“The Way”

Jesus says it. But how many really believe it? How many take His Word at face value and neither add nor take away from it? How about a little test for yourself this morning? Are you up for it?

Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Now that’s a familiar bible passage. Even people who don’t know their bibles very well probably know that one. And it’s a simple passage. There are no big words. Nothing difficult to understand there. So you would think all Christians believe and follow this passage exactly, right, neither adding nor subtracting anything from what Jesus says. I mean, you believe it just as it stands, right?

Okay. Here’s the test. How do you get to heaven? It’s a simple question. There are no hidden tricks or traps. How do you get to heaven? What is your answer? I’ll give you a second to formulate your answer (and a little hint, it shouldn’t take more than 1-3 words). Got your answer? Good.

It should be the simplest thing in the world for Christians to answer this question. Jesus give the answer plainly and clearly when He says “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” So it should be no big deal when someone asks “how do you get to heaven?” to respond “Jesus takes me,” right? Because that’s His answer. If He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father (wherever the Father is, is Heaven) except through Jesus, then nothing but Jesus can be the answer to our question. You get to heaven only because Jesus takes you. Simple as that.

Yet, perusing the history of Christianity, and having heard more than a few people over the years in my line of work explain how they figure they will get to heaven, I can tell you a depressingly small sampling of Christians answers the question “How will you get to heaven” by saying “Jesus takes me”. You’d be stunned actually how many people who claim to have attended Christian services and to have sat through Christian instruction will answer the question by saying something like: “Well, I’ve been a good person. I’ve gone to church. I’ve read my bible. I pray a lot.” They don’t even mention Jesus. I’ve even heard an elder in a Lutheran church answer the question that way. That’s taking away from what Jesus says, subtracting Jesus from the answer.

But more common than taking Jesus out of the answer, is the temptation to add  something beside Jesus to the answer. This is more common among modern Lutherans and American Evangelicals. They answer the question as to how they will get to heaven by saying something like this: “Jesus paid the price for my sins and offers me salvation; now because I believe in Jesus and follow Him, I know I’m going to heaven with Him.”

On the face of it, that answer sounds much better, doesn’t it? Jesus is still a big part of the picture. But the problem with that answer (and it is very popular) is that Jesus is not the only part of the answer, just a substantial part. Look what else is there to get you to heaven—you, your faith, your acceptance of Christ, your following Him. Some will go ahead and add that because they love Jesus so much, and because they have worked to conform their lives to His image, that will be their ticket.

If you ask any follow-up questions of those folks, they will usually clarify that naturally, the really hard work has been done by Jesus. They really love Him and trust mostly in what He’s done for them. But it can’t be just Jesus now, can it? Since, according to Scripture, some people don’t go to heaven, there must be something besides Jesus that gets us to heaven, some work or deed or decision we’ve made. Since He likes everyone, some zeal for Christ, some action of ours must be the clincher…

This was the view of the vast majority of Christendom in the middle ages when Dr. Martin Luther came on the scene. Because he vigorously taught that Christ and Christ alone is our salvation, because he denied that our free will or good decisions or good behavior contributes anything to our salvation, he was roundly condemned and attacked as a dangerous heretic—because he put all his chips on Jesus and Jesus alone. Luther said the only way he was getting into heaven is if Jesus takes him. Simple as that.

A guy named Erasmus wrote a big diatribe against Luther in 1524. What really galled Erasmus was that Luther had that nerve to say we human beings don’t really have a free will, but that our will is bound, enslaved by sin, so unless Christ Jesus Himself liberates us, we remain slaves, no matter what good thoughts we think or good works we attempt. Erasmus was a big defender of the conventional wisdom that Jesus has done the hard part, the difficult thing by dying and rising to win forgiveness, but everyone has to use this little thing called free will that we have to accept Jesus and work at following Him. Erasmus was sure that by denying that our human will or works help us get to heaven, this Luther was a dangerous heretic. So Erasmus attacked him.

Luther responded to the attack with a little book called Bondage of the Will, in which he gave as good as he got. He promised he would make Erasmus (an academic) sorry he’d ventured into the ring and tried to box with a professional theologian. And he more than made good on that boast.

Luther’s knock-out punch was this little passage from our Gospel, Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Luther asked Erasmus: Now since Jesus says categorically that He is the way, the truth, and the life, then whatever is not Jesus is not the way but error, not truth but a lie, not life but death, right? So is free-will Jesus? Uh, no—it’s my will. Is the good work that I do Jesus? Uh, no—it’s my work. Is my earnest faith in God Jesus? Uh, no—it’s my faith. Is my decision to follow Jesus Jesus? Uh, no—it’s my decision. Only Jesus is Jesus. No one and nothing else gets me to heaven.

I think that is the coolest answer. It’s so obvious, but until I heard Luther put it just that way I’d never thought of it like that. And to be honest, I had a few other things besides Jesus that I was banking on. Thinks like my faith, my attitude, my efforts. It was a lot of pressure. Too much.

Now don’t get me or Luther wrong here: pure doctrine, faith, love for the Lord, holy living, good will towards others, good works, good decisions, lots of love for God and neighbor are all fine and good things. They are wonderful side effects of journeying with Jesus. Just don’t confuse them with Jesus Himself.

How do I get to heaven? Jesus takes me. If that’s your answer, great! But if you’ve got something other or extra than Jesus, I’ll be you’ve been feeling the pressure too. And Jesus would free you of all that. He would give you the joy, the pure freedom of confidence in Christ alone. And He does this by planting Himself in you by Gospel Word. He gets hold of you by the water of Holy Baptism, by His very body and blood in His Supper. And even now He speeds you on your way with Him to His Place, those mansions prepared for you.

And in this is real Peace, that surpasses understanding, that guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.