This is the Way, Walk in It
‘The Way’ is a phrase found throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament. In fact, the earliest Christians called themselves, “People of the Way”, before the name ‘Christian’ was first applied to them in Antioch (Acts 11: 26).
What does this word ‘way’ mean, and what does its meaning teach us today about following Jesus? After all, Jesus says, “I am the way . . . “ (John 14: 6).
Isaiah, telling Israel about God’s mercy, writes, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, say, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30: 21).
Several years ago, I was reading through Mark in my ESV Bible. At the end of the story of Bartimaeus, Mark writes, “And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him on the way” (Mark 10: 52 ESV).
Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the ‘way’, which in the NIV is translated ‘road’. So, way means road, path, highway – a delineated, marked out road that leads the traveler to a destination. In this sense we can understand what Mark meant when he wrote, “Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way”, because when Jesus encountered Bartimaeus outside of Jericho, He was on His way to Jerusalem by way of the ancient Jericho Road, climbing out of the Dead Sea rift, almost straight up to the capitol city. The road was well marked, difficult and relatively dangerous, but obvious.
The use of the word way applied to Bartimaeus had a second meaning. Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to be crucified. Bartimaeus was walking on the way, with Jesus, to the cross. We don’t know what happened to Bartimaeus after we encountered him in Mark, but I like to think he followed Jesus to that place of execution, and watched, with his new eyesight, Jesus die. Then, as one of the followers of Jesus, he encountered the risen Christ 3 days later. Now he would follow Jesus on the way in a different and new sense – the ‘way’ Bartimaeus lived his life would never be the same.
‘Way’ is not only a noun designating a road or path, but a metaphor describing how we do something: the way we talk, walk, eat, think, treat other people, drive a car, raise our children, spend our spare time, vote, feel about ourselves, worship, etc. The way we live our life.
Mel Brooks is the author and director of the classic comedy, ‘Young Frankenstein’ (Gene Wilder). In one of the funniest scenes in the movie, young Dr. Frankenstein rolls up to his late Grandfather’s castle in Transylvania. As he exits the carriage he is met by the servant, Igor (Marty Feldman). Igor leads Dr. Frankenstein into the castle with the words, “Walk this way, Master”, and proceeds to walk with an exaggerated limp. Dr. Frankenstein follows Igor, but also copies Igor’s limp. He follows Igor on the path, but also walks in the same way as Igor – ‘the way’ as “the path” and ‘the way’ — how we walk on that path.
These two senses of the meaning of way open us up to a powerful reality: way is both something real, concrete, tangible that we can see and walk or drive upon; and way is abstract, difficult to define or describe. It is a metaphor. “A metaphor takes a word that is commonly used to refer to a thing or action that we experience by means of our 5 senses and then uses it to refer to something that is beyond the reach of our immediate senses” (Peterson, ‘The Way of Jesus’, pg. 25). More simply, a metaphor in the Bible uses earthly things to point to a heavenly reality.
The way is both visible and invisible. A road guides us, enables us to get to a destination. ‘The way’ is a road that guides and directs, although it is not something we can use our 5 senses to detect. It is a supernatural road map. In this sense, we need to use our connection to the Holy Spirit to find our ‘way’. But it is also something less tangible – it is how we walk along that road. As Isaiah, writing about living in intimacy with God, puts it, “This is the way, walk in it” – the way, as in the path; and way describing how we walk on that path, guided by our Teacher, Jesus.
Before his time, Isaiah was calling us to walk in the way of Jesus, just like Bartimaeus. What is that way?
It is the way of love – loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor.
It is the way of humility – finding our ultimate value in Him and nothing else; the opposite of pride.
It is the way of obedience to Jesus and His word – not what we want the Word to mean, but what Jesus says it means. And Jesus only did what His Father told Him to do.
It is the way of power – power over sin, death, disease, and the demonic.
In the Kingdom of God, ‘Way’ is singular. It is Jesus. The kingdom of the world tells you there are many ways. You must choose - the Way or one of many ways. And you cannot walk on both at the same time. Robert Frost touched on this idea in his poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’, although probably not thinking of this kingdom decision. His poem begins like this:
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both, and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth”
The man in the poem, up to that point in his life, had managed to travel on both roads at the same time – to me, the road of the Kingdom of God and one road of the kingdom of the world. At least he thought he was traveling them both. In my mind, he attended church, ‘worshiped’ in his own way, tithed and supported Christian ministries, studied the Bible, and belonged to a small group. All the ‘good’ things Christians do. Yet, his heart was far from Jesus. He still lusted after the things of the world, was not gentle or kind to some, was very protective of his reputation, and at the end of the day found his ultimate value in something other than Christ. He was living the self-righteous way of the flesh.
He was trying to walk on two roads at the same time – the way of Jesus and the way of Self. But something in the later years of his life opened his eyes and Jesus brought him to the fork in the road. And here, where one road clearly diverged from the other, Jesus, the Great Demander, said, “Choose”. Choose the way of the Kingdom of God, which is the Jesus way, or the way of the kingdom of the world, which is the way of self. Choose the ‘Narrow gate’ and the narrow way or the ‘Wide gate’ and the broad way. Choose because they end up at different destinations. It is true that the narrow road is steep and, at times difficult, like the Jericho road, but it leads to life (through death to self). The wide gate and broad road look easy, enjoyable, and profitable, but that way leads to destruction.
The man in Frost’s poem had to choose. From that point on, he could not travel both at the same time. Did he choose the right road, the right way? No telling. But we do not have to guess which is the right way. It is the Jesus Way.
But no Christian walks on ‘the way’ perfectly. God knows this. “You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me the cost from the harm of my past. This is too wonderful, deep and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength” (Psalm 139: 5, 6 TPT).
When we stray off the way, in repentance we can cry out to God, “See if there is any path of pain I am walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way – the path that brings me back to you” (Psalm 139: 24 TPT).
When we make a mistake, when we sin, we repent. Our true repentance and His great grace always put us back on the Way.
The Way leads to life, to holiness; the way leads, ultimately, to our heavenly home, Zion.
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it. It will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighting will flee away” (Isaiah 35: 8 – 10 NIV).
They are walking on the Way and they are walking on the Way in a particular way – singing, worshiping, filled with joy and gladness. Although Isaiah was writing about Jews returning to Jerusalem from bondage, we understand him to mean us – born again, also delivered from bondage; Kingdom men and women, joyfully worshiping Him. They are the ‘People of the Way’; like Bartimaeus, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit who whispers, “This is the way, walk in it”, following Jesus to their own cross and beyond, to glory.
On the way,
John