Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” John 14:5-8

This was perhaps Jesus’ boldest pronouncement yet, a statement that could have gotten him killed on the spot if he was in the company of some of the Jewish leaders. He was claiming to be God’s Son.

Philip (and possibly others) wasn’t fully grasping the significance of the man he was talking to. He and his fellow co-laborers, the Disciples, knew they wanted to “get to God” but the details of it were a bit murky. Likes others had done earlier, Philip wanted a sign that it was safe to “jump into the waters,” so to speak.

By Jesus’ statement alone he was being quite narrow in the requirements needed to reach God. After you see those words, there is no doubt what needs to be done to get to heaven. You can debate the merits and the exclusivity of the statement all you want but the requirement is crystal clear: You get to the Father through Jesus.

It’s not an easy message when the world around you is screaming “include me and my beliefs too!”

But it is the Gospel truth.

Literally.