20th May 2012

Cell Questions I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

This is the sixth of our series on the I Am sayings of Jesus in Johns Gospel. We looked at one of the most quoted of Jesus I am sayings on Sunday. The key to this saying is that Jesus is telling it to the disciples towards the end of the Last Supper. He is about to go to His death and He has just told Simon Peter that he will deny him three times. There are two mistakes that the I Am saying that we looked at on Sunday can easily lead to. The first is to say that Jesus is no different from any other religious teacher. We live in a society where people call us intolerant if we make exclusive claims for Jesus, yet Jesus makes claims about Himself that no-one else does. The second, though, is almost the opposite and that is to use the text to bash people over the head with it and yet when we do this then we so often end up in a fruitless argument and appearing to be besieged. But the context is important. Jesus is talking to His disciples who are worried and confused and frightened and he speaks this passage to them as a comfort. He is reassuring them. Although the road ahead will be hard and difficult and confusing, because He is the Way and He is totally trustworthy, as long as they keep their eyes on Him they will get to where He is calling them to. Living in the light of Jesus saying I am the way, the truth and the life transforms how we see and do life. It comforts and strengthens and encourages us to live lives that follow the way of Jesus. It is less an act of power than a re-assurance that following Jesus fills our lives with meaning and purpose and life. Read John 14:1-21 together 1. Can you remember ever getting lost? What happened and how did it make you feel? 2. If Jesus is the Way then what sort of road are you travelling along at the moment and why? Muddy track? Pot-holed road? Windy mountain road? Through a tunnel? A busy road? A motorway? Some other sort of road? If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life then how does that help you on your journey? 3. What (or who) comforts you when you are feeling low? How difficult do you find it when you are worried or confused to trust Jesus? 4. Are you the sort of person who needs everything mapped out and clear or can you deal with a lack of clarity and uncertainty? Jesus promises to give us the Spirit to guide us through the uncertainty and difficult times. When have you felt the Spirit of Jesus guiding you in these situations?