MapQuest

I was awe struck the other day as I read John 14:6 where Jesus continues His discussion of mansions in heaven.  In this verse He declared who He was, proclaiming, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV)  The first thing that caught my attention was how Jesus identified Himself in union and authority with the Father by telling His disciples the same thing that God told Moses when he asked God what he should say to the Israelites as to who sent him.  Like His father before Him, Jesus described Himself as the great “I Am!”

The Jewish people at that time knew exactly what He was referring to.  Jesus had said the same thing to some of the Jewish leaders back in John 8:58 and they immediately picked up stones to throw at Him because of His brash (and to them) blasphemous statement.  When the Father told Moses in Exodus 3:14 that “I AM WHO I AM” (NIV) He was unveiling His name Jehovah to the Israelite nation.  It is the name that describes Him as self-existent without any dependence on any other, as eternal and unchangeable, and as the One who is faithful and true to His Word and all the promises contained therein.

Then Jesus talked about three different responsibilities, roles or parts of Himself in relation to mankind.  He said that “I am the way, the truth and the life.” In the original Greek the word “way” pictures “a road, a traveler’s way, progress in life, a course of conduct, and a way or manner of thinking, feeling or deciding.” (Strong’s and Thayer’s Greek Definitions)  In today’s vernacular one could say it describes the roads we individually travel in this life.

I am a big fan of MapQuest.  Before I go anywhere that I may be unfamiliar with I will usually check out the driving instructions on MapQuest.  I also have the app on my iPhone so I can check directions when I am away from my computer!  When my wife’s brain specialist moved to a new office in San Francisco a few months ago I MapQuested the route but was still a little confused at the directions it gave.  It is amazing the amount of detail you can get the deeper you go into your search with this program.  I finally got to the place where I had close up visuals of the office building/hospital and surrounding businesses and apartments.  When we actually drove into the new neighborhood in the Castro district of the City, I knew exactly where I was going and felt like I had been there before!

That is a similar example of what Jesus was talking about when He said that He was the way.  John 1:1 declares that Jesus and the Word of God as recorded in our Bibles are one.  Therefore the deeper we go into the study of His Word, the greater depth of detail we will receive concerning the directions we are to follow in our day to day life.  Then as the different events of our lives begin to unfold, we will know exactly what to do just as if we had done it all before!  Just as we parents want and train our kids to be prepared for the things that they will face in this life, our heavenly Father wants and has provided a way for us to be prepared to accurately handle the various situations as they come up.

Tomorrow we’ll have some thoughts on what Jesus was referring to when He discussed His role as “the truth,” but for now, think about how firmly you are established in His way for your life.  The good thing is that no matter where you think you might be, He always has more details available for you to discover in the pages of His Word!  Have a good trip!  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What DIRECTIONS I am expecting today?”