As December is now upon us, the stores are filled with Christmas stuff. The sales ads beckon us to spend, spend, spend. But in the midst of all the materialism, where do we make room for Jesus? Will we answer like the innkeeper who said "There is no room at the inn?' when Mary and Joseph arrived? Or will we be more like the shepherds on the hills who gazed in awe and wonder and make time for the precious Christ-child to enter our lives once again in a real and amazing way?
This series is drawn from the passage in John Chapter 14 verse 6 where Jesus states "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except thru me." To some this may be off-putting and divisive. What do you mean Jesus is the only way? I'm going to do my best to present to you a bit of a different perspective on what this verse really means. It will be a bit deeper than my usual posts but I will break it down in pieces so we can really understand who this Jesus is and what he really means by this statement.
I Am
This is a crucial concept to understand. When Jesus stated "I am", what did he mean? When else can you remember God saying something similiar? Remember the burning bush? When Moses asked "Who shall I say sent me?" God replied " I am who I am". The translation varies and there has been much discussion on the true meaning, but doesn't that sound a bit curious? From what I can determine, God is saying he is the eternal existence. To put it another way - consciousness or awareness. The words "I am" are an attempt to identify who we truly are in the flesh, but Jesus was more than flesh. He is also Spirit. So when Jesus said "I am" could it be that he was referring to the universal consciousness rather than merely himself as a human being? Puts things in a different light now, doesn't it?
The Way
What does Jesus mean by "the way"? The greek word used in the New Testament means the journey, the path, the road. Jesus, as you know, came to earth in human form to show us who God is and teach us how to be like him. He is God incarnate. A deity represented in human form so that we humans could identify with him. Now consider this.
Jesus spoke in parables. Parables are short simple stories using everyday situations that had deeper, spiritual meaning. What if Jesus himself was kind of a parable? A representation that has deeper meaning? When Jesus said he was the way, could he be saying he is the path to consciousness and awareness?
Remember Adam and Eve? They were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge, the awareness of good and evil. They became AWARE that they were naked. Could it be that "the way" is the process of becoming consciously aware? Aware of our thoughts and emotions, aware of our words, our actions, and their impact on others? I submit to you it is.
For Reflection
How do you think of Jesus? What does he represent to you? Do you feel you are on a path to more being more conscious? More aware? Doesn't that make knowing Jesus even more appealing?
I'll stop here for this week and leave you to ponder these ideas. Jesus is more than meets the eye. He is more than just a figure in the Bible, a prophet or a teacher. We'll continue next week on this thought-provoking perspective. I hope you'll stay with me and I do covet your feedback so send me an email.
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Until next time, enjoy this first week of Advent and the gift of Hope.
As always, keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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