Fifth Sunday of Easter
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14”6) – this saying of Jesus has been interpreted and preached in various ways. For us Christians, the saying is a total assurance of our faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it is a stumbling block for conversation with people from other religions. The truth of the matter is that Jesus himself did not make the statement to state the superiority of Christianity over other religions. If we understand the context in which Jesus made the statement and the Greek words for way, truth, and life, we realize that Jesus statement is rich expression of Jesus life and ministry. It is also an invitation to his disciples to follow “the way” of Jesus.
The Context
Today’s gospel is taken from John 14. But John 13 is critical in interpreting John 14. Jonn 13 begins Jesus’ farewell address to his disciples. In the other three Gospels, the account of the Last Supper is an integral part of Jesus’ farewell. John, on the other hand, merely mentions the Last Supper. He does not say, “Jesus took bread and said this is my body,” or “Took the wine and said, this is my blood,” or, “Do this is remembrance of me.” Instead, John gives a detailed account of Jesus getting up from supper and washing the feet of his disciples. He then says to them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” It becomes John’s “Do this is remembrance of me.”
After supper, Jesus bid farewell to his disciples, saying, “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me… Where I go you cannot come…” (Jn 13:33). Jesus’ farewell threw the disciples into anxiety. This anxiety leads us to John 14 and also provides us the context for Jesus’ saying.
Jesus’ Consolation of the Disciples
In Chapter 14, which is also our gospel reading, Jesus quickly turns to console his anxious disciples. He says to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God. Have faith also in me!” (Jn 14:1). As if it was not enough, he continues, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” The disciples are clueless. They say, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” At this Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:13).
There are two purposes of the statement. First, it is Jesus’ self-revelation. In his words and life Jesus revealed the Father. Jesus is the way to the Father. “The way” leads somewhere – to the Father. Jesus is the unique and saving revelation of God. He is the only way to the Father.
However, the statement is more than a self-revelation and it is captured by the words, “truth” and “life”. The two words – “truth” and “life” – describe not Jesus, but “the way.” The way that Jesus is and shows is the truth and the life. Jesus was not only revealing who he is but also what he does. The washing of the disciple’s feet is integral to who Jesus is. The disciples should know that Jesus’ ‘way’ back to the Father will only be accomplished by his loving and total self-gift of himself to God and to humanity. Just as the serpent was lifted up in the desert, Jesus will be lifted up on the cross (Jn 3:14). This is “the way.” The way of his loving and total self-gift is also the truth, and in this way is life.
Jesus has answered Thomas and Phillip’s questions. Jesus is “the way” and Jesus has shown them the way to the Father. The disciples must follow “the way” of Jesus to the Father. “The Way” is the truth and it is life.
Implications
Let us draw some practical implications. The best way to do this is to explore the Greek words for way, truth, life.
Way – hodos: The Greek hodos means a road, a path, a way of walking through life. Let us recall that the early followers of Christ were first called, “Followers of The Way.” This means that, on the one hand, Jesus is the way to the Father. On the other hand, it means that Jesus is more than a set of doctrines. Jesus is a way of life. We don’t just believe in something. We believe in Somebody and the way of love and total self-gift that Jesus showed.
Truth – alētheia: The Greek world alētheia literally means the state of not being hidden. In other words, truth here refers to what is being made known by Jesus. The way being made known by Jesus is the way that leads to the Father. Jesus is the way and the way is no longer hidden. It is made known to the world. To follow the way Jesus has revealed is to walk in the truth.
Life – zōē: Greek has two words for life – bios and zōē. Bios is biological existence. That is not the word Jesus uses. Throughout the gospels Jesus uses zōē. For example, he says, “I am the bread of zōē.” Jesus was not promising length in biological existence, but rather, the fulness of life, or the state of being fully alive. When Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life” he was saying that there is abundant life in walking the way of Jesus.
The Eucharist is the best way to understand Jesus’ statement “I am the way the truth and the life.” We are at the commemoration of the Last Supper when Jesus not only gave himself in a loving and total self-gift but also got up from supper and washed the feet of his disciples. The Eucharist is not merely a doctrinal statement. It is the true way of life Jesus showed us. It is a way of life that leads us to the fullness of life.
As we eat of the bread of life and drink of the cup of salvation, Jesus does not send us out to go and debate with people of other religions or condemn them. Rather, he sends us out to reveal “the way” to the world. It is the way of Jesus – the way of loving and total self-gift to God and to our neighbor. This way of Jesus is the truth and in this way is the fullness of life. Let us not only celebrate the Eucharist but alsolive “the way the truth and the life.” Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph