Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
Note that Thomas’ question was put to Jesus in a two-fold manner: what was the goal and what was the way of accomplishing it? Jesus reverses the order and tells him first the manner of accomplishing it (Jesus Himself) and then what was the goal (going to the Father).
If he is really the Incarnate Son of God (1:1,14,18), these words are necessarily true. Why?
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
The Way
Christ is the way, that highway spoken of in (Isa 35:8). He is also the way spoken of in (Psalm 27:11). He not only shows men the way by revealing it to them, but He is the way to God since He redeems men by His sacrifice. Note that Jesus was his own way, for it was by his own blood that he entered into the holy place (Heb 9:12), and he is our way, for we also enter by him (Heb 10:19-22). As Barclay points out, Jesus doesn’t just give us advice and directions; He takes us by the hand and leads us and then gives us the strength to walk the path. He doesn’t just tell us about the way; He is the way.
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.
Psalms 27:11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
The Truth
Christ is the substance of all the Old-Testament types; He is the true manna (John 6:32) and the true tabernacle (Heb 8:2). Christ Himself is utterly dependable; He cannot lie for He is the personification of truth. Thus, all that He has taught, all that He has revealed is the truth. The gospel is money in the bank (2 Cor 1:20). Many men have told us the truth but only Jesus has completely lived it. Barclay notes that “moral truth cannot be conveyed solely in words; it must be conveyed in example. . . . Only Jesus could say, ‘I am the truth.’”
John 6:32 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
Hebrews 8:2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
The Life
Jesus is the life (John 11:25, 5:26, 3:16). We are alive unto God only in and through Jesus Christ, (Romans 6:11). He is not only life and the source of eternal life, but He makes the life we live on this planet worth living (John 10:10).
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
These three expressions show us the many-sidedness of the gospel. “He is the beginning, the middle, and the end. In him we must set out, go on, and finish. As the truth, he is the guide of our way; as the life, he is the end of it.” (Matthew Henry)
Zerwick sees the triple “the” articles as being inexplicable unless the reference “is to Christ as the real truth, life, light, etc.; all other truths, lives, lights, being transitory.” (qt’d in Morris)
Since Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, it is not surprising that no one can come to the Father but through Him.
Morris advises us to “not overlook the faith involved both in the utterance and in the acceptance of those words, spoken as they were on the eve of the crucifixion. ‘I am the Way,’ said One who shortly would hang impotent on a cross. ‘I am the Truth,’ when the lies of evil men were about to enjoy a spectacular triumph. ‘I am the Life,’ when within a few hours His corpse would be placed in a tomb.”
Jesus knew who He was and He knew He would be able to take care of those who loved Him. His disciples could fully and completely put their trust in Him and so can you. Is Jesus your Way? Is He your Truth? And is He your Life? Without Him we have no hope, but when we place our faith in Him, He becomes all that we need.