Why Did Jesus Say, 'I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life'?

On the last night of his life, Jesus made a monumental claim to his disciples: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He spoke it with such authority that the disciples, though they may not have readily understood its meaning, did not doubt its importance. He spoke it in response to a disciple who, though he had been with Jesus for quite a time, didn’t truly understand Jesus’ mission.

It’s difficult to blame this disciple. After all, Jesus’ teachings weren’t always straightforward. But in the last hours before his arrest, he talked with the disciples to explain what would happen.

When Did Jesus Say He Was the Way, the Truth, and the Life?

Let’s set the scene: Jesus and his disciples had just begun to celebrate the Passover meal. Unbeknownst to everyone except Jesus, this would be the last time they would celebrate together since Jesus was soon to be crucified. Before the meal, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (John 13: 1-17), something the lowest of servants would normally do. Jesus did so to show the disciples that they should serve others with the same humility that Jesus did.

Throughout the rest of chapter 13, Jesus predicted his betrayal by one of the disciples and Peter’s upcoming denial of Him. After these unsettling words, Jesus comforted the disciples whose hearts were greatly troubled in chapter 14. Here, we find the well-known verse about His Father’s house having many rooms (John 14:2) and that He was going to prepare a place for them. When He said, “You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:4), the disciple Thomas was not following Jesus’ line of reasoning and said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)

Jesus had already spoken to them of His death, so the disciples should have understood that He was returning to His Father in heaven. Therefore, He may have uttered the next words with great emphasis. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The terms “the way,” “the truth,” and “the life” have implications for the world now and for eternity.

Jesus Is the Way to What?

Again, considering the second half of John 14:6, Jesus talks about “the way” to the Father. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s sin, humanity was separated from God–we were made for Him and needed to have a way back to Him. Jesus came to earth to be the sinless lamb of God who died a criminal’s death to take upon himself the sins of the world. He became the bridge between humanity and the perfect, holy, heavenly Father. Belief in Jesus and his sacrifice, combined with a commitment to follow His word, is our way of salvation from God’s law of sin and death. Fittingly, many Christian songs have used the words, “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.” That way is Jesus.

Not only does He give believers eternal life through Him, but Jesus is the way of our every day on earth. He is the Lord of our lives, orchestrating everything for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory. He is our Good Shepherd who is always with us, leading us “in paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3). He is the way we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 7:25) He is our Prince of Peace, giving us peace “not as the world gives” but as He alone can calm amid even dire circumstances. He is the way that we can show the world that life is better as a child of God.

What Does It Mean that Jesus Is the Truth?

Today, there are far too many people who are “cafeteria Christians,” picking and choosing what they want to believe about God. Jesus, sin, salvation, morality, and more. Sometimes, they choose bits from other religions to add to their personal “spirituality.” And then there are those who don’t believe in Jesus at all.

Jesus didn’t say that He is a truth; He said He is the truth. He answers every question that we could have. “Why am I here?” “Who created this world?” “What is the purpose of everything?” “How does everything in the universe hold together?” He is the truth of all God’s promises in the Old and New Testaments.

In his Gospel Coalition article, David Schrock writes, “As he ministered, people marveled at his power, wisdom, and authority. Yet he wasn’t simply a man speaking about the truth; he was and is the truth of which all Scripture speaks (John 5:39). In his life Jesus manifested truth and by his death saved sinners enslaved to deception.”

What Does It Mean that Jesus Is the Life?

In the beginning, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). God’s will was for the humans He created to enjoy a perfect eternal life with Him. But when they brought sin into the world, the law of sin and death destroyed their mutual happiness and glorious relationship. That’s why there is no greater comfort than hearing Jesus say He is the Life. He returns us to that blessed relationship through His sacrifice, giving us eternal life with the Godhead our souls long for. John wrote of Him in John 1:4, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

When Jesus was on earth, and His best friend Lazarus had just died, Jesus said that He was more than “the life.” He said He was “the resurrection.” That confused Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, who wished Jesus had been there to heal him. Martha said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day,” referring to the day the Messiah would come and resurrect those who had died.

But Jesus would show that He had the power of life over death right then and there. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:24-25).

Isn’t it Narrow-Minded to Say Jesus is the “Only Way”?

The question is as old as time. People in the Old Testament—many of whom, like the Egyptians, worshiped multiple gods—wondered why the Israelites followed one God. Today, many non-believers question why Christians say that Jesus is the way to God, the way to eternal life, the way to heaven, etc.

Whenever I hear those questions, I direct people to John 3:16, where Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. What could be more inclusive than to say “whosoever”? That means every single person on the planet, regardless of religious background, race, creed, and sinful past, has the opportunity to lay down their sins at the foot of the cross and receive Jesus’ free gift of salvation.

Often, people don’t want to believe in a God who calls out sin and allows terrible suffering. Here again, Jesus offers new life and comfort amid trials to “whosoever” in a way that no human or god ever could. He reminds us that he suffered on the cross, taking on all humanity’s sins. He is the answer to our suffering.

Photo Credit:©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Boonyachoat

Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).  

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

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