The Bible acts as the inspiration of the Christian faith. The Holy Bible’s words, stories, truths, and advice all guide and shape us as believers. We spend our lives searching the scripture in hopes that we will catch a glimpse of Heaven. In an effort to know God, understand his mysterious ways, and make him known, we pour over the familiar passages of the Bible over and once more. Miraculously, the text never fails us; it all the time sheds latest light on who God is and the plans he has for us.
Within the sacred text, certain passages are central to guiding us on our path to God. John 14 incorporates one in all those key dialogues during which Jesus’ disciples are attempting to know the right way to find Jesus, as he had warned them of his imminent departure. They couldn’t fathom how they might have the ability to proceed to be in a relationship with Jesus if he weren’t in physical proximity, which is sensible, as in all other human relationships, now we have to physically connect in a roundabout way to be able to be in community. At that time, the disciples didn’t yet fully understand who Jesus was and the way supernatural his mission on Earth was.
The conversation in John 14:5-7 states, “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you’re going, so how can we all know the way in which?” Jesus answered, “I’m the way in which and the reality and the life. No one involves the Father except through me. If you actually know me, you’ll know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Jesus clearly defines for Thomas and all humanity the approach to Heaven, and we learn that Jesus is the gatekeeper to Heaven’s entrance. If we wish to spend eternity with God, we must accept Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior. He is the way; no other way is sufficient to avoid wasting us from death and everlasting separation from the Father.
Why Is Jesus the Gatekeeper?
Jesus’ life as a person and sacrificial death on the cross are what uniquely qualify Jesus for this job. Enduring Word Commentary says, “ In light of soon events, this declaration was a paradox. Jesus’ way can be the cross; He can be convicted by blatant liars; His body would soon lie lifeless in a tomb. Because He took that way, He is the approach to God; because He didn’t contest the lies, we will imagine He is the reality; because He was willing to die He becomes the channel of resurrection – the life to us.”
His death revealed to all mankind Jesus’ true identity because the Messiah and, even greater than that, his immense love for us. Jesus was by no means what the world had expected, but he’s every part we’d like. He lived fully as a person. Jesus can understand what it’s to be drained, grieved, lonely, pained, sick, stressed, tempted, jealous, joyful, and more. His years walking in our shoes qualify him as our mediator. Romans 8:34 states, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—greater than that, who was raised to life—is at the correct hand of God and can be interceding for us.” He has compassion for us because he has literally been in our shoes.
Then his glory, power, and plan got here clear when his life got here to a predicted yet gruesome end. Jesus didn’t fight his fate, regardless that we see that as he sweat out tears of blood within the Garden of Gethsemane, he was burdened by the mission given to Him by his Father (Matthew 26:36-46). Nonetheless, Jesus willingly surrendered to the desire of his Father, selecting to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Jesus, without dispute, was tortured and publicly killed as a criminal on the cross. His blood poured out so our sins could possibly be washed clean. Grace upon grace for all humanity freely given on the cross.
Yet, that’s not the tip of the story! His resurrection is where we see Jesus’ power revealed. Without the rolling away of the stone and his resurrected body on display to all of his disciples, Jesus would have just been a radical Rabi but nothing more. Jesus proves that he’s more powerful than death, essentially the most certain power at work on our planet, and this is the reason we trust Him to steer us towards Heaven.
Jesus Alone Is the Path to Heaven
Jesus’s stating he alone is the approach to the Father, the approach to Heaven, was by far essentially the most controversial statement he ever made. Often, we struggle with this because we worry that a singular path to God is just too limiting. We worry that Jesus isn’t enough for all of humanity.
Yet, God is consistent in that even within the Old Testament, he requires exclusivity from his followers. The Ten Commandments begin, “I’m the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the home of bondage. You shall don’t have any other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2-3).” This message appears throughout the stories of the Old Testament because the individuals are often urged to let go of their idols and worship the One True God.
Additionally, the prophets foretell of a Messiah that the Jewish people spent lots of of years anticipating. It is evident in scripture that the Messiah alone had the ability to redeem his people and produce hope to our world. Here are only a number of of the verses that time directly towards Jesus:
Therefore, the Lord himself provides you with an indication: The virgin will conceive and provides birth to a son, and can call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, laid low with him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we’re healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 4-6)
“I’ll send my messenger, who will prepare the way in which before me. Then suddenly the Lord you’re looking for will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)
These are only a number of of the many verses that clarify God’s plan to point out us the approach to Heaven through a redeemer, and the small print in these verses perfectly align with Jesus’ story. It’s truly breathtaking to contemplate how graciously God made clear through the Bible Jesus’ identity and his role. Jesus is the sunshine, the way in which, and the reality.
God made salvation easy in order that we’d imagine! He gave us a person, which is kind of amazing because if he’d shown up on Earth in every other form, we’d have been too freaked out to wrap our minds around what was happening. God showed himself to us through a medium that we could best understand. He wrote a book about this man, telling us all about him from the beginning of Creation, so we’d recognize his Son. Then Jesus himself told us in plain language exactly who he’s and what he got here for. He proved his identity through his miraculous death and resurrection. Then he set all his followers on a mission to share this one singular, life-changing truth with the world until the day he comes again and ushers in the long run of this chapter of human life. Jesus will not be too small to achieve the world; our imaginations are only not large enough to know how great and gracious God is.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Keith Hardy
