If you asked me for directions, I would probably say, “take this road” or “go that way.” If instead I said to you, “I am the road,” you’d be baffled and probably say, “So you want me to drive over you?”
Jesus’ response here sounds crazy; how can a person be “the way, the truth, and the life”? Those are things.
Maybe the problem is we make God a thing by forgetting He is a person. When we see God as a map, we use Him to find the treasure. When we see God as the living and active person He is, we realize He is the treasure. This is why Jesus does not answer Thomas’ question by giving him directions, but by offering him a personal relationship.
Jesus begins by saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” How does knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life put your heart at ease?
Have you ever been tempted to think of God as a thing rather than a person? How does that difference affect your relationship with Him?
