Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:1-2 NIV
“The Way” is the name for a modern-day cult. But early on, it was apparently a term that the early believers used for themselves, they belonged to “the Way.” In addition to this verse, it is also found in Acts 19:9, 23 and Acts 24:14, 22.
It seems like a strange expression to use, and its origin is unclear, but it could come from Jesus’ teachings. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way . . . no one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way to the Father, and so his disciples followed “the Way” of Jesus.
Matthew 22:16 might also be pointing us to an origin for the name. The Pharisees and Herodians came to Jesus to test him. And they told him, “We know that . . . you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” While they did not believe that themselves, it is descriptive of the early church. Unlike the Jews, and other religions, they taught “the way” of God in accordance with the truth.
The term could also refer to the broad and narrow gates of Matt. 7:13-14 where the narrow road leads to life; it is “the Way” to life. Regardless of the origin of the expression, the early believers were followers of “the Way.” The way of life, the way of truth, the way to the Father, the way of Jesus. The way that is spelled out for us in the Bible. Are you a follower of “the Way” of Christ?
