I was listening, recently, to a teaching that caught my attention. The speaker explained that within the Old Testament tabernacle, Rabbinical tradition referred to the entrance of the outer court as “The Way,”

The entrance of the second portion of the tabernacle, which was the “Holy Place,” was called “The Truth,”

and the entrance to the Holy of Holies was called “The Life.”

I felt a little like someone had punched me when I processed what the speaker had said. I had to come home and research to confirm it, and the information is out there.

In John 14:6, Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

He was right in their face, calling attention to what they already knew. He minced no words in making sure that people understood he was the Messiah. He came to bring them life. He came to offer them forgiveness. Why was it so hard for them to grasp? Gentiles today are not familiar with the nuances of the original language and cultural traditions of Jesus’s time, but his disciples knew these things had been so in the days of their fathers. No one could get to the Holy of Holies, where God presided with the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat, without passing through the entrance of each portion of the tabernacle. And not a single one of us can approach the mercy seat of God the Father except through Jesus Christ, His Son.

It’s that simple.

Every time I learn more, I am in awe.

If you are interested in going deeper, Emmaus Road Ministries explains in greater detail.

Image by Jim Black & by David Mark from Pixabay