NIV John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
GNT John 14:2 evn th/| oivki,a| tou/ patro,j mou monai. pollai, eivsin\ eiv de. mh,( ei=pon a’n u`mi/n o[ti poreu,omai e`toima,sai to,pon u`mi/nÈ
NIV John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
GNT John 14:23 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j kai. ei=pen auvtw/|( VEa,n tij avgapa/| me to.n lo,gon mou thrh,sei( kai. o` path,r mou avgaph,sei auvto.n kai. pro.j auvto.n evleuso,meqa kai. monh.n parV auvtw/| poihso,meqaÅ
I was sitting in church several weeks ago listening to a sermon on John 14, when it hit me. I haven’t ever seen this before. Probably countless other people have, but I never did. We assume in John 14 that Jesus is talking about heaven, “Going to prepare a place for us.” This teaching is not given after the resurrection but before the crucifixion. The text does not even mention eternity. With a fresh reading I am seeing that John 14-16 isn’t about eternity at all. It is about the presence of God in our lives now.
As I was sitting in the service I turned in my bible from John 14:2 to John 14:23. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool, if in the Greek, the word for “rooms” in verse 2 was the same as the word for “home” in verse 23. What a joy to found out that it was. In fact, these two verses are the only times in the New Testament or the Septuagint that the monh.n is found.
Here’s my revised understanding of John 14:1-2: Jesus is going to be crucified so we can experience redeemed life with God. This effects my understanding of John 14:6. The default generic evangelical understanding is that “the only way to heaven is through Jesus.” With a fresh view I am seeing that the only way one can have life with the Father is through the work of Jesus. That work is an aggressive work, provided by the Father…and the promise is the Father and the Son will come and make their home with all who love them. This also helps with the flow from Chapter 14 to 15. It isn’t about heaven, it is about the life of God in us.
Ruminating on the Church 