John 14:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

NIV: Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'

NASB: Thomas *said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?'

CSB: "Lord," Thomas said, "we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? "

NLT: No, we don’t know, Lord,' Thomas said. 'We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?'

KJV: Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

NKJV: Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

In reassuring the disciples (John 14:1), Jesus has reminded them that He has their fate in His hands. Confidence should come from knowing "the way to" where Jesus will one day take them (John 14:3–4). Here, Thomas expresses a question which makes perfect sense, at least from an earthly point of view. How can someone know "the way" when they don't know where they're going? Since these men are not sure of where Jesus plans to go, they aren't sure they will be able to get there.

That, of course, is part of the point Jesus is making. His promise is to bring them to be where He is—ultimately, in the presence of God the Father (John 14:2, 28). This is not somewhere any person can "go," in the sense of making the journey according to their own efforts (Romans 3:20; 11:6). No amount of good deeds or effort will get them there (Titus 3:5). Rather, "the way" to be reconciled to God is not a process; it's a person (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6).

John 14:1–14 continues Jesus' discourse with the disciples at the last supper. He has recently mentioned a traitor in their midst and predicted Peter's denials. That leads Jesus to reassure these men—reminding them that He has told them the truth and has all things in hand. In this passage, Christ famously refers to Himself as ''the way, and the truth, and the life.'' That is the sixth of seven such ''I Am'' statements included in John's gospel. This section includes Jesus' words, personal experience, and evidence of His miracles as reasons to maintain trust.

Christ reassures His followers that faith in Him is faith in God. To know Christ is to know ''the way, and the truth, and the life'' (John 14:6). The words, actions, and miracles of Jesus should give Christians confidence to trust that He will make good on His promises. Among those are His guarantee that He is preparing to come for us, so we can be where He is. Jesus also predicts the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is only available to believers, and this Helper acts to guide, teach, and remind us. Both for the disciples, and for future Christians, these words are meant to be comforting during hard times. Since Christ knew, in advance, what would happen, we can be even more confident to trust Him.

After completing His public ministry in Jerusalem (John 12:36–38), Jesus has washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:3–5), predicted His betrayal (John 13:21), and foreseen Peter's denial (John 13:37–38). Chapter 14 begins a series of remarks meant to encourage the disciples, in the face of dire warnings. Among these are reminders that Jesus is planning to bring them to be where He is, assurance that He is ''the way,'' and the first explicit promises of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 15 will continue this address, beginning with Jesus' claim to be ''the true vine.''

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 4/30/2024 4:03:53 PM