Never Deterred, Never Detoured

“Well, this is going to stink.”
 
This has been the consistent reaction in the Jefferson/Sparta areas over the past 18 hours. Perhaps you have heard, but Route 15 Southbound is closed indefinitely. One of the bridges they have been working on for the past year has now been deemed unsafe. Rumor has it that parts of the bridge began to crumble into the river below yesterday afternoon. Thankfully, they were able to make this determination early so that no one was on the bridge.  Even still, this is closure of a major highway that will be a lengthy headache for many. Travel plans and work commutes have been radically disrupted. Frustrating. Inconvenient. Prolonged. Our local social media outlets have been saturated with people venting over this recent development. NJ DOT has warned, “expect significant delays” and “look for detours.”  Truer words are rarely spoken. Earlier this morning, my wife and I found our commutes to work about 30 and 55 minutes longer than normal respectively.  Of course, we both took alternate routes (we had no choice), but so did everyone else that normally travels down Rt. 15. 
 
As I sat in stop-and-go traffic this morning, I pondered the teachable moment in this.  The Holy Spirit always has a lesson for a discerning heart. The verse that came to the forefront of my mind were these familiar words of Jesus, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)   When it comes to our eternal salvation, there is no detour. No alternate route. No roundabout way to get to the same place.  Jesus makes it clear that He is the ONLY way to eternity.  Fortunately, and unlike this current transportation nightmare, this is hardly inconvenient. Quite the opposite is true. There is great joy and freedom in knowing that we need not fire up Waze or another traffic app to find the quickest alternate route. Two weeks ago, we heard these beautiful words of Jesus from the Gospel of John.  You know them well.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  There is nothing stinky about this message. This promise and invitation of God is an open gift, to all people.  The highway to heaven is paved with the blood and love of our Savior; and this road that leads to life will never be obstructed. It will never be too congested. It will never be closed. By faith, we journey down the traffic-free road of salvation through the vehicle that is Jesus Christ.
 
Sadly, there are a lot of people today who feel there are many ways to get to heaven. They believe the way to heaven is like a mountain with many paths leading to the top. They are convinced that it doesn’t matter what “god” you believe in or what religion you are—as long as you do the right thing and are a good person, you can earn your way to heaven. This type of teaching is false and very dangerous; but it is far too commonplace in our culture today, especially in our northeast American context. The Bible is clear that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus. Is this exclusive? Yes!  But it is also a gift that is available to everyone.  It is inclusively exclusive. To the unbelieving world this message is foolishness. As God’s children, this message brings us peace. It also nudges us to be more bold and vocal about this reality. Just as we may try to warn our fellow commuters about closed roads and compromised travel plans, so also may we proudly showcase the life-giving path that only Jesus provides.
 
“Keep using my name in vain, I’ll make rush hour longer.” –God 😉