John 14:1-3: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
I have just returned from visiting my parents, my brother and his family, and my in-laws, in the Midwest. I do not know if I will be able to see my parents again on this earth. That question remains in both of our thoughts each time we have to say good-bye.
John 14:1-6 is a particular passage that my Dad is passionate about as he knows his life’s ending point may be soon. He has often quoted these verses in conversations and wants every person to know that Jesus is – “The Way, The Truth, and the Life.”
The context of this passage denotes the disciples were troubled concerning the imminent departure of Jesus and Peter had asked the question in John 13:36, “Where are you going?” Thus Jesus explains He is going to heaven to be with the Father and is preparing a mansion, an eternal dwelling place with many rooms, for all who believe in Him. He offers eternal life, but each person must not have any issues with their willingness to believe that Jesus is the Christ who died on the cross and rose again to save them from their sins. Heaven is a real place where Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and where God dwells.
My Dad’s future residence is not in the retirement home he now lives in, but his eternal home is being prepared for him by Jesus Christ. The King James version of John 14:2 uses the word “mansions.” The ESV version uses the word “rooms.” Jesus was a carpenter by trade on this earth. Now that He has returned to glory He is constructing an eternal home for all true believers, filled with love, peace, and joy. There will be no more death, no crying, no bills to pay, no cancer, no physical abnormalities – no sorrow whatsoever (Rev. 21-22). I am anxious for that day myself. John 14:1-6 is very personal with my dad and it now is for me as well. How about you?
Question:
How does the assurance of going to heaven someday calm anxious thoughts about trials and battles in this life?
Instead of the disciples lending support to Jesus in the hours before He was taken away to be crucified on the cross, He supported them spiritually as well as emotionally. Remember His words to the disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1. Faith in Jesus Christ can stop the heart and mind from being agitated.
Listen to Chris Tomlin’s YouTube video “Home.”