The Brown Book Commentaries

“I represent the Way [of Oneness],
the Truth [of Love], and the Life [of God].”
~ Jesus (John 14:6)
This verse traditionally reads ―I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me‖, and is extremely popular among conservative Christians – who believe
wholeheartedly (actually half-heartedly, for no truly whole Heart can believe such exclusivist
rhetoric) that it supports their belief that the self-appointed apostle Paul was right; namely, that
Jesus Christ is the only Son of the only God, and that salvation in the eternal Hereafter can only be
attained by worshipping him as Lord … Taking this verse all by its self (i.e. refusing to read it in
the context of Jesus‘ entire ministry) and neglecting to examine the actual G reek words used in its
ancient manuscripts could very well lead one to harbor such a dramatically errant belief. And yet
when we do apply context and scholarship to this verse, a very different meaning blossoms forth
from its words … First of all, please remember that the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus
Christ consisted first & foremost all of one primary message – a message he called ―the Good
News‖ (or ―the Gospel‖) – a message that for him at least consisted of two parts: first, that
Heaven was already ―at hand‖ (i.e. already fully available in every moment of our current lives –
see Matthew 10:7), and second, that entry into this internal experience of Paradise was made by
serving others with acts that were both selfless & Loving (see Matthew 24:12-14). This Gospel
was very different from Paul‘s self-created ―gospel‖ (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 & Romans 10:9, the
message of which Jesus openly and vehemently rejected in Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 7:16,
John 8:50-54 & John 12:44 et al) and yet Jesus‘ is the Gospel that we must keep in mind if we ever
hope to accurately decipher what he meant by his words … Second, please remember that Jesus‘
heavenly Father was an internal essence (John 14:20); an essence that was viable in the ―Heaven‖
available in each & every present moment (Luke 17:20-21) – not an external, celestial, benevolent
tyrant looking down from some ―elsewhere heaven‖ to which only the ―worthy‖ could go and live
eternally after their deaths … Third, please note that the word translated in the second half of this
verse as ―through‖ was the Greek dia – a word that did not mean ―via‖ or ―because of‖, but rather
meant ―throughout‖ or ―on account of‖ (see Strong‘s #1223) – in this case referring to the
emulation of The Way that Jesus taught, not the worship of the man he was (he always said
―follow me‖; never ―worship me‖) … Fourth, please note that Jesus‘ heavenly Father was
composed of unconditional, perfect Love (Matthew 5.48); a Love that showed constant mercy
(Luke 6:36), a Love that radiated limitless forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22), and a Love that
punished no one (John 5:22 + John 8:15 + John 12:47 + 1 John 4:18) – all scriptural facts that in &
of themselves fully preclude the validity of the conservative interpretation of this vase … Fifth,
for Jesus ―I am‖ never ever meant ―only I am.‖ Instead, every time he told us all what he was, he
was also showing us what we too could choose to become (see John 14:12 + John 12:47-48). In
support of this Truth, note the Greek used here – not merely ―I am‖, but ―I, I am‖ (ego eimi – see
Strong‘s #1473 & #1510) , an emphasis that did not pertain to Jesus himself, but rather to the
common ―Advocate within‖ that we all share (see John 14:20-26) … Sixth, Jesus was also clearly
a fan of combining Truths listed in a series (e.g. his 2 Commandments were actually two planks of
one sole Commandment – namely, Love God wholeheartedly by selflessly Caring for others – see
Matthew 22:37-40), and the same is true here – it is not that he is the Way & the Truth & the Life,
but rather that he is The Way (i.e. the interactive embodiment) of the Truth (the raw viability of
selfless Love) in the Life (lived accordingly) … Amen – Let it be so.
Image 359 (Page 135a) … This picture (which I call ―Autumnal Fire‖)
symbolizes the Truth that Beauty can be powerfully reflected (and thereby
potently given) even in time of pain or dying or death …
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