The idea of Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life is present in the other gospels. Instead of being presented as a direct statement, in the other gospels the idea is interspersed within the parables and stories of Jesus. Here are some examples.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus saying no one can come to the Father, who gives life and all things to people, except through Him.
The truth is that you have to learn to rest.
Jesus' way of teaching is to place a yoke upon you so that he can guide you. Therefore, the way to life is for you to come to Jesus so you can learn the truth. Once you understand the truth, Jesus will reveal the Father to you.
- At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)
In the gospel of Mark, we see Jesus saying that the way to life is to follow His footsteps and take up our own cross. If we lose our life for His sake, we will discover eternal life. Following Jesus is the way. The truth is, if we are to enter life, we have to take up our own cross and lose our life for Jesus' sake. If we are not ashamed of Him, we will be rewarded with eternal life when Jesus returns.
- And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)
In the Gospel of Luke, speaking similarly to what we have quoted from the account in Matthew, Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them how blessed they are in being able to see and hear Him in person, for they have been chosen unto eternal life.
- In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:21-23)
Strange as it may seem to those who want to be told things straight, even when they are told straight, they cannot see the forest for the trees. This is why so many people refuse to believe less remarkable phenomena than the possibility that the Universe could come into being by chance, yet believe as true, the Universe has come about by chance. This is because these people have been programmed to reject the idea of a Creator creating the wonders of the Universe because it came about by natural selection, contrary to the Laws of Thermodynamics. Believe it or not, they claim they are thinkers, not realizing they have been programmed to believe a lie.
Yet as quirky as it may seem to those who claim to be sophisticated thinkers (those who get caught up and entangled in sophistry), most people pick up on stories and see the sense in them. Because this is how they think. In fact, most people think pictorially rather then abstractly.
People who are advanced pictorial thinkers see the pictures that those, who use abstractions to think, have to translate back into pictures before they can understand what they were really attempting to think about. As can be expected, the problem for many abstract thinkers occurs during the process of translation when they misinterpret—a frequent occurrence. When this does happen, those who misinterpret become defensive and resort to defending their interpretation, rather than admitting they have got it wrong.
When Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life," at other times, in other places, He simply said, "Follow me." So John 14:6 could be considered the initial analysis of Jesus saying, "Follow me." For no one has ascended into Heaven except the One who has descended from Heaven (John 3:13).
The Real Answers To The Truth Are Always There Only For Some They Are Hidden
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