Articles
Getting in the Way
Getting “In The Way”
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). The ancient Romans were known for their roads, which crisscrossed their empire with wide, heavily traveled highways. It may be what the apostles would have pictured when Jesus claimed, “I am the way”.
While this verse indicates Christ is the way to heaven, some believe Jesus gets in the way – their way. He is preventing us from happiness. He is limiting my life with His commands. He is confining me from being free to do what I please. All the ideas man has to give himself more pleasure and comfort, Jesus gets in the way I want to live my life.
If you cut through the dense jungle of our world, Jesus is our trail-guide who makes a new way for us to live. Many will see no problem in looking at the opposite sex to lust, yet Jesus says looking to lust causes you to commit adultery in your heart before ever engaging in the physical act (Matthew 5:27-30). Jesus paves the honorable way of the physical relationship between man and woman in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6). Others follow the way of the world by loving their friends and hating their enemies. Jesus carves out a new way: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:44). It is easy to judge and criticize others, but Jesus the Way-maker says to take the plank out of our own eye first (7:3-4). Our Lord cuts a path for us to live with generosity instead of greed (Luke 12:13-34).
With Jesus as “the way”, we have a heavenly path to follow toward the freedom in being what God created us to be. Jesus calls us to leave the old ways that lead to destruction and follow Him in His new way for us to live. In fact, the word follow in Mark 8:34 literally means, “to be found in the way” with Him. You and I can make the choice to travel the familiar, commonly accepted, and ultimately destructive ways as most people, or we can follow Him and find the way to God. If we know the way of Christ leads to heaven, there is no reason to fear what is on the path or its terrain upon which we tread. Just allow Him to navigate. Why? Jesus has already been here. He understands and knows the way we were made to follow (Hebrews 4:14-16) and exhorts us to come and follow Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
