John 14:1-11 CSB
"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? [3] If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. [4] You know the way to where I am going." [5] "Lord," Thomas said, "we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way?" [6] Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." [8] "Lord," said Philip, "show us the Father, and that's enough for us." [9] Jesus said to him, "Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.
Home with the Father
There is a strange way in which some are “overly blessed” by the Father. They have the things of this world stripped away so that they are forced to put aside worldly distractions for a moment and truly concentrate on the fellowship and strength found only in our loving Father. For some, this refining process happens multiple times throughout a life.
A divorce changes everything. The support of the person closest to you is gone, often with betrayal driving the pain even deeper. Others may lose a spouse to the suddenness of an accident or the slow drain of illness. You might find yourself fighting to keep a job, realizing there is no way to support and protect those around you without that income. Then, one day, it happens: the desk at work that has been your “home” for years is suddenly occupied by someone else. You find yourself standing in food pantry lines or taking any menial job just to survive, hoping all the while that no one sees your fall. Sometimes, these trials hit all at once.
How can you say you are blessed by God when these things happen? Because those who live through them—who still grasp their faith with hands that will not let go—find they are drawn closer to our Father than ever before. There is a special blessing in that intimacy. When the noise of our personal wants and pride is silenced by hardship, the Father’s truths ring more clearly. We find the assurance that God will make all things right if we listen to His will.
The thought of Jesus leaving caused the disciples deep anguish and troubled hearts. The One they relied on for everything was going away, leaving them with the terrifying fear of being “orphans” without a home. Jesus reaches into that fear to reassure them. He explains that this is not a permanent separation. He is only going away for a short time to prepare a place—a real home—and He promised, “I will come again and take you to myself.”
How these words bring comfort when the things of this world reject us! When we find ourselves alone, without comfort, and perhaps even ashamed of our circumstances, we remember that we have a place being prepared specifically for us. Thomas was right from a worldly perspective: the way is unknown if you are looking for earthly directions. But Jesus set Thomas on the right path by revealing that the “Way” is a Person. By believing in our Lord Jesus, we understand that He and the Father are one in essence. Our true home is not found in a building or a career, but in the Heavenly home where Jesus Himself will come to meet us and take us back to stay.
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever experienced a time when losing something “worldly” (a job, a relationship, a status) actually made the voice of the Father clearer in your life?
- When life feels unstable, do you ever feel like a spiritual “orphan”? How does Jesus’ promise to “come again and take you to myself” settle that fear of being alone?
- Jesus told Philip that seeing Him was seeing the Father. When you look at the character of Jesus in these verses—His comfort and His preparation—what does that tell you about the Father’s heart toward you right now?
Prayer
Father,
I thank You that even when the world strips away my comforts, You remain my firm foundation. Forgive me for the times I have sought my identity in a desk at work or the approval of others. I thank You, Jesus, for preparing a room for me in the Father’s house where I will never be rejected or ashamed. When my heart is troubled, help me to grasp Your hand with a grip that won’t let go, trusting that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Amen.
