The Gospel of John. A Promise of Home John 14:1-11

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1 The Gospel of John A Promise of Home John 14:1-11 A LMOST INAUDIBLY, JESUS WHISPERED, One of you is about to betray me. The whole company gasped, as if Jesus had cracked the table with an ax. What? said Thomas. What did he say? Andrew, in perfect anguish, choked: Is it me, Lord? Jesus noticed that Simon made some sort of signal to John. John nodded. And then, because he lay in the place of honor, immediately to Jesus right, John leaned his head against Jesus bosom, and said, Who, Lord? Who is it? At that same moment Judas was reaching his bread to the sauce of bitter herbs. Rabbi, he said, is it me? Jesus picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the dish with Judas. He said, The one who is sharing the sauce with me, he is the one. Judas froze. He raised his eyes and stared at Jesus, his whole face writhing, beseeching, defying Jesus returned the gaze with a level looking and whispered, The Son of man shall surely go as it is written of him; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed! It were better for him if he had not been born. What? Thomas said. What did he say? I can t hear what he s saying! Like tearing roots from the soil, Judas took his eyes from Jesus and covered them. Master. He whispered as softly as Jesus: What do you want of me? Jesus, fixed upon the face of Judas, whispered, That you waste no more time, whatever you choose to do, do it quickly. Judas took three brief and separate breaths, then by the strength of his thin arms he forced his body upward and away from the table. He walked to the door, opened it, and was swallowed by the darkness. Night air wandered into the room, moist and cold. Simon got up and closed the door and lay down again on his stomach. There was neither eating nor speaking in the room after that. Soon the candle flames stood as straight as soldiers and all the shadow along the walls seemed a solid thing. Jesus felt as if the light itself were dying. Only a little was left in which to live and to love his disciples. Children, he said, yet a little while I am with you but then you will not see me, because where I am going you cannot come. 1 VIII The Upper Room Discourse Chapters C. A Message of Comfort Chapter Comfort Of A Home Verses Comfort Of A Calling Verses Comfort From Christ Verses Comfort From A Truth Verses Introduction: I just wanted to remind us of where we are. And we are still in the upper room. This is still the Passover evening, the last Passover leading up to Christ s crucifixion. 1 Wangerin Jr., Walter; The Book of God, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 2010, p

2 We have just seen Jesus washing the disciples feet. In the midst of their shocked reaction to this He next informs them that one of them will betray Him. What they didn t know was it was Judas who was to carry out the deed. And on top of this He tells them, once again, that He was shortly to die. So there is silence throughout the room. So of course Peter has something to say. And as was often the case in opening his mouth, he inserts his foot. Or as Dr. McGee puts it Simon Peter has just declared that he would lay down his life for Him. Then the Lord Jesus told him that he would deny Him three times by the time the rooster crowed in the morning. We will see later that, when the rooster crowed that morning, Simon Peter had denied Him three times. Still speaking to Simon Peter, our Lord gave this chapter to bring him through that dark night of denial and to bring him back into a right relationship with God. It was given to comfort him. This chapter has cushioned the shock for multitudes of people from that day right down to the present hour. 1. Comfort Of A Home: And the first way the disciples, and we, are comforted is Christ s promise of a home with Him. There was a lot of tsuris coming for the disciples. There was His death. And in the not to distant future there would be persecution and martyrdom for them as well. But Christ s first words of comfort were, not to let the circumstances of life overwhelm them, not to have troubled hearts. The word troubled is translated in the Greek Dictionary as troubled gk G5429 s G5015 tara ssw tarassoœ 17x to agitate, trouble, as water, Jn. 5:7; met. to agitate, trouble the mind; with fear, to terrify, put in consternation, Mt. 2:3; 14:26; with grief, etc., affect with grief, anxiety, etc., Jn. 12:27; 13:21; with doubt, etc., to unsettle, perplex 2 It is important to understand that the peace we receive in Christ doesn t mean we aren t impacted by life s trials. After all Jesus wept with the family at Lazarus tomb. And we have just read that Jesus Himself struggled. Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me (John 13:21 ESV). Now it shouldn t be surprising that the unspoken question is how, with everything the disciples were to face, with the chaos we are daily facing, could they live without anxiety or a troubled heart? They and we do so by receiving Christ s promises and finding security in them rather than listening to the world s empty ones. Finding that security requires believing in Him. We are talking about faith in a faithful God and salvation in Christ. But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled (1 Peter 3:14 ESV). Vs. 2-3: And the specific comfort Jesus begins with is the promise of an eternal home with the Father. More than that, they are to remember even though He is leaving them, it is to return to the Father and in so doing He was preparing for the day when they would join Him. 2 Mounce, William D. Mounce, Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, 2011 ) 338 (

3 The word rooms used here can also be translated mansions which is how the KJV interprets it. A better way to understand it is to follow the Greek which is abiding places. The fact is that Jesus is preparing abodes for all of us. What they are we don t know. But we do know they will be more glorious than any mansion could possibly be. We know if Christ is preparing them for us, they will be perfectly designed for us. With the promise of a prepared abode comes the promise that Christ will come back for the disciples. He will bring them to be with Him. Now His specific phrasing seems to relate to the Rapture. But I don t think that is the primary concern. I believe the disciples were to be reassured that He wasn t abandoning Him. Rather, even when He wasn t amongst them, He was looking out for their needs. as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Acts 1:9 11 ESV). Just a parenthetical thought here. While we are to comfort one another with the promise of Jesus return for us, like the disciples, we aren t to keep hanging around and staring up. We are to be busy for Him, waiting for Him to come and interrupt us in His service. Vs. 4: Now stop and think for a moment. Jesus has been talking about His betrayal and death. He has told the disciples He is leaving them. Oh, and by the way, He s going to prepare an abiding place for them. And then He tells them they know where He is going. What do you think their response would be? Well Thomas expresses what was probably the general reaction, confusion. I think what may be happening here is the problem with confusing emotions, truth, both spiritual and mundane with one another. Jesus had been telling the disciples He was to die and to go home to the Father. Now Jesus had just told then He was going to the Father, speaking of His death. But Thomas, on the other hand, may have been thinking more practically. Dinner was over and Jesus had arisen to go somewhere, but where? And if the disciples didn t know where where was, how could they follow Him? Thomas, without necessarily understanding, was asking the second most important question we can ask, the first being, Who do you say Jesus is? This question is, How do we get to the Father? Which is the one Jesus answers in response to Thomas question. One of the commentaries was very harsh on Thomas in this section. The assumption was, Thomas was completely insincere and arrogant in his questioning of Jesus. But there is nothing here to lead to that assumption. Yes Jesus had already answered this question in many ways. But as we already know it was the Holy Spirit who had kept these men from fully understanding the implications of Jesus truth. But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said (Luke 18:34 ESV). ) 339 (

4 Also keep in mind that these men were being overwhelmed with truths that were frightening. And we all have a tendency to shut down when hearing things we don t want to hear. I believe Thomas was simply asking for some encouragement, for comfort. Jesus answer isn t harsh nor critical. It is instructional. This means He took Thomas question at face value and therefore so should we. Yes the question probably reflects a wavering faith. But wavering faith isn t sin in and of itself. It is what we do when experiencing it. And Thomas took it to Jesus. So Jesus wants to strengthen the disciples. He states that He is the way, that is, in following Him as their Lord and Master they are following Him as their God all the way into the presence of the Father. Jesus answer to the disciples is one of the most profound and controversial truths of Scripture. He makes it clear that all the wisdom, religiosity, works in the world will not get anyone even to the threshold of Heaven. The only way to be saved is to follow Him. All the great religions of the world, all of the great discoveries of science, all of the great teachings of Christendom and philosophy, all lives separate from Christ, all are empty and meaningless from the perspective of heaven. Without Christ Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. ~ SHAKESPEARE The other great piece of truth we find here is, it is impossible to actually know God the Father without knowing Christ. And here knowing means to be saved, to follow, to be a disciple. All those who claim to follow God are actually either following a god, a man invented deity, who has no connection with reality or having had the truth of who God is, have moved so far from that truth they no longer know Him. But in Christ we actually see God. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15 17 ESV). Yet the disciples still don t understand. So Phillip speaks up. He does know that when Jesus is speaking of the Father He is speaking of God. Consequently he, they, want Jesus to show them the Father. That s all they want, really! Well, that s what Moses wanted but no one sees God. On the other hand, as John previously pointed out, and as Jesus does here, in looking on Christ we see God. [Moses] you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father s side, he has made him known (Exodus 33:20 John 1:18 ESV). Jesus does seem at this point to be disappointed for He is essentially saying, Philip, don t you get it. You certainly should by now. If you want to see the Father just look at me! He ) 340 (

5 wants the disciples to step back and consider what they actually believe. If they are going to get through everything that is coming they must be clear in their understanding of just who Jesus actually is, the one to living God, the one is who both God and man. For these men, it was vital that they recognized Jesus was always acting and speaking on the authority of His Father in heaven. This was important to realize so when they cross comes, when their own suffering comes they will not fall into Satan s trap of believing everything is a lie, that Christ failed, that they failed. Instead they are reminded that the Father is in control and everything works out according to His purposes, even when we don t understand them. Oh, and just incase the disciples needed more proof of the Father s hand in all this, the disciples were to remember all of the miracles they had already observed. This is a lot like what James would later say. Jesus words and works were consistent. If they had difficulty with Jesus words just look at His works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18 ESV). So, what will carry the disciples through the coming days, is their understanding of who Christ is, that He is going to the Father and that they would at some point be joining Him in His Father s house where He has prepared for their coming. Accordingly I am sure they would be saying, Even so come, Lord Jesus! Conclusion: In John 14 we find the foundational truths of the Gospel message. Here the unbeliever is left without an real option on how to approach Christ. They may want to see Him as a great teacher, a misunderstood Rabbi, or a social rebel in an oppressed culture. But Jesus doesn t leave these as legitimate choices. He says You accept me as God, as the only way to God the Father, or you have rejected me. Any one who holds to any of these others views of Christ has called God a liar for they have denied the validity of His offer of Christ as the only way to stand righteously before Him. As Jesus Himself said I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins. (John 8:24 ESV). For us as believers, first we too have to be clear and without equivocation as to who Christ is. Our ability to withstand the storms of life is largely dependent on having an accurate understanding of God and His desires for our life. We can trust because God is trustworthy. By this I mean we need to realize that God has already given us His all when He gave Christ to pay for our sins on the cross. Consequently, as a loving Father, He not only doesn t intend to protect from the storms of life He intends to grow us through them. But at the same time we are promised a home with Him as our ultimate retirement package. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20 ESV). So our hearts don t have to be troubled because we know Christ and we know He is preparing a home for us. So, first the message to the unbeliever is you come to Christ on His terms ) 341 (

6 or you remain lost. The message to us is, we hold on to the truth of who Christ is and that truth becomes the source of our security in the midst of a chaotic world. Finally, we are to hold on to the truth of who Christ is in order to share it with others. We need, in love, to rom the clear truth. Christ is the only way to God. All other teachings leave a person condemned. We are not being disrespectful of other people s beliefs. We hold that anyone is free to believe whatever they want. We are not trying to force God s truth on anyone. But that doesn t change the fact that any teaching about God that contradicts the teachings of scripture is false. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 1:16 17, 5:1 11 ESV). ) 342 (

7 The Gospel of John A Promise of Home John 14:1-11 VIII The Upper Room Discourse Chapters C. A Message of Comfort Chapter Comfort Of A Home Verses Comfort Of A Calling Verses Comfort From Christ Verses Comfort From A Truth Verses Introduction: 1. Comfort Of A Home: (John 13:21; 1 Peter 3:14) Vs. 2-3: (Acts 1:9 11)

8 Vs. 4: (Luke 18:34; Colossians 1:15 17; Exodus 33:20 John 1:18; James 2:18) Conclusion: (John 8:24; Philippians 3:20; Romans 1:16 17, 5:1 11) Personal Application: Chose one of the truths we have examined and meditate on it this week asking how it impacts your walk. Prayer for the Week: Father help me to stand firmly for Your truth in a fallen world. In Jesus name, amen.