International Sunday School Lesson
Study Notes
Lesson Text: John 14:1-14
Lesson Title: The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Introduction
Christianity claims to offer the only way of salvation, to the exclusion of all others. There are not a variety of doors into heaven. Nor are there any alternate routes into the family of God. Not if you take Jesus at His word. The fact that man is educated, talented, kind-hearted on occasions and religious avails for nothing when it comes to salvation. Everyone who plans to spend eternity with God in Heaven must come through Jesus Christ. He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

The events of John 14 take place in the upper room where Jesus was gathered with His eleven remaining disciples on the night before His death. Judas is no longer present (John 13:26-31). His betrayal is in the works. In a few hours the lives of these eleven men will forever be different. In fact, the disciples are already feeling the effects of what hasn’t yet happened. They know Jesus is leaving but they don’t understand how and why. They don’t fully know about Jesus but He fully knows about them. They don’t understand but Jesus does. It is simply amazing that Jesus would be so focused on the heartbreak, sadness, and concern of His disciples when He is about to face rejection, suffering, and crucifixion. And not only is He thinking about them, He was also thinking about us, for we would someday need to know the way to God.

Apart from death, there is probably no more sorrowful time than when someone you love dearly moves away. It never is easy to say goodbye. Jesus’ disciples were feeling that same sense of loss as He prepared for the cross. He was about to go where they could not come immediately. But because of where He was about go, and what He was about to say, they could one day be with Him eternally.
Jesus' Discussion of Destiny (John 14:1-4)

Verse 1
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Leading up to John 14 Jesus was talking to His disciples about His destiny in John 13:31. He was interrupted by a question from Simon Peter in John 13:36. Jesus dealt briefly with Peter’s question in John 13:36-38. With John 14:1 Jesus continues His original teaching and will give a fuller answer to Peter’s question. The words “your” and “ye” mark a transition from Jesus speaking to Peter individually in John 13:36-38 to speaking now to the general group of the disciples. Jesus’ words are meant to promote unity and keep the disciples together as they faced the days ahead.
The ten disciples heard Jesus predict Peter’s denial (John 13:38). If their leader was about to deny Jesus, how could they trust themselves? If Peter was going to deny the Lord and Jesus was about to leave, is it any wonder they were “troubled.” It is in this atmosphere that Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” The words “let not” carry a firmness, a resolve, a conviction of a command. But coming from the lips of our Lord it is certain these words were spoken in love and concern.
The “heart” is the main fort. The “heart” is the center of who we are. The disciples were shaken in mind and “heart.” The very core of their being was being challenged in ways as never before.

“Troubled” is a picturesque word. It means “don’t shutter with inward commotion.” It’s the same word Jesus used in John 13:21 to describe His emotions as Judas went astray. Jesus is saying, “It may look like and feel like it is all about to cave in on you, but trust Me.” If there is a message in the first six words of John 14, it is that the child of God can simply trust the Lord no matter the “trouble.” Obviously our little problems are nothing compared to the “trouble” the disciples were facing on this occasion, but our “trouble” is no less real.

“Ye believe in God, believe also in me” is a fact and a command. Fact, the disciples trusted in the person and presence of God. These eleven men had been taught Old Testament truth of believing in Jehovah God. Now, Jesus commands them “believe also in me.” This command must have stunned the disciples since Jesus has just told them He is going to die but now requires they make Him an object of their faith.  He is the key to their question of their destiny. Their future rests with Him.
By placing Himself on equal ground with God the Father, He is commanding the disciples to expand their faith. They believed in God whom they had never seen. They believed in Jesus whom they were seeing. Now they must believe when they would not be able to see Jesus.

Verse 2
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” The person of the disciple’s destiny in verse 1 is Jesus. The promises connected to their destiny are from Jesus in verse 2. “In my Father’s house…” is another name for heaven. Jesus just called heaven His “Father’s house.” Heaven is called a “city” (Hebrews 11:10; Revelation 21:2) a “kingdom” (1 Corinthians 6:9) a “country” (Hebrews 11:14) and “paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). But of all the names given to that dwelling place of eternity, “my Father’s house” seems to be the most personal and precious.

Jesus said there were “man mansions” in the “Father’s house.” “Many” means “large, much.” “Mansions” is the Greek word mone {mon-ay}. The same word is translated “abode” in John 14:23. The word conveys the thought that God’s children are going to live with Him in many dwelling places. To us today the word “mansion” conveys a large house we can’t afford on a large broad estate that is more luxurious than we could ever afford. In Jesus’ day the word “mansion” meant “one great house containing living quarters for all. By using the word “mansion” Jesus is sending the message that there would be room for all in the “Father’s house.” But don’t miss the beauty of this promise. Stop thinking about space, structure, size, and all the other stuff that goes with a modern day “mansion.” Think about the “Father” and the fact that we through Jesus Christ will abide with “Him!” Focus on the Who of the “mansion,” not the “what.”

“If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Jesus isn’t holding back anything from His disciples. They may have a lot of questions and concerns about what is happening but they need never worry or fear that Jesus has lied to them or kept back the truth form them. The word “go” means “to depart for a reason.” His soon departure was not a whim but part of God’s divine plan for our salvation. It carries with it more than just His going to Calvary. In fact, “go” refers to His return to Heaven after His resurrection and ascension to “prepare” for us a “place.” He is leaving to prepare a “place” for His own. “Prepare” means “to make ready.” “Place” is “a marked off portion or space.”

Heaven is not some pie in the sky dream or imagination. Every word used by our Lord in these verses points to a real tangible actual “place.” If you are saved by God’s grace God is this very moment preparing “marking off a portion” for you in His heaven. Yes, “for you.” Jesus looked His disciples straight in the eye and said, “for you.” And He is looking straight into your heart today through the Word of God and He says, “for you.”

Illus. It still does something to us every time we see something with our name on it. A birthday card, a note, an email, a text. There’s just something special and encouraging about knowing that something is “for you.” Check out some of the other places in Scripture where Jesus did what He did “for you” (Luke 22:19; John 16:7; Colossians 1:5, 25; 1 Peter 1:4, 18-20; 5:7).

Verse 3
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” The word “if” in this context is not a word of doubt. It means since Jesus will go He will “come again.” The heart of this verse is in the words “I, you, myself, and ye.” While sermons, lessons, and songs normally magnify the stuff in Heaven such as gates, streets, and other magnificent and biblical aspects, it is important not to miss the most important aspect and that is Jesus Himself with people like us! Think about it. “I” speaking of Jesus, and “you” in a “place” called Heaven forever and forever.

The Gospel of John rarely refers to the second coming of Christ directly, but this verse is a notable exception: Jesus will die, go to Heaven, then return later to take His children back to heaven to be with Him. Christ is going away to prepare us a place and then He promises to return to earth and take us to Heaven. What a beautiful thought! “I will come again…” Not someone else, but “I,” Jesus will come. And when He comes He will “receive” us unto Himself. “Receive” means “to take to one’s self, to join to one’s self.” “Where” and “also” are wonderful words of encouragement. The disciples would rather have been anywhere other than where they were at the time Jesus was speaking these words. And certainly where they were going to be in the coming hours and days was going to be anything but pleasant. But thank God they had a promise that one day in the future they would be with Jesus forever, never to be separated again.
Faith in Jesus was the key to their future and their security. The fears they had were real but the destiny He promised them was also real.

Verse 4
“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” In John 7:33-34, Jesus said, “Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.” The disciples knew Jesus was going back to the Father. However, “as verse 5 will indicate, the disciples find this comment confusing. Perhaps Jesus knows this and is hoping they will ask Him to take the discussion to a deeper level. At the same time, however, Jesus’ statement here is literally true: inasmuch as the disciples know Jesus—having seen His miraculous works and having heard His words of truth—they do indeed know the way to the Father’s house” (Standard Lesson Commentary 2011-2012).
The Response of Thomas (John 14:5-7)

Verse 5
“Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” Thomas’ question reveals that Thomas and probably the rest of the disciples has not fully come to grips with all Christ is teaching. “We know not…and how can we know” gives us a hint of the pessimism of Thomas. Doctor Merrill C. Tenney writes, “Thomas was one of those men who stirred up dust and then complained that he couldn’t see.” Jesus had just explained that faith was the key to destiny and now he asks, “how can we know the way?”
Thomas’ question broke through the air of uncertainty with the disciples and challenged the certainty of Christ’s words. Thomas seemed to be saying, “I want more than information.”

Verse 6
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If Jesus is “the way,” the next question is “the way to what?” Men and women have tried almost everything imaginable to find our way, but without success. Jesus had the audacity to say, “I am the way.” First, Jesus is the way to God. If living moral, going to church, behaving decently and being a good citizen would get you to God, more than a majority of people would be there. But it doesn’t. Second, Jesus is the way to heaven. All roads do not lead to heaven. There are roads that seem right but they lead to destruction (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Matthew 7:13-14). Third, Jesus is the way to peace and joy (Psalm 37:37). Happiness is things right between you and your world. Joy is things right between you and God. Without Jesus being “the way” there is no going to God.

Jesus is “the truth.” What is truth? “Truth” to the Jew suggested stability, faithfulness, reliability. “Truth” to Pilate was mental, intellectual knowledge. To the Greek philosophers “truth” was something to be thought or believed. In other words, it was all in the mind. Real “truth” is in a person, not a theory. Throughout the Old Testament Jehovah is depicted as true or truthful (Isaiah 65:16; Psalm 86:15). A faithful God cannot allow Himself to be represented by unfaithful sources. “Truth” is an essential quality of God’s nature. God gave two primary methods by which He reveals Himself to us, and both are true. First, God reveals Himself through His written Word (Psalm 19: 9; 119:142; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 2:15). If you want to know God, don’t ask your neighbor, college professor or anyone on face book. Read your Bible! Second, God reveals Himself through His Living Word which is Jesus Christ. If you want a living disclosure of the truthful character of God, look at Jesus (John 1:14, 17-18; 8:32). Jesus is “the truth” because He is the only person who every completely and accurately reflected the character of God.

Because Jesus is “the truth” you don’t have to guess about what’s right or wrong. You no longer have to be silent or ashamed to speak (John 8:32). Two plus two equals four; that’s truth (or at least it used to be). But you can fail to believe that mathematical truth and it won’t change a thing except your math grade. But if fail to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven you will die lost and suffer in torment forever. That’s “truth” you can’t afford to disbelieve. Without Jesus being “the truth” there is no knowing.

Jesus is “the life.” There are many ways to use the word “life.” You can use it biologically, physically, biographically, and spiritually. “Life” can be used in something as insignificant as the life of a warranty on a ten dollar hair dryer or with something as significant as a life support system in a hospital. Here, Jesus is telling Thomas that He is Give of eternal “life.” When Jesus said, “I am the life,” He wasn’t talking about breath and spirit, but about spiritual life. How do you receive “the life?” By a second birth (John 3:3).

The spiritual life we must have if we are to be rightly related to God is found only in Jesus Christ (John 3:36; 4:14; 6:27, 40, 47, 68). And this “life” is not about later. It is about now and later. Paul said, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).  Without Jesus being “the life” there is no living.
The words “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” are spoken by our Lord to Thomas and the disciples to stress the importance of a correct understanding of the Person of Jesus Christ. “No man” means no man. Not the Pope of the Catholic Church. Not the Virgin Mary. Not Mother Teresa. Not Mohandas Gandhi. Not you or anyone else. “By me” is Jesus. You can’t come the Father by believing you were predestined to go to heaven and all you have to do is sit back and wait on the ride. You can’t go to heaven by living a good life. You can’t go to heaven because your parents had you sprinkled as a child and confirmed. You can’t go to heaven by going to church. It is only “by me” Jesus said. By trusting in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and asking him to forgive you or your sin.

Verse 7
“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” Knowing Jesus is the key to knowing God the Father because Jesus and God the Father are one (John 10:30; 17:11). If you don’t believe in the deity of Jesus Christ then listen carefully to Jesus’ words to His disciples. “From henceforth ye know him…” means “beginning now and through what will happen in the coming days you will know!” These disciples knew Jesus in the sense of personal acquaintance, but in the sense of spiritual discernment, their knowledge of Him was very limited. It was through Christ’s suffering, death, burial, resurrection and ascension they would learn Who He was and the plan of the Father. The understanding will come. They will “have seen him” as they go through all that lies ahead.

Thomas’ question was really a good one. We often give him a bad rap but let’s be honest and admit we have questions as well.
The Request by Philip (John 14:8-11)

Verse 8
“Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” While Jesus’ words were meant to comfort the disciples, it seems that none of them immediately understood the full meaning of what Christ was telling them. Thomas’ question focused on the “way” while Philip’s question focused on “the Father.” Philips’ request “shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us” reveals his lack of faith in what Jesus was saying. Could it be that Philip was walking by sight rather than faith? That’s one possible answer. However, Philip, as well as all of us needs to grow in our faith and understanding of Jesus. And each of the four times Philip is mentioned in John’s Gospel he grows and gains a deeper understanding of Jesus (John 1:43-46; 6:5-7; 12:20-23; 14:8-11). Philip’s request gave Jesus an open door to further explain His relationship with God the Father.

Verse 9
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”  It must have broken our Lord’s heart to know that He had spent three years with Philip and these men and they still didn’t know who He was. That is reflected in Jesus’ question, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet has thou not known me, Philip?” It must grieve our Lord’s heart today to know that we have the written Word of God in our hands and the Living Word of God in our hearts and yet we know so little about Jesus.

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” Philips request to see God was a display of unbelief. He didn’t need to see anything. Saving faith and Christianity is not about seeing. It’s about believing! Our prayer should be “…Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).

Verse 10-11
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” The question asked by Jesus to Philip, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me” is asked in a manner that indicates the Lord expected Philip to answer yes. Philip did believe that Jesus was “in the Father” and that “the Father” was “in” Jesus. That being the case, it would be impossible for Jesus to “speak…of himself” and do “works” separate from the Father. Jesus wanted Philip to recognize that everything He did and said was from the “Father.”

God the Father could be heard and seen in everything Jesus did. What Jesus was, God was. If Philip and the rest of the disciples had a problem understanding that, then Jesus said, “…believe me for the very works’ sake.” In other words, watch Jesus’ day to day, situation to situation work and you should quickly conclude that He is of the Father.

Question: Should you know more about Jesus? Should you be closer to the Lord?
The Promises from Jesus (John 14:12-14)

Verse 12-14
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father... “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

” “Verily, verily” or course means “truly, truly.” Jesus gives several promises in this verse. First, His disciples would do “greater works” than Jesus. The disciples obviously thought that once Christ was gone from the earth they would be reduced to nothing and they wouldn’t be able to do anything. They were wrong. Their “works” were “greater.” Not in power, but in scope. Jesus worked miracles and so did they (Acts 5:12, 15). Jesus brought men to God while on earth but the apostles saw three thousand saved on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Jesus mostly taught and preached to Jews. The apostles took the Gospel to the Gentiles and eventually to the whole world. Christ’s message is that it’s not over because He is leaving.
Why were they able to do “greater works?” Was it because of their knowledge? Did they get better as time went by? No. The reason they were able to do what they did was “…because I go unto my Father.” Through the death, burial, resurrection and ascending power of Jesus Christ the disciples and Christians today find the resources to do the work to which we are called.
Second, the disciples could ask anything in His name. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” They must have wondered who they would talk to and who they ask for help once Jesus was gone. Peter had been a leader but Jesus said Peter would deny Him. Without their Master they thought they would be all alone in a hostile world. But even though He would be physically absent, they would have access to the Father through Him by prayer.

“Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name…” is not a blank check or a guarantee of health and wealth. The disciples aren’t interested in health and wealth. They are interested in Jesus. “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name…that will I do” is a guarantee that, within God’s will, the child of God cannot lack anything we need to fulfill God’s plan for our life. And the disciples found that to be true.
“In my name” connects beautifully with the title of our lesson. Christ it “the way, the truth, and the life” so it is in His name “that the Father is glorified” (v.13).

Conclusion
In the midst of the collapse of their dreams and hopes, Jesus gave His disciples clear truth concerning Himself and their future in His absence. Although they were facing a time when they could not longer see Him physically and literally touch Him and speak with Him, His Person and His promises was still available by faith.
Like Jesus’ disciples in today’s lesson, we too find ourselves feeling lonely and sometimes not fully understanding all that God is doing. Our culture promotes the acceptance of tolerance of other God’s and other ways to Heaven which we know is not true. You won’t always be popular for pointing the way and declaring the truth. But then, if one person finds the path of eternal life because you cared enough to point it out to them, will it really matter what others say?
Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Tell someone the truth today!
Amen.