{"id":407,"date":"2010-10-26T13:25:17","date_gmt":"2010-10-26T13:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thinplaces\/2010\/10\/questions-for-jesus-how-can-we-know-the-way.html"},"modified":"2010-10-26T13:25:17","modified_gmt":"2010-10-26T13:25:17","slug":"questions-for-jesus-how-can-we-know-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/2010\/10\/questions-for-jesus-how-can-we-know-the-way.html","title":{"rendered":"Questions for Jesus: How Can We Know the Way?"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"Thumbnail<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I’m a Type-A personality. I like goals. I like predictions.
\nI like plans. If we’re headed somewhere in the car, I take my I-Phone along so
\nI can look up our route and see the traffic conditions, find out the predicted
\ntime it will take to get from point A to point B, and adjust the plan if
\nnecessary. I like knowing where I’m going. And I like knowing how to get there.<\/p>\n

Many years ago, I took a few road trips with my sister Kate.
\nI don’t remember the scenery or the food or how long we were in the car even
\nmuch about our destination. But I do remember a time when I was driving and we
\nrealized we were in the wrong state. Kate asked, “How are we going to get
\nhome?” and I, ever the older sister, replied, “From here!” with great
\nconfidence, as if my words would reassure her. Thankfully, she knew me well
\nenough to burst out in laughter and suggest we pull over at the next gas
\nstation. <\/p>\n

I thought back to those words: “From here!” when I read
\nJesus’ encounter with his disciples in John 14<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Jesus said, “You know
\nthe way to the place where I am going.”<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/span>Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t
\nknow where you are going, so how can we know the way?”<\/i><\/p>\n

Jesus answered,
\n“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
\nexcept through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
\nFrom now on, you do know him and have seen him.”<\/i><\/p>\n

I suspect that Thomas and I share some personality traits.
\nThomas just wants to know the plan and follow it. He’d like a map, or a GPS
\nsystem, or an I-Phone with an app titled: “How to get to God in a few simple
\nsteps.”<\/p>\n

But Jesus doesn’t give Thomas what he wants. In fact, Jesus’
\nanswer is just as enigmatic (if, ultimately, both more profound and more
\nhelpful) as my response to my sister all those years ago. <\/p>\n

So what does Jesus want Thomas to understand, if not the
\ndetailed plan of how to get to God?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First, Jesus wants Thomas to understand something about who he, Jesus, is. Rather than suggesting that he is simply a gateway to God, or a messenger of God, or one who points to God, he says, “I am the way… If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” Jesus says, God and I are one and the same.<\/p>\n

Second, Jesus is changing the terms. Thomas asks a simple question. He just wants to know the Father better. He’s earnest. He’s straightforward. He’s humble, willing to admit that he doesn’t know what’s going on. But instead of giving him directions, Jesus says, “I am the way.” He doesn’t give him a map. He gives himself. He gives a relationship. He implies that observing certain commandments or living a certain way or seeking God’s approval is not the way to the Father. But a relationship is.<\/p>\n

There’s much more to be said about this passage, and much ink (and blood) has been shed trying to parse out whether Jesus is “the only way” to the Father. But Jesus offers these words as a source of comfort and invitation. He wants to assure his disciples that life with God is not a riddle. It’s not dependent upon having the right GPS system. It’s dependent only upon knowing Jesus.<\/p>\n

All those years ago, Kate and I made it home in one piece, although we were an hour or two late. The funny thing is, for all my love of maps and plans, it didn’t matter how we got there or even when we took a wrong turn. What mattered was being together, laughing in the midst of the absurdities, sharing the journey. Similarly, Jesus implies that knowing God is not about getting to a destination on time but being together right now. It’s not about getting it all right, but about living life in God’s presence. Jesus invites us not to follow a list of directions but rather, to live with him. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m a Type-A personality. I like goals. I like predictions. I like plans. 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Two major life experiences have shaped her writing and her faith\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcaring for her mother-in-law as she battled cancer and welcoming her daughter Penny into the world after she was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome. Both experiences expanded and enriched her understanding of what it means to be human and to receive each and every person as a gift.\u00c2\u00a0 A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, she is the author of Penelope Ayers: A Memoir, and the forthcoming A Good and Perfect Gift (Bethany House). Her essays have appeared in First Things, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Century, ChristianityToday.com, and Bloom, among other online venues.","sameAs":["http:\/\/amyjuliabecker.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/author\/amyjuliabecker"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thinplaces\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}