WHERE ARE WE GOING? – (3)

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2014:1-9&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.14  

“All roads lead to Rome.”  Many Americans today think, “All roads lead to God.”  Jesus’ statement that “no one comes to the Father but by me” is shocking to us.  It is not politically correct, to say the least.  We would rather believe that any religion, any faith, any philosophy will work equally well.  But will it?

Let’s look at the source of that proverb.  It traces to a Latin saying: “Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam,” which translates, “A thousand roads lead men forever to Rome.”  This proverb was based on the ancient Roman road system which radiated out from the capital, like spokes around a wheel.  These Roman roads were designed so that Roman troops and supplies could travel to anywhere Rome ruled.

So “all roads lead to Rome” means that different paths can take one to the same goal.  These Roman roads were singularly designed that way.  But does this proverb apply to all situations?

Clearly, Robert Frost doesn’t think so.  In “The Road Less Traveled,” the traveler

says:

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood…

And his conclusion:

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

shows that one path led to a very different result than the other.  

Different path; different result.

Logic and observation tell us, that although in some instances different methods can end up with the same result, more often than not opposite methods produce opposite results.

 Even if all Roman roads lead to Rome, all American roads certainly don’t end up at the same destination.  In 1956 the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System was created (commonly called The Interstate).**  In the 50+ years since then, hundreds of roads have crisscrossed the USA.    

Try this experiment.  The next time you get in your car, fill in this sentence:  All roads lead to my destination.  Let us know where you land!

*attributed to Alain de Lille in 1175 AD. 

**Federal Highway Administration – List of Road Songs Celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System. (compiled 2006 by Richard F. Weingroff).  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/roadsongs.htm

NO LONGER BLIND! (3)

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  John 1:4

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

In my last devotional I asked:

Why do both John the baptist and Jesus see a relationship between LIFE and LIGHT?

“All life originates and develops under the influence of …light…”  according to Goethe.  The connection between life and light has been observed for centuries, but in this last century, the experiments of John Ott made real breakthroughs.  He discovered that healthy plant and animal development only occurs under full-spectrum light – what we also know as natural light – that which comes from the sun.  So true light leads to life.

I have been asking the question: How does the life in Jesus become light for mankind?  Maybe I was just thinking of “light” in too narrow of terms.  Light is not just what enlightens and leads mankind, it is actually what gives all life and health to mankind. 

Voilá!

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world.

The true light.  The full-spectrum light.  The only light that is life-giving.

Other interesting quotes:

“All the energy we take into our bodies is derived from the sun,” – Nobel Laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

“…light is the primal nourishment for life.”  - Jacob Liberman

“The body is a biological light receptor, the eyes are transparent biological windows designed to receive and emit light, and all physiological functions are light dependent. … Light guides the eyes, physical movement and physiological function, hence light and life are inseparable, …”– Jacob Liberman

“My studies have indicated that light is a nutrient, similar to all the other nutrients we take in through food, and that we need the full spectrum range of natural daylight.” – John Ott

"If human skin is not exposed to solar radiation (direct or scattered) for long periods of time, disturbances will occur in the physiological equilibrium of the human system. The result will be functional disorders of the nervous system and a vitamin-D deficiency, a weakening of the body's defenses, and an aggravation of chronic diseases."  - from a 1967 paper presented by three Russian scientists to the International Committee on Illumination

“…when we experimentally place plants, animals, or humans in a darkened environment and notice that their life force gradually diminishes, bringing life to a halt.  Without light there is no will to live, we are robbed of the spark that propels our spirit…” – Jacob Liberman