October 10 - Jesus is the Way

Well, I just can't stand it.  I have to share a little bit of Greek with you today.  It's been rattling around my mind and until I get it written out, it will just make me crazy.

In the lecture this week we began discussing articles. In English there are indefinite articles (a, an) and the definite article (the).  If I say to you, "I want you to bring me a cat" you could bring me any old cat and I would be happy.  That's an indefinite article. 

As opposed to "I want you to bring me the cat."  Now, both of us have an understanding somewhere about which cat you are to bring to me.  It is a definite, specific cat.  That's a definite article.

There is no indefinite article in Greek.  Many times it is implied.  If there isn't a definite article specified, it is left up to the interpreter as to whether or not to translate using a definite article or an indefinite article.

Are you still with me?

One of questions that comes up regularly is what to do with John 14:6.  In English we read, "I am the way, and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Could this possibly read "I am a way and a truth and life."?  Well, here we go.  The joy of learning to understand how Greek is actually translated.

Let me put the words out there for you from this sentence.

ego - I
eimi - I am
a - the
odos - road, way, path.
kai - and
a - the
alathea - truth
kai - and
a - the
zoe - life

Do you see the letter 'a' there each time?  When the Greeks used the definite article, they were serious about it.  This passage doesn't leave much room for equivocation.  Jesus says he is THE way, THE truth and THE life.  You can't wonder.

The other kind of cool thing that happens - occurs right at the beginning of the sentence.  The word 'eimi' actually means "I am."  It's another one of those millions of words that I have to memorize.  When you conjugate the verb 'to be,' this is it.  But, the word 'ego' wasn't necessary at the beginning of the sentence.  In Greek, when you see the word 'eimi,' the only thing that occurs in your brain is to read it as "I am."

Jesus repeated himself.  In other words, he wanted the reader - the listener, to be very clear about what he was saying.  He said, "I, I am the way, and the truth and the life."  There is no one else, there is no question.

He is.  He is the way.

Ok ... is that enough for tonight?  Yup, I'm done!