Hard Question: Only One Way?

John: 6:14 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I am finding that this might be one of the toughest verses for people to swallow.  So many people say, “how can a loving God do such a thing and exclude someone from heaven?”  To answer this question, I am going to answer this in the form of a parable.

There was once a man who grew up in relative obscurity.  When he went to school, he was not Mr. Popular since he was not good at the popular things such as (fill in the blank).  He was actually very savvy with business, which was not a subject that was offered at school so he could never really show his true strength.  But he kept honing his skill while trying to do well at sports and other activities.  All in all, his high school experience was rather uneventful and not many people lined up to hangout with him even though he was willing to hang out with anyone.

A few years down the road, he had a great business idea and moved on it.  He hit the jackpot!  He had more money than he knew what to do with.  He took care of his family, his friends that were loyal to him, and others close to him.  Then something unexpected happened…

He started getting phone calls and emails from people who he had vague recollections of from his past.  People who gave him very little time in his past were trying to reconnect with him!  At first he was okay with it, because he loved reconnecting with people he knew years ago and he thought it was really cool to see them again.  Then he found something terrible… they only called him when they needed money or help!

They did not want him or his friendship they just wanted his money.  Knowing this, he did not share with them because he knew that he was being used.  He felt hurt and insulted that people thought that he was naïve enough to give them his money without being friends with him.

This is the same way with Jesus.  Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and satisfied God’s wrath so that we could be with him.  Jesus wants us to be friends with him not just for what he can share with us, but because he wants the relationship with us.

Is that fair?  I would say so.  If I have a friend that I only talk to when I want something, it would not be much of a friendship and I really would not know him at all.  In the same way, if I were to give my life to Jesus but never pray, read scripture, or participate in any other discipline, it would not be much of a relationship.  I would be using him.

A good friend once told me that you are known by the company you keep.  If you have an active relationship with Jesus and spend time talking with him and knowing him, it will be evident to you and others because you will begin to bear a resemblance to him. 

With these things in mind, I ask, “If I have nothing in common with someone and I turn down the person’s invites, mock him, and screen his phone calls, do I have the right to be offended when he stops inviting me over to his house?”  I do not.

The good thing is that we are not doomed.  We can always talk to him and get to know him.  Whether it is knowing him through scriptures, praying/talking with him, or spending time in the disciplines, it is not a monumental task.

I am sure that most of you that are reading this have a relationship with Jesus, so please don’t feel that I am being holier than thou.  I am just sharing a perspective that has helped me not only answer this hard question, but it allowed me to reassess what my motives are for having a relationship with Christ.

For the other group of people that might have to reassess their relationship with Christ, just know that it is never too late.  For a time in my walk, I pretty much used him.  That’s what I was taught, “turn or burn.”  It was not healthy, but that’s what I knew and understood… that he would punch my ticket and I had to appease him to get that approval.  It wasn’t until I realized that he wants a friendship with me and that I wanted one with him that it wasn’t this legalism that I was confined to, there was grace and relationship.  It was a choice that I will never regret!

In conclusion, I want you to know that even though it looks as if it is harsh that there is only one way to the Father, it is not as bad as it sounds.  The invitation is out there.  It always has been and always will be.  It is just a matter of whether or not we pick it