My Favorite Verses - Vol V (Feb 17 to Jun 17)
An illustrated collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved (and some of its least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
An illustrated collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved (and some of its least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
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John 14:6 … The Truth of the Way of Life<br />
(03/29/20<strong>17</strong>)<br />
“I represent the Way [of Oneness],<br />
the Truth [of Love], and the Life [of God].”<br />
~ Jesus (John 14:6)<br />
This verse traditionally reads “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one<br />
comes <strong>to</strong> the Father except through me”, and is extremely popular among<br />
conservative Christians – those who believe wholeheartedly (actually half-heartedly,<br />
for no truly whole Heart can believe such exclusivist rhe<strong>to</strong>ric) that it proves their belief<br />
that the self-appointed apostle Paul was right; namely, that Jesus Christ is the only<br />
Son of the only God, and that salvation in the eternal Hereafter can only be<br />
attained by worshipping him as Lord … And I will freely admit: taking this verse<br />
all by its self (i.e. refusing <strong>to</strong> read it in the context of Jesus‟ entire ministry) and<br />
neglecting <strong>to</strong> examine the actual G reek words used in its ancient manuscripts<br />
could very well lead one <strong>to</strong> harbor such a dramatically errant belief …<br />
And yet when we do apply context and scholarship <strong>to</strong> this verse, a very<br />
different meaning blossoms forth … Please consider:<br />
First, remember that the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus Christ<br />
consisted first & foremost all of one primary message – a message he called “the<br />
Good News” (or “the Gospel”) – a message that for him at least consisted of two<br />
parts: first, that Heaven was already “at hand” (i.e. already fully available in every<br />
moment of our current lives – see Matthew 10:7), and second, that entry in<strong>to</strong> this<br />
internal experience of Paradise was made by serving others with acts that were<br />
both selfless & Loving (see Matthew 24:12-14). This Gospel was very different<br />
from Paul‟s self-created “gospel” (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 & Romans 10:9, the<br />
message of which Jesus openly and vehemently rejected in Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John<br />
7:16, John 8:50-54 & John 12:44 et al) and yet Jesus‟ is the Gospel that we must keep<br />
in mind if we ever hope <strong>to</strong> accurately decipher what he meant by his words …<br />
Second, remember that Jesus‟ heavenly Father was an internal essence (John<br />
14:20); an essence that was viable in the “Heaven” available in each & every<br />
present moment (Luke <strong>17</strong>:20-21) – not an external, celestial, benevolent tyrant<br />
looking down from some “elsewhere heaven” <strong>to</strong> which only the “worthy” could go<br />
and live eternally after their deaths …<br />
Third, note that the word translated in the second half of this verse as<br />
“through” was the Greek dia – a word that did not mean “via” or “because of”, but<br />
rather meant “throughout” or “on account of” (see Strong‟s #1223) – in this case<br />
referring <strong>to</strong> the emulation of The Way that Jesus taught, not the worship of the<br />
man he was (he always said “follow me”; never “worship me”) …<br />
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