7th August 2026
The way to the Father
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (NIV)
In John 14:1–14 Jesus prompts his disciples to become aware of the Father’s presence in the person of the incarnate Son. The two imperative statements, ‘believe in God’ and ‘believe also in me’ are a call for the disciples to share in Jesus’ unwavering confidence in the Father (v.1). These heart-warming words of calm reassurance, following the warnings of cruel betrayal and cowardly denial (John 13:21, 38), plus the unwelcome news of the Lord’s imminent departure, are a fitting prelude to one of the most intimate and informal conversations Jesus ever had with those he was pleased to call his friends (John 15:15).
All the ensuing turmoil and torment of the garden agony, the mocking trials, beatings, scourging and crucifixion, by which Jesus prepared the way for his disciples to follow him to glory and to the Father’s presence, is lovingly summarised for the disciples in the warmly, inviting words: “I am going…to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2); a personal, pleasant, peaceful, safe and loving space for each and every one of God’s adopted sons and daughters. The kindly informality and sheer graciousness of the Saviour’s words, draws the disciples even closer. The apostle John, looking back over many decades, recalls these words with deepest affection. At a time of great uncertainty, the Lord speaks of present peace, future hope, and eternal security.
It was the fear of losing Jesus that prompted Peter’s tormented query: “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” (John 13:37), to which the Lord responds with a cautionary, predictive reproof (v.38). The encouraging news is that Jesus is going home to the Father, but there is room in the Father’s house for his disciples also, and they will follow, but Jesus must go ahead of them to prepare the way (John 14:3), and it is an interruption by Thomas (v.5) which elicits Jesus’ first vital lesson: when we are drawn to Jesus, we are drawn to the Father (v.6). The way to the Father is a person, and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (v.6), and the source of every spiritual blessing. If you know Jesus, then you already know where you belong, and you know the way into the Father’s presence (v.4).
It was the perplexed, enquiring mind of Philip (v.8) which elicited a second lesson from Jesus. To know the Son is to know the Father (vv.9-11). In this, the mystery of the triune God is unshrouded, as we glimpse through Jesus’ profoundly illuminating answer (v.9), something of the unity and oneness of the deity. Each ‘person’ of the godhead, Father, Son and Spirit, remain distinct but are not separate, in that each is equally and fully God – one God in three ‘persons’. Therefore, to know one ‘person’ of the godhead is to know the one true God. This also reveals the source of the words, deeds, and miraculous works of Jesus of Nazareth, which were wrought in the Spirit and had their origin in the Father (v.10).
Because the works and words of Jesus originate with the Father, to whom Jesus will soon ascend, the Lord’s work will continue through the agency of the Spirit, whom Jesus will send forth, as he will send also his chosen apostles, who, in the power of the Spirit, will perform even greater works than those which marked Jesus’ earthly ministry (v.12). The Christocentric work of the apostles, confirmed in the Spirit by many signs and wonders, will carry the gospel far beyond the borders of Judea, to the farthest reaches of the then known world, drawing, not only Jews, but so many gentiles to faith, so as to become the greatest single influence in the Roman world.
The church shall have no power at all without reference to Christ, therefore, whatever believers ask in Jesus’ name, those things, which are grounded in his love and are for his glory, will be done for them – a promise which every Christian can firmly grasp and hold on to (v.14). And all of this, to the one end that: ‘the Father may be glorified in the Son’ (v.13).
Prayer
Loving Father, we thank you for the comfort and assurance found in your Son, and that through him we know the way into your presence and have the promise of eternal life. Strengthen our faith in times of uncertainty, help us to trust your purposes, and teach us to live for your glory, in Jesus’s name, Amen.
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Study by: Richard Dempsey About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion Peterborough
Farcet Village Hall
Main Street
Farcet
Peterborough
PE7 3AN
Meeting time:
Sunday 11.00 am
Local congregational contact:
Richard Dempsey
Email: richard.dempsey@btinternet.com
Local church website: GRACE COMMUNION CHURCH PETERBOROUGH – Landing Page
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church