March 23, 2026 | Be Connected
Jesus is the Way, Truth, Life
Scripture: John 14:1-14(NIV)
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Devotional
Let's set the context before we dive into what Jesus is saying here in John 14. Preceding this gathering in the Upper Room, there had been a series of unsettling events outlined in Chapter 13. Jesus, the Master, had washed His disciple's feet. Then, He predicted one of them would betray Him, and even the "super disciple," Peter, would deny Him. It must have felt like the world was turning upside down.
In our passage today, Jesus has gathered the disciples together with Him one last time to eat and drink and share His final instructions. He spoke urgently and passionately about what was going to happen when He went away.
I'm sure the more he talked that way, the more confused and frightened the disciples became. They may not have said it in so many words, but they had to be wondering if they had made a mistake by following Him.
In their confusion, the disciples start grasping for straws. Thomas asks for a place to go where he can be with Jesus, and it would all be alright. Thomas wants a roadmap back to "normal." Whereas Philip's request of Jesus to "show them the Father" is really an ask for certainty. Isn't that what we naturally want in our troubling circumstances: either a return to stability or certainty in our move forward?
Jesus offers neither. He offers something altogether better when He answers Thomas, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus knew the greatest comfort in any adversity and in every crisis can only be found in Him. Only Jesus Himself could supply the disciples the resources to weather the coming storm.
This is the sixth of seven," I AM" statements in the book of John. Collectively, they declare the divinity of Jesus. And yet, somehow, they simultaneously answer our biggest questions in life. The "I am" statements serve as answers to questions about our identity, purpose and potential. For example, to those who were hungry or worried about provision, Jesus declared that He was the bread of life. And to those in spiritual darkness, He declared that He was the light of the world.
In this case, Jesus' "I AM the way, the truth and the life," answers how the disciples can make it through the crucifixion and loss of their Rabbi. The answer they received is the same for us and the storms coming our way. Only a life in relationship with Jesus can ground, guide and comfort us when we feel like our world is turning upside down.
How are you depending on Jesus today?
