The Way, Not the Endpoint truthsum.org

Within Christianity, few instincts feel more natural than the desire to keep Christ at the center. Sermons emphasize Him, songs celebrate Him, and beliefs are often justified with the phrase, “this focuses on Christ.” That instinct is sincere—but it raises an important question when we listen closely to Jesus Himself: what if He never intended to be the destination, but the way forward?
Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently directed attention beyond Himself. He spoke of being sent by the Father, teaching the Father’s words, and doing the Father’s will. Even His most well-known statement—“I am the way, the truth, and the life”—immediately points to its purpose: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus presents Himself not as the terminus of faith, but as its passage.
When Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” He was not speaking of physical likeness, but of perfect alignment. His life, decisions, obedience, and compassion revealed the Father’s character. To see Jesus rightly is to see how the Father loves, rules, and acts.
Problems arise when “Christ-centered” becomes the sole measure of meaning. Larger biblical themes begin to shrink: the Kingdom becomes symbolic, obedience becomes suspect, and the family of God becomes abstract. Yet Jesus did not come merely to be admired. He came announcing a Kingdom, revealing a Father, and calling people to follow His example.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father, through Him. He preached the coming Kingdom and promised that He would ultimately deliver it to the Father, that God may be all in all.
To honor Christ rightly is not to stop with Him—but to follow Him where He was going: toward the Father, into God’s family, and toward the coming Kingdom.

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