In the Synoptic Gospels we enjoy Jesus' many parables about the Kingdom of God, bright and effective stories which allow us to understand more easily God's working in the world. In John's Gospel, however, there are no such parables. On the other hand, John records seven profound sayings of Jesus, which reveal who he is for us: bread of life, light of the world, Good Shepherd, gate of the sheepfold, the resurrection and life, the true vine, and that which ends today's Gospel passage: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." There are many different ways of uncovering the depth of Jesus' meaning. We may take the three elements separately: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We may combine them: Jesus is the way that leads to life precisely because he is the truth of God.

Many verses in the Bible converge to affirm an intimate connection between faith, obedience and life. By original sin, this connection was broken. Instead of being faithful to God and obeying God's command, Adam and Eve responded to a lie and broke faith with God. The only possible result was death, for God is life and the source of all life, and breaking with life inevitably means death. By faithful obedience, Jesus restored life.