DUDLEY HALL — “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

“Excuse me shir, whith way to the nearest town?” the man was barely able to walk. His shoes were worn through; his clothes tattered. Dehydration had shriveled his skin and swelled his tongue. “Oh, there’s probably lots of ways, what with all the unpaved or private roads in these parts. I wouldn’t want to limit your choices a-tall; Wouldn’t want you to think I’m some narrow-minded exclusivist.”

When you are desperate, discovering the one way to get to a place of help is a good thing. Those who direct you are giving good news.

Bowing to our society’s demand for a strange PC-induced inclusiveness, the church has become afraid to tell tired and abused sinners the one way to real help, so the woods are full of lost strugglers looking for the road that leads to home. Jesus wasn’t trying to shut people out when he said, “I am the way.” This truth offers the very real solution to the deepest cry of the human heart: “How can I get home to the Father?”

All people long to be loved unconditionally by a father who wants only the best for them. It is only those who demand to be their own final authority that are offended by such good news from Jesus. Those tired of dead-end trails welcome it.

The option-demanding skeptic must not silence those commissioned by Jesus to take his message to the ends of the earth. Maybe he too will become tired someday. Meanwhile there are teeming thousands who would desperately like to know if there is a way back home to the Father. They are the ones we are talking to.

By the way, Jesus offers even more for those who really want it. “I am the truth.” He claimed. In an era when reality is being redefined by personal preference, even being affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States, a clear and definitive explanation of truth would be good news.

“I am the life.” He offers. That is what everyone is looking for. The baby boomers are testifying that the American dream for them has been less than satisfying. The “Millennials” are beginning to doubt that the search alone is enough. Other identifiable segments of society are groping for their own hope.

To all of these Jesus offers his own life. He demonstrated it by living in conscious fellowship with God as his Father. Permanent joy characterized his time on earth. He delighted in serving and had no need for symbolic affirmation from man. Then he found his greatest honor in sacrifice. He conquered hate with a transforming love and defeated the greatest enemy that creation has ever encountered. For those looking for life beyond mere survival, his offer is good news.

When we stop obsessing with our options and begin looking for the way to what our heart longs for, exclusivity is good news.