The thing about rabbit trails is that they attract attention so that we follow them, but they eventually lead to nowhere. Jesus spoke clearly when he claimed to be the one and only way to God. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He further elaborated by describing thieves who tried to break into God’s kingdom, “Verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers”. (John 10:7,8).
This kind of claim seems to make some people really angry. It goes against the grain of modern humanistic thinking that every religion has a piece of the truth, which leaves many with a warm and fuzzy feeling that world peace and harmony can be achieved this way, and to think otherwise is to be arrogant. But even though Jesus taught to respect and love others who believe differently than his teachings, his message of his exclusivity hasn’t changed.
If this angers you, then humor me for a moment. Just suppose for the sake of discussion that Jesus’ claims are true. And suppose there is a sinister spiritual force at work bent on discrediting him in order to keep people from discovering the truth. Do you think that force would appear as a demon pleading with you to turn away from the truth? That would not very effective, to say the least. No, but suppose that force inspired people to create numerous religions that include snippets from Jesus’ teachings, after all many of his all his words touch us as being insightful, but buried the rest of Jesus’s message in rabbit holes – nice sounding humanistic platitudes, or clouding the stage with other religious figures and leaders to keep Jesus full message masked. For instance, Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet but not the son of God. The Bahai faith includes Christianity as an earlier form of wisdom that has been upgraded by more modern leaders (Bahai spokesmen) in a progression towards modern relevant truth, omitting the aspect of a personal relationship with God guided by the Holy Spirit.
I call this phenomenon “burying God in a rabbit hole”. It effectively swamps out Jesus’s full message.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect Muslims and Bahai followers and include them in my close circle of friends who I care about, pray about, and support. But I represent the God that rescued my soul and brought me out of the slimy pit my life was in before that. I represent him in the way he shows me to represent him, without compromise. Sometimes it creates conflict. I’ve been called a bigot and a hate monger. Not a lot of fun. I have to continually nurse my wounds and humble myself before God not to retaliate. Only then do I feel uplifted and ready to reenter the fray or hold somebodies’ hand who is in need. That is why I disagree with the accusation of being arrogant. Something I hope you consider if you get angry next time.
NEW DIRECTIONS MINISTRIES 