Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Does that make him GOD?
The following article belongs to the Muslim-SA@acsu.buffalo.edu Islamic Student Organization.
Some people read:
"I am the way, ...no one comes to the Father, but through
me."
When reading this verse, for some reason some people see in it a confirmation of the
Trinity. Although I can not see how they can read either an explicit or even an implicit
reference to the Trinity in this verse, still, due to it's popularity it deserves to be
studied
There appear to be a sizable number of Christians who when reading this verse interpret
it to state that Jesus is God and that no one shall enter into heaven except if they
worship Jesus. However, since it is brought up so often in discussions of the
Trinity it appears to be appropriate to discuss it here.
The popular perception that this verse claims that Jesus requires our worship in order
for us to receive salvation is not the intended meaning of this verse. However, in order
for us to recognize this fact it is necessary to study it's context.
If we were to back up a little and read from the beginning of this chapter, we would
find that just before Jesus spoke these words, he said;
"In my Father's house are many mansions (dwelling places); if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a mansion (a dwelling place) for you."
John 14:2
The above statement is quite clear. It is in exact conformance to the teachings of the
Qur'an. In the Qur'an we are told how God sent messengers to all tribes and nations. We
are told that the basic message which was given to each of these tribes was the same:
"Worship God alone and worship none else." Some of the secondary details of this
worship might differ from one tribe or nation to the next according to God's infinite
wisdom and his knowledge of those people. It was made very clear to each prophet that he
was not to preach to anyone but his own people. It was further made clear to this
messenger's people that if they were to obey him that they would receive the reward of
God. God would not hold them accountable for what any other tribe or nation did or did not
do. This would continue until God's last messenger, Muhammad (pbuh) would be sent to all
mankind as the seal of the prophets.
This is exactly what Jesus is saying here. He said that in God's mansion there are "many"
rooms. Jesus was sent to guide to only one of them. The countless other rooms were
reserved for other tribes and nations if they would obey their messengers. However, Jesus
was telling his followers that they need not worry themselves about the other rooms.
Anyone from among his people who wished to enter into the room which was reserved for them
could only do so if they followed Jesus and obeyed his command. So Jesus confirmed that he
was going to prepare "a" mansion and not "all" the mansions in
"my Father's house".
Further, the verse clearly states that Jesus was the "WAY" to a mansion. He
did not say that he is the "DESTINATION" which would be the case if he were God.
What else would we expect a prophet of God to say except "I am the
'way' to God's mercy"? That is his job. That is what a prophet does.
It is why God chose him in the first place; in order to guide to the mercy of God.
This is indeed confirmed in John 10:9 where Jesus tells us that he is "the door"
to "the pasture." In other words, he is the "prophet" who guides his
people to "heaven" (see also Jn. 12:44). Once again, this is the message of
Islam.
Finally, remember
"Not every one that says to me(Jesus); 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven."
Matthew.7:21
Last modified: Sun Nov 17 01:56:22 EST 1996
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Please email me at Osama Abdallah
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