In What Way Is Jesus the Way?

In What Way is Jesus The Way?

Posted on by Michele Morin

Human beings in 2024 are touchy about exclusivity. It’s fine for you to have a strong opinion about a product, a candidate for office, or even a moral stance—up to a point. The push-back occurs if and when you have the audacity to imply that your truth, your way, or your lifestyle is the correct one, the only valid one.

However, this is exactly what Jesus did. He was trying to comfort his disciples after giving them the troubling news that he would be leaving them, that some of them would betray him. He wanted them to know, however, that they weren’t on a spiritual dead end!

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”

John 14:6

With all the loud voices of Jesus’s day claiming to offer access to God, he claimed, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” For anyone with a bit of biblical literacy, the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are loaded with explanatory metaphors that make his claim visible: the curtain around the Most Holy place was severed from top to bottom, his blood provided the once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin, he now sits at the right hand of his Father, continually interceding for us.

Jesus is the Way to God. You can’t get there by being kind, by being the church lady with all the casseroles, or even by teaching Sunday school for fifty years (as good as all those things are!) He is the way because he is also the truth and the life.

Eugene Peterson adds this clarity: “The Jesus way wedded to the Jesus truth brings about the Jesus life.” We can’t have the Jesus life or the Jesus way without his truth. However, the Jesus Way may not align with the American way, the easy way, the most efficient way, or even the way that looks like success by my own standards.

“The Jesus way wedded to the Jesus truth brings about the Jesus life.” #EugenePeterson #TheJesusWay

When he says, “Follow me,” Jesus invites us into an apprenticeship, into a countercultural set of values that may feel like excruciatingly pure obedience. Calling himself The Way implies that how things are done really matters.

The invitation then is clear: He has given us the four gospels and the remainder of the sacred text, all of which points to him, showing us his life, laying out his truth, and enabling us to follow his way.

  • Are you willing to choose his way when it cuts across the way that seems easier? More convenient? Less risky?
  • Is it clear to you that when you choose the Jesus way, he travels with you?

Jesus is the Way to God. You can’t get there by being kind, by being the church lady with all the casseroles, or even by teaching Sunday school for fifty years. He is the way because he is also the truth and the life.

And Now Let’s Talk Books…

John Mark Comer’s perspective on becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ involves an apprenticeship relationship featuring three driving goals:

  • Be with Jesus.
  • Become like Jesus.
  • Do what Jesus did.

He argues that everyone is apprenticed to someone, everyone is living by faith in something, and everyone is abiding in some source they are convinced will give them the kind of life they long for. The book is an argument for the wisdom and effectiveness of placing our faith, apprenticing with, and making our home in Christ. This is the source of true life transformation, and this is what it means to be Practicing the Way.

Christians have been called to embrace more than a creed. We are called to embrace a way of life. Comer defines this spiritual formation as “the process of being formed into people of love in Christ.”

Truly, there is nothing new in his argument for rigorous habits of holiness and hospitality and seeking the face of God. Therefore, earnest practitioners will need to guard against the same historical risk of lapsing into a DIY spirituality or (even worse) creating a hierarchical Christianity in which the varsity-level believers experience communion with Jesus, and the common folk get nothing but a ticket to heaven.

By the way, this is not the first time I’ve been challenged by the writing of John Mark Comer! Click HERE to access my review of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.

Holding You in the Light,

Christians have been called to embrace more than a creed. We are called to embrace a way of life in which we are “being formed into people of love in Christ.” #PracticingtheWay @WaterBrookPress #johnmarkcomer

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As you know, I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path. At Living Our Days, I provide biblical content and resources to encourage biblical literacy and faithful living, and now I’m sharing devotional content on the YouVersion app. Visit my profile page to get free access to the reading plans!

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the image, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll receive a few pennies at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to Waterbrook and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

13 thoughts on “In What Way is Jesus The Way?”

  1. Amen! My husband just bought the book “Practicing the Way” over the weekend while we were visiting with our daughter in New York. I appreciate your review and may have to give it a read when he’s finished with it.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I was challenged recently by Comer’s writing as well. I think being mindful of what distracts us from pursuing God creates spiritual habits that can move us toward an “apprentice relationship” with Christ. It really is the constant checking into our heart state, too, isn’t it?

    Liked by 1 person

  3. That’s so true that, these days, anything smacking of exclusivity calls forth a negative response. But I think that’s mainly because people want to do things their own way, not God’s. Our ladies’ Bible study is going through Isaiah–same story there. How gracious of God to keep pointing rebellious people back to the only Way.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. […] In What Way Is Jesus the Way? “Jesus is the Way to God. You can’t get there by being kind, by being the church lady with all the casseroles, or even by teaching Sunday school for fifty years (as good as all those things are!) He is the way because he is also the truth and the life.” […]

    Like

  7. His life. His truth. His way. “Calling himself The Way implies that how things are done really matters.” Powerful post for which I am grateful. May I live in such a way, His way, so that my life makes a difference to someone. And I appreciate the book review!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for this affirmation, Joanne. We really do need a continual recommitment. We want his life, but we want to live by our own truth and in our own way, and it just won’t happen!

      Like

  8. “When he says, “Follow me,” Jesus invites us into an apprenticeship, into a countercultural set of values that may feel like excruciatingly pure obedience. Calling himself The Way implies that how things are done really matters.” Learning that how we accomplish our tasks is as important as what we do changes mundane tasks into acts of worship. Great post, as always!

    Liked by 2 people

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