many things which Jesus said to them that they didn’t understand at the time. But much like us today, they were often too proud to ask. However, in this case Thomas, who was not one to let anything go by without his comprehension, spoke up saying, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5).
However, as we discussed last fall, this cannot be the case. In the spirit of inclusiveness we like to declare that all beliefs are true and that all truth is relative, but in reality, this can’t be the case. To demonstrate this we looked at a tactic coined by Dr. Frank Turek as “The Roadrunner Tactic.” This tactic seeks to apply a claim to itself in order to show that it has no ground upon which to stand.
All truth is relative. In order to apply the Roadrunner Tactic to this claim, we simply need ask the question, “Is that a relative truth?” The claim that all truth is relative is a claim to absolute truth. This claim seeks to apply itself to all truths yet claims that no truth can do so.
In our study on this topic of truth, we tackled the age-old phrase, “It’s true for you but not for me.” This is at the heart of this inclusive “every way leads to God” mindset. However, if we apply the Roadrunner Tactic we find that “It’s true for you but not for me” can’t be true because “It’s true for you but not for me” is a claim to absolute truth and therefore can’t be true for everybody.
If someone says to you, “It’s true for you but not for me,” a fun way to combat this argument is to simply tell them to go try that with their bank teller. When money gets tight, go to your bank teller and tell them, “I’d like to withdraw ten thousand dollars.” Your teller will pull up your account and say, “I’m sorry, you only have $36.27.” Try telling them, “Well, that’s true for you but not for me. Just give me my ten grand.”
It’s absurd when you think of it that way, yet when it comes to inconvenient truth claims such as, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” suddenly we get the idea that we pick and choose what is truth. If Jesus is the way, then Allah and Buddha can’t be, and likewise vise versa. We’ve seen plenty of evidence to back up this idea that Jesus is who he claimed to be. I don’t have time to get into all here, but if you’re interested, I’d encourage you to check out the Prove It series.
If Jesus truly is God as he claimed, then he is the way. What does this mean? Suppose you’re in a new town and your GPS is broken. You’re trying to find a particular place and you do the one thing that every guy is forbidden from doing, ask for directions. You find a person, and they explain to you, “Go to the second stoplight and turn right. Then go about three blocks and take another right. After you pass the bank, the place you’re looking for will be on the left.”
In that moment they have told you the way. Chances are that you’ll be lost before you get halfway there. However, if that person says, follow me and I’ll get you where you’re going. In that sense, that person has become the way. You cannot miss your destination as long as you follow them.
That is what Jesus does. He doesn’t simply give us directions and advice on how to reach the Father. Instead he takes us by the hand and leads us, day in and day out. He strengthens and guides us. He doesn’t simply tell us the way. He is the Way.
You may say, “That’s all good and well, but why should I believe that Jesus is the way? Mohammed claimed to know the way as well.” That’s true, but once again you have to look at the evidence behind each claim. As I said, we have much evidence that the narrative given by the New Testament is true. Likewise, Jesus not only claimed to be the Way, he also makes claim to being truth.
Truth can be known. We all inherently know this to be true. It’s self defeating to say that it can’t. Many men have come and have claimed to know the truth, but no man has embodied it like Jesus. There is a striking importance to moral truth.
If a man stands before you and tries to teach you Spanish, calculus, or astronomy, the moral character of the man is of little consequence. However, if a man proposes to teach moral truth, the moral character of that man is of the utmost importance. A thief that teaches the importance of property ownership or an adulterer stressing the importance of purity won’t be effective. Moral truth cannot be conveyed merely by words but must be lived out in the real world, and that is precisely what Jesus did. Many great men and women can say, “I have taught you the truth,” but only Jesus could say, “I am the truth.” Not only has the statement of moral perfection found it’s peak in him, but the fact of moral perfection has found its realization in him.
Jesus has also declared that he is the life. If there’s one thing than mankind seeks above all else, it is life. Even our quest for knowledge is not a quest for knowledge itself but a quest for that which makes life worth living. A writer makes one character in his novel fall in love with another only to say, “I never knew what life was until I found it in your love.” Love brings life.
This is what Jesus does. He brings abundant life to those who are dead. Jesus puts it this way, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way to God. We can make our own way by following Allah or Buddha or trying to do enough good things, but just like Anakin Skywalker, our own ways will lead only to death.
Only in Jesus can we see who God is and what he’s like. Only through Jesus can we find our way to the throne of God without fear or shame. Only through him will we know the truth and have life.
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He’s the only one that could claim that because that is who he is. You don’t have to believe it. He gives you the freedom to reject him and his claims. You can go about your life believing that every way leads to eternal life or that if you’re a good enough person you’ll earn it. However, you can’t deny what Jesus has said or the life that he’s lived.
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The only question remaining is whether you’re going to follow the truth or remain in darkness. There are really no other choices. Either you accept him for who he is or reject him for your own reality. The choice is up to you.