A Difficult Verse

One of the more troubling verses in the Bible for many folks is John 14:6 which records Jesus saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  The first part of the verse is no problem.  The second is problematic for some.  It is a word which focuses on the narrowness of the gate of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:14.  Believers who lean more toward a universal view of salvation which includes everyone find it a word to be torn out of Scripture as do those who make cases for all religions to be viewed equally.  It is also a problem for many conservative evangelical Christians who accept the verse but with some discomfort about the way it seems to exclude so many good and decent people who are religious, but not Christian.    

What adds to the problem for many evangelical conservative believers is not what the Scripture says, but how the Scripture is viewed through the lens of that tradition.  For the conservative believer this verse speaks to the necessity of an experience involving confessing publicly Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  It is the hoop which is created by the believer that creates the problem.  No one makes it to the Father apart from such an experience which is surely what this verse implies.  Such is the logic which some feel compelled to embrace even though there is discomfort about the way it excludes our neighbors of other religious persuasions.    

Could this verse not be a Word which points us away from our tradition and practice to embracing the belief that Jesus is the gatekeeper?  He is the One entrusted with providing the way.  He is the giver of life.  He is the dispenser of grace.  He is the One who holds the keys to the gate and who admits those whom He chooses.  Maybe it is not up to us.  Maybe it is not up to a tradition and practice with which we are comfortable.  Maybe, it is up to Jesus.