John 14:6 (NIV)
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
When Thomas says that he does not know the way, Jesus gives one of the clearest and most direct statements in all of Scripture. Thomas was possibly looking for something along the lines of, “Make a left turn at Albuquerque.” But Jesus does not offer directions or principles. He says that he himself is the way. He is not pointing toward a path. He is the path. No one comes to the Father except through him.
This verse is often recognized for its exclusivity, and rightly so. Jesus does not leave room for alternate routes to God. That can be uncomfortable in a culture that prefers many paths. But if Jesus is telling the truth here, then other paths do not lead to God at all. Believing otherwise would require believing that Jesus is just crazy, wrong, or intentionally dishonest.
What is easy to forget is that this is not meant to make Christians smug. The same Jesus who died for my sins also died for the sins of people who are trusting in paths that cannot deliver what those “paths to God” promise. This should not produce pride. It should produce urgency. Gratitude for the truth and a deep concern for those who do not yet know it should shape how I live and how I engage with others.