That’s Not What It Says
Have you ever tried to convince anyone that Jesus is the only way to Heaven? If you have, did you use John 14:6 as your proof? In this passage Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
But I challenge you to re-read that passage. Where does it say Jesus is the only way to Heaven? Heaven isn’t even mentioned in the passage. The passage says Jesus is the only way to the Father.
But one might say, “Yeah, but the Father is in Heaven, right? So this is just semantics. What difference does it make how you say it?”
Well, as I understand it, it makes a significant difference. Consider:
If you are a grandparent, and your grandchildren were coming for a visit; would it matter to you if your grandchildren were excited about coming because they love to play in your yard or because they were excited to see you?
If due to work, you’ve been separated from your spouse for over a month, would it matter to you if your spouse was excited to get home because he loves his house or because he loves you?
Of course it would matter. One may ask, what’s the difference if Jesus is the only way to “heaven” or the “father?” The answer is relationship. One is a place, the other is a person. One is a gift, the other is the giver. Should we not be more interested in going to see our Heavenly Father than seeing the neat things that belong to our Heavenly Father?
When being with our Heavenly Father becomes our goal, and Heaven is just a perk that comes from being with him, we’ll have our priorities right. Give it some thought.