Jesus as the Way: Why He Meets Us as Soul

Chapter 1 – Jesus as a Messenger

When we read the New Testament, we encounter Jesus as a preacher and a messenger. He does not point to himself but to God. When he says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” many have understood this to mean that Jesus himself must be worshiped. But if we look more closely, he shows us that it is the way he lived and proclaimed that leads to God. Because he carried the message of love in everything he did, he is the way.

Thus, the transition becomes clear: Jesus is not the goal, but the messenger who leads us to God.

Chapter 2 – Direct Way to God

Jesus taught us that the way to God is direct, without intermediaries. In Matthew 6:6 it says: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” This shows us that we do not need a human intermediary to reach God. Jesus showed that God is near and available to all.

Thus the next step is clear: Jesus is the way because he points to God, but God is the goal.

Chapter 3 – The Core of the Message

The core of Jesus’ teaching is that God is love. This is seen in 1 John 4:8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The whole of Jesus’ life confirmed this—when he healed the sick, when he forgave sinners, and when he ate with the outcast. In everything he did, he placed love above laws and rules.

Therefore, it becomes natural to say: love is the key to understanding God.

Chapter 4 – When Scripture Contradicts Love

Throughout history, people have used holy texts to justify violence, war, and oppression. But Jesus showed us that text must be interpreted in the light of love. In John 8 we meet the woman caught in adultery. The crowd wanted to stone her, as the law said. But Jesus replied, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, they went away. He said, “Neither do I condemn you.”

This illustrates that without love, God’s word loses its meaning. Love is the key of interpretation.

Chapter 5 – The Consequences of Love

If God is love, it must have practical consequences. No one can be sentenced to death in God’s name, for death is not love. No one can be excluded because of skin color, orientation, or culture, for love does not exclude but embraces. No one can be oppressed in God’s name, for love sets free.

Therefore, we can say: love is the law, and it is our guiding rule.

Chapter 6 – Jesus and the Soul

Many have imagined that Jesus stands waiting for us immediately after death. But Jesus’ mission was to fulfill God’s will on earth and to point to God as the source of love. He has completed his calling and is now with God. He is not necessarily the one we meet on the way after death, for that journey concerns our own soul and its growth in love.

Yet we do meet Jesus when the soul has achieved full union with love in heaven. He is present when we reach the goal, when we enter God’s kingdom in paradise. There he does not stand as a gatekeeper, but as one who has already gone before us and shown how love leads to God.

Thus, we can understand: Jesus is not the one who greets us at every step of the way, but the one who waits in the fullness of love, when we have come completely home to God.

Chapter 7 – God as the Goal

Although Jesus is essential, he is not the final goal. The goal is God. In John 17:3 it says: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” To know God is life itself. Jesus shows the way there, but it is God who is the goal.

Thus we see: the way always points to God.

Chapter 8 – A Universal Truth

When love is the key of interpretation, Jesus’ message becomes universal. Love breaks down barriers and builds bridges. Paul says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Thus Jesus’ words apply to all people, regardless of background.

In this way, love becomes a universal law that applies to all souls.

Chapter 9 – A Way to Walk

Following Jesus means choosing love in practice. In Matthew 22:37-39 he summarizes the law: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (…) Love your neighbor as yourself.” Here the love of God and the love of neighbor are placed on the same level. Whoever loves God must also love their neighbor.

This makes the journey clear: love is both the beginning, the way, and the goal.

Chapter 10 – Jesus in Fulfillment

When the soul reaches its ultimate state in love, it meets Jesus again—not on the way, but in paradise. There he is not one who demands worship, but a testimony that God’s love triumphs. He has gone before us and shown the way, and in heaven he stands with God, in full union.

Thus the conclusion becomes clear: Jesus is the way, but God is the goal. Jesus is present in fulfillment, when love has become everything.

Conclusion – The Way Home

Jesus is the way because he showed us love. His words and his life are a recipe for finding God. But the way is not to be worshiped—it is to be walked. And when we walk the way of love, we find God. For God is love, and love is the way home. When one day we stand in paradise, Jesus is there—not to stand in between, but to testify that God’s love is eternal.