The Way, The Truth, and The Life

ONE of the most famous quotes of Jesus, found in the Gospel of John Chapter 14. Jesus adresses Thomas' question of direction -not seeing, knowing or comprehending how to reach the same destination Christ had refered to as HE comforted HIS discples. We all know Thomas was a doubter, refusing to believe Christ had risen from the dead until he sees and touches the wounds of Jesus. Doubt is something we all grapple with at some point in our lives -particularly when we don't see a path forward or can't determine what is true. Doubt can undermine hope, faith, and vision, particularly in relationships. In this interaction Jesus adresses Thomas' question with three distinct statements. The first two adresses the questions Thomas, and quite frankly all of us grapple with at times -our longing for direction, clarity and truth. It just does not feel good to be without direction or clarity. These are two areas most Christains fixate on to eliviate any lack of clarity in issues of direction and truth. Some focus more on the way -methods, paths or processes to reach a sense of peace or fulfillmnent, which may involve many kinds of good deeds, including helping, instructing or directing others. Others fixate on finding the truth, proclaiming what they believe to be uncompromised truth not only to others, but to themselves. Exposing lies becomes an obsession, along with convincing every mind -including their own, of their understanding of "truth". Laying down stones of truth as a immovable foundation can build some sense of security. Then there's 'The Life'. How many of us really understand what Jesus is trying to say with this statement. What is Life? What does it mean to be alive? Grapple with that for a moment. We can process and package both "way" and "truth" with our own understanding, but how do we process "The Life" Jesus states He is? Earlier on in John chaper 10, Jesus is quoted as stating "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Is it possible to be more alive than our breathing heart beating bodies currently are? If so, how does one tap this source of "Abundant Life". Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard our heart above all else, for it is the wellspring of life. This seems to be the key connection and the core of what Christ leads us to focus on. As our hearts beat and pump blood through are bodies, are our wellsprings well or have they been contaminated? We know water can bring life as well as death, dependant on whether the water is clean or not. (to be continued..)