Jesus In the Present Tense by Warren W. Wiersbe

Author:Warren W. Wiersbe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: David C Cook
Published: 2011-06-16T00:00:00+00:00

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The Way, the Truth, and the Life

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

—John 14:6

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

—Psalm 119:30

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

—Proverbs 14:12

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

—John 16:13

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

—John 6:63

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.

—Acts 4:12

For there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

—1 Timothy 2:5–6

This day … I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life.

—Deuteronomy 30:19–20

The Bible records many farewell addresses. Moses gave the longest address (thirty-three chapters in Deuteronomy), and Paul’s is one of the shortest (Acts 20:13–35). But of all the farewells given anywhere, surely our Lord’s discourse in the upper room is the deepest (John 13—16). You may read and ponder it again and again and always learn something new.

Jesus gave this discourse to prepare His disciples for His departure, because it would be their privilege and responsibility to carry on His work after He returned to heaven. First, Jesus taught them (John 13—16); next, He prayed for them (John 17); and then, He went out and died for them—and for us. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to empower the believers (Acts 2), and Peter’s ministry that day brought three thousand people to faith in Christ.

Perhaps the most important word in the Upper Room Discourse is Father, which is used fifty-three times. (The word is found over one hundred times in John’s gospel.) Jesus said to His Father, “I have revealed you [your name, Greek text] to those whom you gave me out of the world” (John 17:6), and the name He was referring to was probably “Father.” In the Old Testament, you don’t find God referred to as “Father” very often.1

Because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, He is able to minister to the hearts of people.

Troubled Hearts

The words troubled (John 14:1, 27) and grieved (16:6, 20–22) indicate that the atmosphere in the upper room was serious and sober. While the disciples didn’t fully understand all that was transpiring that night, they knew enough to be concerned; and they were troubled for several reasons. To begin with, they were grieved because their Master was going to leave them and they didn’t feel adequate for the work that lay ahead. Even more, Jesus had announced that a traitor sat at their table, and they wondered who he was.

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