Jesus is the way
“How do I do it?” Children are quite inquisitive about the world around them, and are also eager to learn how to do things for themselves. They want to know the way to do things and to explore methods of how things operate. They want to know how to achieve what they want. In the Gospel story we focus on here, the disciples asked Jesus how to get to the Father. They asked Him to show the way, and Jesus gave a simple answer: HE was the way. God is an amazing, enormous, unfathomable being…but He became a human, so that we could draw closer to Him. The way to life is through Christ. For kids, this comes back to the tried and true Sunday school principle: the answer is always Jesus!
MAIN POINT: We have sinned, disobeyed, and become separated from God. We don’t always understand God, and on our own power we cannot be saved or come to the Father. But Jesus lived, died, and came back to life so that we could have a way to be with Him. Jesus is one with the Father, and He is our guide, “map,” and “key” to eternal life. We can believe and trust in what He says, because He loves us and gave Himself for us. He’s preparing a place for us to be in Heaven someday!
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Read: John 14:1-7
Ask: Where do you think this “house” might be? What is Jesus talking about?
Explain that Jesus is talking about preparing a place in Heaven. This wasn’t just for those disciples, but for all of us!
Here comes Thomas with questions again. This thought might have been on the minds of the other listeners, too…he wants to know the way to this “house.” How can we come into a relationship with God? What’s the answer Jesus provides? HE is the answer! He is the way. Most houses have doors that must be passed through in order to enter. Jesus is saying He is the doorway. He is the map, the route, the way to get to eternal life.
Read: John 14:8-11
It’s almost like Jesus is saying here, “haven’t you been listening to what I’m trying to tell you?” He has established that He is one with God, and yet the disciples still don’t quite understand. In fact, they still have trouble grasping this concept, even after the death and Resurrection! But this certainly should take care of any doubt we might have about the Trinity. Jesus is the Son of God, but He declares here that He is one WITH God, also. He is God made man…anyone who knows Jesus knows God, and Christ is the way to God.
Ask: Is this confusing? (It’s okay if it is!) Are there other things you have learned about Jesus or God that are difficult to understand? How can we approach those questions?
Read: John 14:12-14
What does this mean? Jesus is giving us a great promise. If we believe in Him, and who He says He is, He will grant us great things. However, this does not mean we will suddenly work miracles or fly or be able to ignore other details in life…Jesus has already given us something amazing through His death and Resurrection. He has already given us life! These verses remind us that our own works do not save us. Jesus saves us. He is one with the Father (God) and is preparing an eternal home for us. He wants us to pray and to stay close to Him.
We pray for things “In Jesus’ Name” because He told us to do so! He loves us and wants a relationship with us. And we know that He will listen when we call. We don’t need a map, a compass, or a key to get into Heaven. Jesus is the way, and He gives us life, now and forever!
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