This Is the Way

Our family enjoys The Mandalorian TV series on Disney+. Brenden, Aidan, and I enjoy the Stars Wars universe. Jana shows up for baby Yoda. 

Due to our fondness for The Mandalorian its tagline "This is the way" shows up every so often in our house. Recently, I went down a rabbit hole to appropriate that phrase for Christian purposes.

The trigger was learning that, in popular Chinese translations of the New Testament, John 1.1 is translated like this:

In the beginning was the Dao, and the Dao was with God, and the Dao was God.

My explorations concerned the degree of conceptual and metaphysical overlap between the Greek understanding of the Logos versus the Chinese concept of the Dao (also spelled Tao). There is, if you investigate, a lot of overlap, which justifies the decision of Chinese translators in translating Logos as Dao in John 1. Of course, there are some differences in these concepts and by connecting the Dao to the incarnation of Jesus Chinese translations of the Bible give the Dao a Christological form. 

Concerning the identification of Jesus with the Dao, there is a lot of material to work with here. As you probably know, while a very rich and nuanced metaphysical notion, the word Dao straightforwardly means "way" or "path." In the beginning was the Way, and the Way was with God, and the Way was God. Jesus describes himself in just such terms. "I am the Way" Jesus declares in John 14. Jesus tells his followers, "Come, follow me." The Greek word for "disciple" in the New Testament means "student," "follower," and "apprentice." Consequently, the earliest name for the Christian community was "Followers of the Way" (Acts 9.2, 22.4, 24.14). 

I think there is something profound in seeing Jesus as the incarnation of the Way in human history, the Path become visible to human eyes. Christians are those who become Followers of the Way.

In short, it is completely appropriate for Christians to say "This is the Way" in describing their faith, practice, and life.