Understanding John 14:6 “በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም”: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church's Perspective - Part II

Part I of this essay explored the meaning behind Christ's statement in John 14:6, "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም). It emphasized that Christ is not presenting himself as an intercessor (አማላጅ), but rather conveying that true knowledge and relationship with the Father stem from knowing and believing in him. This is because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in their divinity, authority, governance, existence, and role in creating and sustaining this world. Furthermore, his statement highlights the revelation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity through him. In the upcoming sections, this essay will further explore the interpretation offered by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church regarding John 14:6.

In John 14:6, Christ stated, "I am the way and the truth and the life; No one comes to the Father except through Me," “እኔ መንገድና እውነት ሕይወትም ነኝ፤ በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም።” This signifies that if one does not accept the Son as truth and life, he or she cannot truly accept the Father as truth and life. In verse 7 He states, “እኔንስ ብታውቁኝ አባቴን ደግሞ ባወቃችሁ ነበር። ከአሁንም ጀምራችሁ ታውቁታላችሁ አይታችሁትማል …።” “If you truly know me, you will also know my Father,” meaning that knowing me is equivalent to knowing the Father.

Intercession (ምልጃ) is required for obtaining mercy, and mercy, in turn, is required for salvation, which ultimately leads to eternal life. However, if we interpret the verse “እኔ መንገድና እውነት ሕይወትም ነኝ፤ በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም።” as indicating that Christ is an intercessor (አማላጅ), it implies that Jesus Christ is not a life-giver but rather a means to access the life-giver. This interpretation contradicts Christ's own statement “እኔ መንገድና እውነት ሕይወትም ነኝ” stated in verse 6. It would be a significant betrayal (ክህደት) of the message, as Christ clearly identifies Himself as the way, the truth, and the life, rather than an intercessor.

It is important to consider the following verses that clearly indicate our Lord Jesus Christ is a life-giver:

“አብ ሙታንን እንደሚያነሣ ሕይወትም እንደሚሰጣቸው፥ እንዲሁ ወልድ ደግሞ ለሚወዳቸው ሕይወትን ይሰጣቸዋል።” (John 5:21)

“እኔም የዘላለም ሕይወትን እሰጣቸዋለሁ፥ ለዘላለምም አይጠፉም፥ ከእጄም ማንም አይነጥቃቸውም።” (John 10:28).

On the other hand, if one interprets "no one can come to the Father except through me" በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም as meaning that Christ is an intercessor (አማላጅ), John 6:44 says that “የላከኝ አብ ከሳበው በቀር ወደ እኔ ሊመጣ የሚችል የለም።" If we stick to the former interpretation, it implies that God the Father is an intercessor (አማላጅ) which is a significant departure from Christian belief.

In conclusion, when Christ says, "በእኔ በቀር ወደ አብ የሚመጣ የለም።", it is not about intercession (አማላጅነት) but about achieving true knowledge and relationship with the Father through belief in the Son. This underscores the necessity of accepting the Son to truly know the Father and attain salvation.