Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Names of Jesus Session 12- The Way, The Truth, and The Life



In the Bible, a name often signifies a person's identity, purpose, and reputation. It's not just a way to distinguish one person from another; it's a profound statement about who they are. Throughout this study, we'll explore how the names given to Jesus—from Old Testament prophecies to New Testament revelations—build a complete picture of His role in God's redemptive plan.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 1:23 NLT “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

In this session we will continue our discussion of the I Am declarations of Jesus. The "I Am" statements of Jesus are a series of profound declarations found in the Gospel of John. They are significant because they connect Jesus directly to God's own name as revealed to Moses in the Old Testament, which was "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). By using these statements, Jesus was not only revealing aspects of his own nature and identity, but also claiming divine authority. This week we discuss Jesus' declaration that He is the Way the Truth and the Life. John 14:6 (NIV): Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We’ve studied the names/titles Immanuel, Christ/Annointed One, Word, and Savior.

We have been  talking about the “I Am” statements of Jesus that are in the book of John.  Each revealing a different aspect of His identity and purpose. These statements are a direct echo of God's self-revelation to Moses in the Old Testament.

Exodus 3:13-15 NIV [13] Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” [14] God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” [15] God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 

Several weeks ago we studied the declaration “I am the good Shepherd

John 10:11-15 (NIV): "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep." 

The image of a shepherd is one of the most powerful and tender metaphors used to describe Jesus. It speaks to His role as a protector, a provider, and a loving guide for His people. and what it means for us as His sheep.

Then I am the bread of life.

John 6:35 NIV Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 

Thit was “I am the light of the world”

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Then it was I Am the Door (Gate) 

John 10:7-10 NIV. [7] Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. [8] All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. [9] I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. [10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Last week I am the resurrection and the life.

John 11:25-26 NIV [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The significance of Jesus's declaration, "I am the resurrection and the life," found in John 11:25, is profound because it shifts the focus of hope from a distant event to His own present person and power. 

Today

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This declaration by Jesus provides comfort, clarification, and direction to His disciples in a moment of distress.

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.

The Context 

Jesus made this statement during His final hours with His disciples, knowing He would soon be leaving them. 

They were troubled by His recent announcements of His departure and the betrayal.

I want you to read the entire 14th chapter of John but I just want to pull out a few verses for purposes of this study.  All of this is taking place at the last supper after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and they have sat down to eat the Passover meal.

John 13:21-24, 33, 36-38 NIV

[21] After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” [22] His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. [23] One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. [24] Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

[33]  “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

[36] Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” [37] Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” [38] Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

After saying that one of them would betray him and that the faithful Peter would deny Him He says in spite of all this

John 14:1–3 (NIV): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 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? 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.”

Jesus first offers comfort, assuring them that His departure is for their ultimate benefit—to prepare a place for them in heaven, a concept rooted in hope:

John 16:7-15 NIV [7] But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] about sin, because people do not believe in me; [10] about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. [12]  “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Remember Jesus had said He was going to prepare a place for them and that they know the place He was going;

John 14:2-4 NIV [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.”

Evidently everybody didn’t know because at this point, Thomas, practical and direct, interjects:

John 14:5 (NIV): Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus’ response is the magnificent, self-defining statement:

John 14:6 (NIV): Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The Meaning of the Declaration

Jesus declares Himself to be three essential things, all of which solve Thomas’s question about "the way."

1. I Am the Way

Jesus is the sole path to God the Father. He is the mediator between God and humanity, eliminating all other means of salvation.

Last week when we studied the declaration, I am the door/gate

John 10:9 NIV I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is the "only way."  He is the only one who paid the price for our sins. Jesus, as the door, is the ultimate gatekeeper. He not only grants us entry to salvation but also protects us from spiritual harm. We can find security in knowing that no one and nothing can separate us from his love. The "thieves and robbers" of the world cannot harm the sheep who are safely within the fold with Jesus. This provides a deep sense of peace, knowing that our salvation and our future are secure in him, and that he is always watching over us.

Romans 8:37-39 NIV [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All of this means that access to God is not earned through rituals, rules, or self-effort, but through a personal relationship with Christ.

The way to God is a person, not a performance. The exclusivity of this claim is affirmed elsewhere in the New Testament:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV [5] For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 

Acts 4:8-12 NIV [8] Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [11] Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ [12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

2. I Am the Truth

Jesus embodies reality itself. He is not just a teacher of truth, but the source and substance of all divine revelation.

This means:

  • The Truth is a Person: Truth is not just an abstract philosophical concept or a set of moral laws, but is definitively and uniquely found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate objectivity and reality of God revealed to humanity.

  • The Fulfillment of Revelation: The Greek word for truth used here (aletheia) can refer to reality, sincerity, and reliability. By claiming to be "the truth," Jesus asserts that He is the true and faithful revelation of God's character and plan.

He is the Substance of Divine Revelation

Jesus is the substance of all divine revelation 

John 1:1-5 NIV [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John identifies Jesus as the Logos (Word) of God, underscoring His role as the ultimate self-expression of the divine.

Then John says that the word became flesh

John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Meaning that Jesus is the direct, tangible, and complete revelation of the invisible God.

This connects Jesus to the very nature of God, whose promises are always reliable:Christ is the fulfillment and embodiment of that divine faithfulness.  

Numbers 23:19 NIV [19] God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

The book of Hebrews explicitly states that God's communication to humanity ends entirely in His Son:

Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV [1] In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. [3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 

Jesus is therefore seen as the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of his nature meaning everything that God wanted to reveal about Himself is perfectly contained and expressed in Jesus. There is no revelation beyond Him that is greater or more authoritative.

As the ultimate Truth, He provides the unerring foundation for a life dedicated to God's guidance.

Where fallen human wisdom is flawed and temporary, Christ is the ultimate, unchanging reality of God's character and purpose.

Jesus is the source of all life—both physical and, more importantly, eternal life.

Following Jesus leads not just to a destination (heaven), but to a new quality of existence—eternal life that begins now.

Jesus previously stated:

John 10:10 NIV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

His resurrection solidified this claim, as He said to Lazarus’ sister Martha and as we studied last week;

John 11:25-26 NIV [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  

Here’s the confirmation 

Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Jesus explains the inseparable connection between Himself and the Father, clarifying that knowing Him is equivalent to knowing God.

John 14:6-7 NIV [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.”


This prompts another disciple, Philip, to ask for one final sign, but Jesus gently rebukes Philip's lack of understanding.

John 14:8-11 NIV [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. 

Here’s the bottom line; Jesus is not just a guide to the Father, but the visible manifestation of the Father. The miracles and teachings (the "works themselves") serve as undeniable proof that He is precisely who He claims to be: The Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Hebrews 1:3 NIV The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 


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