Someone has made a list of five things you will never hear a man say:

1. We haven''t been to the mall for ages, let''s go shopping and I can hold your purse for you!

2. Forget "Monday Night Football." Let''s watch Melrose Place.

3. Your mother''s coming to stay with us again? Great!

4. Do these jeans come in lavender? And finally,

5: I think we are lost. We better pull over and ask for directions.

Perhaps all of us have had the experience of being lost in a strange town--even those of us who don''t mind asking for directions. So often, streets are poorly marked. Rare is the town that provides adequate directional signs back to the main highway or the Interstate. Our Lord Jesus Christ was more thoughtful than that.

We come to the sixth "I Am" statement of Christ found in the gospel of Saint John. We have examined the claims of Jesus to be our Bread--our Source of Living Water--our Light--our Door--our Shepherd--and the Resurrection and Life. He made these claims to us not only as individuals, but also to the whole world. Today we explore another of Christ''s reassuring claims--that he is the Way.

It is important when you are taking a trip to have good directions in order to reach your destination. We need good directions in order not to waste time getting there. We need good directions in order not to get side-tracked. We need good directions in order to plan wisely for the trip. How much gas will we need? Will we need to stop to eat? Do we need to carry a map with us? After we have considered all of these factors, we embark on our journey.

Sometimes, though, even all of these are not enough. Even maps can be confusing. What we long for is a living, breathing human being to guide us along the way--someone who has been there before.

In this light, we can fully understand the question of the disciple Thomas in our lesson today. Thomas gets a lot of bad press. Thomas was--for me--the honest, bottom-line disciple. The Lord''s work in Thomas was just beginning. Thomas wanted to be sure that he was on the Road To Somewhere--not nowhere. He wanted no dead-ends in life. He knew he was committing his life and his destiny to following Jesus--and wanted to be sure it was the real thing. It is said that Thomas died as a martyr in India. How sad if his life was a road to nowhere!

The author Bill Bryson, tells of going to Hannibal, Missouri, to visit the boyhood home of Mark Twain. Mark Twain was one of his heroes. As he visited the home, he was disappointed. The home was supposed to be a faithful reproduction of the original, but it was easy to see that it was not. Far too many items from the 20th century were included in the home. In a sense it was false advertising. Mr. Bryson was further disappointed that he was not able to actually go inside the house. "You look through the windows," he says. "At each window there is a recorded message telling about each room." As he proceeded from window to window he asked another tourist, "What do you think of it?" The friendly stranger replied, "Oh, I think it''s great. I come here whenever I''m in Hannibal--two, three times a year. Sometimes I go out of my way to come here." Dumbfounded, Bryson replied, "Really?" "Yes," answered the tourist. "I must have been here twenty, thirty times by now. This is a real shrine, you know!"

As the two of them continued walking, Bryson asked his last question of the man. "Would you say the house is just like Twain described it in his books?" "I don''t know," said the tourist. "I''ve never read one of his books."

Thomas did not want to be a casual follower who was not truly committed to following Jesus. And Jesus wanted to reassure Thomas that his teachings were not false advertising. Knowing Jesus was a good first step. However, knowing Jesus must be followed by obedience. It was a chance for Thomas to learn that our heads--hearts--hands must all respond together in faith to God''s commands. This was a moment of direct divine revelation for Thomas and all who study the claims of Christ.

As we open the fourteenth chapter, the disciples are very discouraged. They all had experienced a profound lesson from their Lord in the Upper Room. Jesus demonstrated the nature of true servanthood and Christian discipleship with a towel and a basin. This demonstration challenged them to the very core of their being. Then, to make matters worse, Judas Iscariot, a trusted and talented disciple had deserted them and betrayed Jesus. They knew now that Jesus must die. There was no turning back. They wanted Jesus to turn back--but Jesus confidently and obediently set his face to Jerusalem--trusting solely in the Father''s will. Jesus was demonstrating in a profound way how his hands--his heart--his head were all working together in a single-minded response to the claims of God. When Jesus declared: I am the Way--the Truth--the Life--he was teaching the disciples and us that the ultimate reality of life--in life--about life is found in him. Jesus the man--the message--the Messiah are one. Like a seamless robe they flow together for a single purpose. You cannot separate one claim from the other.

Jesus had said a few days before words recorded in the closing portion of the 8th chapter: "You shall know the Truth--and the truth shall set you free." Real life is not drawn from a ceremony--a ritual--or set of rules--but flows from this personal commitment to God''s purposes revealed in Jesus Christ. This is the road that will lead you home.

I don''t know the greatest point of pain conflict confusion--trouble in your life today. I only know his way--his truth--his life can help you in some way.

A Korean student at Drew University School of Theology once gave a most powerful witness. He shared his conversion experience and his journey of faith. He told of a Chinese convert who gave his life to Christ for the following reason: "I was sinking deeper and deeper in a miry pit and all of my efforts were to no avail. Then," he said, "I looked up and saw a face look down in the well at me, and a voice said: ''My child, I am Confucius, the father of your country. If you had obeyed my teachings, you would have never landed where you are now.'' Then, he waved his hand and left saying: ''If you ever get out of this well, be careful to follow my teachings next time.'' Then," he said: "Buddha came and looked into the well at me and said: ''My child, you must quit the condition in which you find yourself. Relax, fold your arms and meditate. Soon you will find Nirvana, which is the peace we all desire.'' I called out: ''Father Buddha, if you would help me out of this well, I could follow your teaching, but I cannot follow your instructions in this horrible place. Please help me!'' Then there came another man. His face reflected sorrow and suffering. He came down in the well and pulled me out. He gave me dry clothes, and said to me: ''Follow me, I will never leave you or forsake you.'' That man was Christ. That is why I became a Christian. He descended into the depth where I was. He saved me with His own hands, and I will follow Him." He had found the road that leads to somewhere. 

I realize that the claim found in our gospel lesson is a big and bold claim--but it is a true claim. It is also found in Acts 4:12, Philippians 2:9-11 and Revelation 1:18.

Throughout history many men and women have sought to make their names unforgettable, but now their names are only a faint scribble on the pages of history. Jesus Christ, on the other hand, who sought no fame--fortune--or notoriety is the greatest name of all.

Every individual who hears and reads the vast information available about Jesus Christ ultimately makes some judgment about him. Even the French philosopher and historian Ernest Renan was forced to conclude, "All history is incomprehensible without Christ." American author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "His name is not so much written but plowed into the history of the world. We know more about Jesus than of the leaders of any other world religion like Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, or Laotze."

We have countless examples of people like Lew Wallace who wrote the classic book Ben Hur and in the 20th century Josh McDowell--people who set out to prove that the claims of Jesus Christ were false and were converted to Christ while doing the research to prove he was a fake. Nobody else has that effect in all of history.

When my wife and I traveled to England, we could see the mark that Jesus Christ has left on the pages of history. You cannot visit places like Westminster Abbey--St. Paul''s Cathedral--Wesley''s Chapel--the Durham Cathedral--Yorkminster--without being made aware of how the message of the gospel has impacted cultures and civilizations. You cannot listen to the music of Mozart--Brahms--Bach--Beethoven without knowing why they composed and played. You cannot read Pilgrim''s Progress by John Bunyan--or the works of John Donne or Lord Alfred Tennyson or William Shakespeare without seeing there the mark of Christ on history. However, the real question I want to ask you today is, "Has Jesus Christ left a mark on you?" Are you on the Road to Somewhere--or are you desperately lost--frantically searching for that which is true and eternal? Jesus Christ is not here today for historical purposes. He is here for transformational purposes.

Today in political and academic circles there is a word that seeks to obscure the message of Christ. That word is tolerance. We are cautioned about being religiously intolerant. It is a good thing to respect and understand another person''s religious understanding--it is another to capitulate our convictions to our present culture. Christianity is about truth. It is not a popularity poll. 

I was recently reminded by Chuck Colson that the pilgrims left England because the government was intolerant. They went first to Holland, but left there as well because the government was too tolerant. There is a delicate balance needed. While I can respect and live peaceably with my Jewish and Muslim neighbors, I cannot tell you in good conscience that all religions lead to the same place and they are equal. To do so is erroneous and false. Every road is not the same. Jesus would not have warned us about a wide road and a narrow road if there were not some roadblocks to watch out for. So Jesus comforts Thomas by reassuring him that he is the Way--the Truth--the Life.

One of my favorite "Peanuts" comic strip columns features a conversation between Lucy and Linus. Lucy and Linus are looking out the window and it is raining quite hard. Lucy says "Wow! Look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world again?" Linus--the kid with the blanket--says with confidence, "Lucy, God promised Noah in the ninth chapter of Genesis that it would never happen again. The sign of the promise is the rainbow." Lucy exclaimed: "Linus, you sure have taken a great load off my mind." Linus shares with Lucy: "Sound theology has a way of doing that."

Jesus shares with Thomas sound theology in our lesson today. He reassures Thomas and the other disciples that he is the Way--the Truth--the Life. And he is, still, today!

Yes--Jesus was a great teacher!

Yes--Jesus was a marvelous worker of miracles!

Yes--Jesus was an excellent moral example.

Yes--Jesus was a persuasive preacher.

Yes--Jesus was a lovable human being.

However if that was all he was--he would be a footnote in somebody''s historical record. But because he is the Son of God--and now sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty--he is still the Way--the Truth--the Life.

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who opposed the hate and philosophy of Nazism, would challenge his students and congregation by saying, "Who is Jesus Christ for you today?"

May God give us grace to say "THE WAY--THE TRUTH--THE LIFE"— and the courage to live it out. Amen and amen.