Why Is Jesus the Gatekeeper?

The Bible acts as the foundation of the Christian faith. The Holy Bible’s words, stories, truths, and advice all guide and shape us as believers. We spend our lives searching the scripture in hopes that we can catch a glimpse of Heaven. In an effort to know God, understand his mysterious ways, and make him known, we pour over the familiar passages of the Bible over and over again. Miraculously, the text never fails us; it always sheds new light on who God is and the plans he has for us. 

Within the sacred text, certain passages are central to guiding us on our path to God. John 14 contains one of those key dialogues in which Jesus’ disciples are trying to understand how to find Jesus, as he had warned them of his imminent departure. They could not fathom how they would be able to continue to be in a relationship with Jesus if he were not in physical proximity, which makes sense, as in all other human relationships, we have to physically connect in some way in order to be in community. At that point, the disciples did not yet fully understand who Jesus was and how supernatural his mission on Earth was. 

The conversation in John 14:5-7 states, “Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Jesus clearly defines for Thomas and all humanity the way to Heaven, and we learn that Jesus is the gatekeeper to Heaven’s entrance. If we want to spend eternity with God, we must accept Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior. He is the way; no other way is sufficient to save us from death and eternal separation from the Father. 

Why Is Jesus the Gatekeeper?

Jesus' life as a man and sacrificial death on the cross are what uniquely qualify Jesus for this job. Enduring Word Commentary says, “ In light of soon events, this declaration was a paradox. Jesus’ way would be the cross; He would be convicted by blatant liars; His body would soon lie lifeless in a tomb. Because He took that way, He is the way to God; because He did not contest the lies, we can believe He is the truth; because He was willing to die He becomes the channel of resurrection – the life to us.”

His death revealed to all mankind Jesus' true identity as the Messiah and, even more than that, his immense love for us. Jesus was not at all what the world had expected, but he is everything we need. He lived fully as a man. Jesus can understand what it is to be tired, grieved, lonely, pained, sick, stressed, tempted, jealous, joyful, and more. His years walking in our shoes qualify him as our mediator. Romans 8:34 states, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” He has compassion for us because he has literally been in our shoes. 

Then his glory, power, and plan came clear when his life came to a predicted yet gruesome end. Jesus did not fight his fate, even though we see that as he sweat out tears of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was burdened by the mission given to Him by his Father (Matthew 26:36-46). Nonetheless, Jesus willingly surrendered to the will of his Father, choosing to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Jesus, without dispute, was tortured and publicly killed as a criminal on the cross. His blood poured out so our sins could be washed clean. Grace upon grace for all humanity freely given on the cross. 

Yet, that’s not the end of the story! His resurrection is where we see Jesus' power revealed. Without the rolling away of the stone and his resurrected body on display to all of his disciples, Jesus would have just been a radical Rabi but nothing more. Jesus proves that he is more powerful than death, the most certain power at work on our planet, and this is why we trust Him to lead us towards Heaven. 

Jesus Alone Is the Path to Heaven 

Jesus’s stating he alone is the way to the Father, the way to Heaven, was by far the most controversial statement he ever made. Often, we struggle with this because we worry that a singular path to God is too limiting. We worry that Jesus isn’t enough for all of humanity. 

Yet, God is consistent in that even in the Old Testament, he requires exclusivity from his followers. The Ten Commandments begin, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2-3).” This message appears throughout the stories of the Old Testament as the people are often urged to let go of their idols and worship the One True God. 

Additionally, the prophets foretell of a Messiah that the Jewish people spent hundreds of years anticipating. It is clear in scripture that the Messiah alone had the power to redeem his people and bring hope to our world. Here are just a few of the verses that point directly towards Jesus:

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 4-6)

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

These are just a few of the numerous verses that make clear God’s plan to show us the way to Heaven through a redeemer, and the details in these verses perfectly align with Jesus' story. It’s truly breathtaking to consider how graciously God made clear through the Bible Jesus’ identity and his role. Jesus is the light, the way, and the truth. 

God made salvation simple so that we might believe! He gave us a man, which is quite amazing because if he’d shown up on Earth in any other form, we’d have been too freaked out to wrap our minds around what was happening. God showed himself to us through a medium that we could best understand. He wrote a book about this man, telling us all about him from the start of Creation, so we would recognize his Son. Then Jesus himself told us in plain language exactly who he is and what he came for. He proved his identity through his miraculous death and resurrection. Then he set all his followers on a mission to share this one singular, life-changing truth with the world until the day he comes again and ushers in the end of this chapter of human life. Jesus is not too small to reach the world; our imaginations are just not big enough to understand how great and gracious God is. 

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Keith Hardy

Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is encouraging others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for Your Nightly Prayer, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, Your Daily Prayer, and more. She has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com, Biblestudytools.com, and Christianity.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas, alongside her husband’s companion devotional, Shepherd. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.