Three Ways to look at "The Way."

Mike Hosey an Elder

Jesus uses words and metaphors with great mastery! Consider how he told his disciples that he was “the way” (Matthew 14:5-7). In using that particular word he opened up a lot of different meanings to explore. Like God himself, the depths of the words of Jesus are very, very deep.  So what did he mean when he said he was “the way?”

1) He meant that he was the only way:  In that passage, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them, and that he will take them there.  Thomas asks him how they can get to that place since they don’t know the way.  Jesus explains that HE IS the way, and that no one gets to that place unless they go through him. The standard translation for the Greek word, “way,” is a road, a path, or a journey.  Because he said “the” way, and not “a” way, he limited himself as the only path. It’s very exclusionary language.

2) He probably meant for us to follow his example:  The word “way” has a metaphorical meaning in addition to its standard literal meaning. Metaphorically, it means “a course of conduct.”  For instance, the way one should behave oneself. If you walk in the way of Jesus, it means that you live the kind of life that he lived.  Ultimately, it means you submit to the will of God – just like Jesus did – and you live a sacrificial life with Jesus as your example. If you live the way a thug lives, you will live a violent, crime ridden life. If you live the way Jesus lived, you will live a life marked by sacrifice, love, communion with God, and communion with people.

By Matthias Via Wikimedia Commons

3) He might mean that he is a journey:  If you ever have a chance to go on a real journey, you will find that you are a different person at the end of the journey, than you were at the beginning of the journey.  When you walk the path of Jesus, that is when you follow his example, live a life of ministry to others, you will be changed by the work you do, the sites you see, the battles you win (and lose), and the many experiences along the way.  This journey of Jesus is part of the way that you are made into a new creature, and part of the way that your old, sinful self dies.