I’m a Type-A personality. I like goals. I like predictions.
I like plans. If we’re headed somewhere in the car, I take my I-Phone along so
I can look up our route and see the traffic conditions, find out the predicted
time it will take to get from point A to point B, and adjust the plan if
necessary. I like knowing where I’m going. And I like knowing how to get there.

Many years ago, I took a few road trips with my sister Kate.
I don’t remember the scenery or the food or how long we were in the car even
much about our destination. But I do remember a time when I was driving and we
realized we were in the wrong state. Kate asked, “How are we going to get
home?” and I, ever the older sister, replied, “From here!” with great
confidence, as if my words would reassure her. Thankfully, she knew me well
enough to burst out in laughter and suggest we pull over at the next gas
station.

I thought back to those words: “From here!” when I read
Jesus’ encounter with his disciples in John 14:

Jesus said, “You know
the way to the place where I am going.”

 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t
know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

I suspect that Thomas and I share some personality traits.
Thomas just wants to know the plan and follow it. He’d like a map, or a GPS
system, or an I-Phone with an app titled: “How to get to God in a few simple
steps.”

But Jesus doesn’t give Thomas what he wants. In fact, Jesus’
answer is just as enigmatic (if, ultimately, both more profound and more
helpful) as my response to my sister all those years ago.

So what does Jesus want Thomas to understand, if not the
detailed plan of how to get to God?

First, Jesus wants Thomas to understand something about who he, Jesus, is. Rather than suggesting that he is simply a gateway to God, or a messenger of God, or one who points to God, he says, “I am the way… If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” Jesus says, God and I are one and the same.

Second, Jesus is changing the terms. Thomas asks a simple question. He just wants to know the Father better. He’s earnest. He’s straightforward. He’s humble, willing to admit that he doesn’t know what’s going on. But instead of giving him directions, Jesus says, “I am the way.” He doesn’t give him a map. He gives himself. He gives a relationship. He implies that observing certain commandments or living a certain way or seeking God’s approval is not the way to the Father. But a relationship is.

There’s much more to be said about this passage, and much ink (and blood) has been shed trying to parse out whether Jesus is “the only way” to the Father. But Jesus offers these words as a source of comfort and invitation. He wants to assure his disciples that life with God is not a riddle. It’s not dependent upon having the right GPS system. It’s dependent only upon knowing Jesus.

All those years ago, Kate and I made it home in one piece, although we were an hour or two late. The funny thing is, for all my love of maps and plans, it didn’t matter how we got there or even when we took a wrong turn. What mattered was being together, laughing in the midst of the absurdities, sharing the journey. Similarly, Jesus implies that knowing God is not about getting to a destination on time but being together right now. It’s not about getting it all right, but about living life in God’s presence. Jesus invites us not to follow a list of directions but rather, to live with him.