The Bible has over 30,000 verses in its 1,189 chapters. These chapters are then placed into 66 respective books ranging from 3 John which contains a mere 14 verses, all the way to the Psalms which boasts a whopping 150 chapters.

You get it. The Bible is big, complex at times, and quite the life source if read frequently and devotedly. Some of us may have even read the entire thing whether by choice or by another’s will for us. That being said, I would like to analyze one verse out of the 31,102. While I hate making such heavy assumptions with a book so good and sacred, I believe this one verse to be the most important verse in the Bible.

After I graduated high school over a year ago, my youth pastor, or rather my second father gifted me with a beautiful collage of the following verse:

John 14:6- “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

At this point you may be hesitating thinking but where does it talk about our good morals and purity? And where’s all the stuff about dealing with sins like jealousy and slander? And heaven forbid we forget tithes and offerings, right? Well… You’re not wrong. There is a time and place for all of those things, but for now let’s just hone in on one.

The mission critical reality of your relationship with Jesus Christ lies within John 14:6. Though there are other external components to help enhance and strengthen your walk with Jesus, this verse is at the core of it all. It’s the foundation, the building block, the rock for everything you need to know to follow Jesus Christ.

The Way

Jesus starts off by saying, “I am the way.” In the Greek language of Jesus’ time, to state “I am” was very profound in referring to oneself. “I am” as we know it can be universal, as if I were to say “I am a boy.” However, in this context, Jesus spoke it more as “I myself, and only I, am.” He wanted to make it entirely clear that He is the only way. The way to what? The way to the supermarket? The way to success? No. Jesus knew that He is the only way to spend eternal life with your Heavenly Father. He knew that salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

The Truth

Once again, we must recognize Jesus’ intention to distinct himself as the only truth. Jesus was never against the law. In fact, He tells us in Matthew 5:17 that He came to fulfill the law. In the first verse of the book of John, Jesus says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In this verse Jesus is essentially stating that the Word of God (the Old Testament) is from God, and that He, being the Son of God, is the Word of God in the flesh. That therefore makes Jesus not just the truth, but the whole truth, and not a representation, but rather a manifestation of all that is true and good.

The Life

Lastly, Jesus refers to himself as “the life.” At the time when Jesus said this powerful statement, he had just told his disciples about the death that was nearing Him. He had declared that he would lay down his life for all of humanity, then take it back again with the authority granted only by the Father. Jesus is stating that he is the life because he has authority over life and death itself. Death is no match for such a perfect savior. In verse 19 of this very chapter Jesus proclaims “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” Therefore, Jesus’ authority over sin and death extends beyond the vessel of His own body and spirit, but is transcended to us as well through believing that He and only He is our righteous savior.

Except Through Me

After declaring who he is, Jesus makes one final statement that is His most important. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” In this one proclamation, Jesus provides all of mankind with a solution to an eternal problem. Since Adam and Eve ate the fruit from The Tree of Good and Evil, sin entered the world and created a permanent disconnect from God, our creator. Since that moment, all of humanity had been searching for a solution, an answer, or better yet—A savior. It is in this moment that Jesus assures us that He is that savior, and He is the only way back to the Father. He was staking his claim on all of humanity out of a perfect, scandalous love that you and I couldn’t even begin to understand. He is the Holy one, the Almighty God of Creation, the one who chose us. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and it is through Him alone that we are saved.