John 14:6 (ESV)
⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Every aspect of this trio of “I am” statements is significant. Jesus begins by emphasizing that He is the way. He opened that way by the death that He experienced on the cross (Hebrews 10:19-20). In the Hebrews epistle, the most holy place (holy of holies) represents heaven, and the curtain was a type of the flesh of Jesus. In order to enter into the other side of the curtain (heaven), Jesus had to die on the cross. In doing that, He became the way into the holy of holies, that is, into the presence of God. This is true on two levels. First, through Jesus we have fellowship with the Father right now, which includes continual access to Him (Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:16). Second, we have a way to literally get to heaven where God is (Hebrews 6:18-20). Truly Jesus is the way.

There are two things we should consider when thinking of Jesus being the way. First, He is the only way. Jesus did not speak of being one of the ways. He spoke of being THE WAY. No other man, scheme, or religion will get man to the Father. The only way to get to Him is by Jesus. All other ways lead to death (Proverbs 14:12). Second, and this is precisely why Jesus is the way, He is the only one who has ever lived and is qualified because He was perfectly sinless. His death on the cross, then, satisfied the demand of the Father (Romans 6:23). Jesus could die for us, opening the way to the Father, without being condemned because He was a sinless sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).

Next, Jesus told His disciples that He was the truth. Jesus is the truth in that all that He taught and proclaimed while here on earth was true. There had been many false prophets to come into the world, but Jesus was and is the true One. Whether or not the Jews accepted Him was irrelevant to the truth. Whether or not the world receives Him today is inconsequential so far as truth is concerned. Jesus is the true one sent by the Father for the redemption of mankind, and every word that He ever spoke, whether it had to do with Him and Who He was, or any other subject, was the truth. But, there is something else just as significant, and perhaps closer to what Jesus meant, that is, that Jesus reveals the truth about the Father. Through Jesus man can finally come to an understanding about the true and living God (1 John 5:20). We know the Father because of the truth that the Son has revealed to us. Natural revelation tells us that there is a God, but special revelation, first in the person of Jesus Christ, and then in the form of written revelation, teaches us about the nature and character of God. So, Jesus is the truth in that through Him we come to know the truth about the Father.

Finally, He is the life. This hardly needs explanation. It is only through Jesus that eternal life can be secured. When many disciples left Jesus because they did not like what He taught, Jesus turned and asked the apostles if they would also go away (John 6:66-67). Peter said, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (ver. 68). Yes, Jesus is the life, and He continues to have the words of eternal life. If anyone wants to be saved, they must turn to Jesus and accept Him as their Savior by obeying the gospel (Mark 16:16). If you are a Christian, thank God every day that you have done that, and do not make the mistake of those disciples of old who went back and walked no more with Him.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.