Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4 NIV
This verse is often quoted and may seem very straightforward to us. When I was a boy (many years ago) I used to imagine that Jesus was going back to heaven to 'prepare a place for me' and that one of the many rooms would have my name on it. In fact, the word 'heaven' is not mentioned and it does not state that Jesus was going to heaven to prepare a place for us. The NIV adds the word 'there' to imply that Jesus is speaking of going back to heaven to prepare a place for us. I used to have a mental picture in my childish mind and it was not very reverent. I saw Jesus doing spring cleaning and decoration in heaven. I used to wonder why it was taking so long.
There are some who say that this does refer to Jesus as a man going back to heaven and his presence there guarantees that his followers will be welcome there. That may be true. I tend to think that Jesus is referring to the cross - he was about to be crucified on the cross and this would prepare a future of bliss for those who have accepted Him as Saviour. His death prepared a way to God's presence. Jesus was going to the cross in order to prepare or to make a way to the Father's house.
Again, the word heaven is not mentioned in this verse - the term used is 'my Father's house'. This is a term which speaks of the presence of God. There are at least two references from the Psalms which seem to help with the understanding of this verse. First of all, there is the verse from the very well-known Psalm 23 which says, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." [Psalm 23:6 ESV] This is a probable reference to the temple in Jerusalem (although if David is the author this predated Solomon's temple) but there was probably a building holding the ark of the Covenant which was seen as the dwelling place of God. This was the place which was identified in the minds of Israel with the presence of God. We know that God is omnipresent which means that he is not confined to a temple - He is everywhere at the same time. However, Israel had always a symbol of His presence with them - the tent of meeting and the tabernacle as they journeyed across the desert from Egypt to Canaan and later the temple was built during the reign of Solomon. Another Psalm has the same reference to enjoying the presence of God.
One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple. [Psalms 27:4 NIV]
Now the writer is not thinking into the afterlife in this Psalm - he speaks of dwelling in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. Notice that he considers this to be the ultimate in human spiritual experience. These are lovely expressions of longing - 'gaze on the beauty of the Lord' and 'seeking him in his temple.'
So the essential element about the Father's house for the disciples was in fact the Lord's presence. To understand the significance of this word from Jesus, we need to remember the context. The disciples have been thrilled to have experienced the presence of the Son of God on earth. Now he was leaving them to return to His Father via the shameful cross. But to these saddened individuals, Jesus brings a word of comfort. They are going to experience the divine presence in future glory. They will enjoy the presence of their Lord - Jesus promises that they will be with him where he is going. And they will experience the bliss of the Father's presence. We as sinners would not be able to enter the presence of God and to enjoy his presence in our defilement and sins. So the death of Jesus on the cross made this possible by purging our sins. Notice that Jesus refers to the relationship between the Father and the Son and we as his followers are basking in that relationship. Jesus speaks about 'my Father's house' but we are most welcome there.
What about the many mansions as the King James Version renders verse 2? Some commentators used to speak about heaven as a place of permanence - mansions instead of a tent. They also spoke about the grandeur of heaven - the word mansion conveyed a picture of a building that stood out as impressive and opulent. As I read these verses again, I fail to see any suggestion of a reference to permanence or grandeur. The New International Version as well as other translations such as the English Standard Version translate it like this, "In my Father's House are many rooms." The Greek word means a dwelling place and is used twice in John 14 but it is not used in any other book in the New Testament.
I want to suggest that the main point that Jesus is making with this intimation of a secure eternal future is that there is no lack of space in the Father's house. He is certainly not suggesting that there is a room for those who belong to one group of Christians. The Brethren would have one small room, the Church of England would have another bigger room and the Methodists would have another room and the Baptists would have another. This would seem to me to be reading much more into the verses than is intended. There will not be divisions in the Father's house - all the Christian denominations are associated with the sad divisive history of the Christian Church and they do not speak of the One Body and the unity of the Spirit.
Others try to suggest that heaven or more accurately the Father's house caters for a wide variety of personalities and interests. That is a lovely thought - but to me it is speculation. Jesus is going back to the Father and he is saying that the Father's house has many rooms - there is ample accommodation (if that is the right word) for all. It is not restricted to the generation of disciples to which he was speaking. It is not limited to the Jews only and the many Gentile nations (thosewho were not Jews) are also included. This salvation was available to whoever believes in Jesus. There will be those from every continent on earth in the Father's house and from every century. There will be no racial barriers or social barriers or political barriers or religious barriers.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life [John 3:16 NIV]
I used to be responsible for what was termed 'Inclusion' in education in one local authority. Some people were offended by this term - but God is being inclusive. He is including every race, every nationality, every culture etc. There are those who want to turn the Christian Church into an exclusive club. This is not the lesson I take from John 14: 1-4.
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