John 14:1-7
Jesus is the Truth and the Way of Life and the Only Way to God
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.”
Jesus has always been a Controversial Figure and even after two thousand years from His Ascent to Heaven, He remains controversial...He is controversial today for a number of reasons, including:
Even at His birth and the start of the gospel controversy starts...His virgin birth is controversial...How can a woman or young lady get pregnant from the seed of the Holy Spirit?...Only God can answer that for believers and unbelievers...It takes faith to follow both Jesus and God...
When He said He is the Only Way to Heaven and to God - this is very controversial...Making this exclusive claim that He is the Only Way to God upsets the different religions and people who are not Christian...Other nonbelievers believe that there are other ways to Heaven...
When Jesus did His miracles they were controversial...Some believed He could do miracles, especially those who saw them...And others did not...Today, it is difficult to prove whether He could do miracles, because we are two thousand years past these events...But we have all of the New Testament and the Old Testament Prophecies about a Messiah who would be a Special Person with Special Ways...And the writers of the New Testament were mostly there when His miracles happened...
Jesus called Himself the Truth...And this is controversial...If one believes that He is Truth, then He is our Absolute Reality about life, and He is our example for living our lives...So then, believers and followers of Jesus, do believe that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Way to make your decisions in life...
Jesus called Himself One with God, and before Abraham, He said I AM, which is the Name of God...He said if you have seen Him then you have seen God, He said...He said that the Father and Him are One...These things are controversial, because He puts Himself right up there with the One True God and as being One with God...
Jesus taught on marriage, wealth, moral issues and other topics...His Teachings and His beliefs were not and are not the same as modern society norms...We are not to love wealth and power and fame...Chasing after material things is not a Teaching of His...We are to use any wealth we have to help others...So some believers follow some of His Teachings that He taught that they agree with, and struggle with the rest that they don't or the ones they do not believe, or dismiss the ones that are especially hard, like loving your enemies and giving them your coat after they have ask for your shirt...And walking two miles, when your enemy has told you to go and walk only one mile...Why would one do this and why would One say this?...Could it be because He is Divine...
Jesus died on the cross...And them rose from the dead...I cannot prove this, but that is what His closest followers wrote...Why would they lie?...Because no sin or deceit ever left His lips...If He was the Truth, and came to earth to testify to the Truth, and if we believe that if we follow His Teachings His Truth will set us free - how can we NOT believe that He did not rise from the dead...Why would He and His followers lie about this...He said Himself He would rise from the dead on the third day...Jesus even raised someone from the dead in each of the gospels...Yet, His resurrection remains a large controversial issue...But let us remember, at the same time, the resurrection is the most important historical fact, because His Resurrection makes Him our Savior and THE Messiah and saves us from all of our sins, past, present, and future...
Jesus' Teachings to all believers and non-believers is a Message of LOVE, being morally kind and good, and Forgiveness...He taught that all men are created equal, and we should help all others, which He calls neighbors of ours, like His Good Samaritan Parable Teaches us...Let us be kind to others...