John 14:1-3
Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest living rock guitarist, wrote a heart wrenching song about the death of his four year old son. He fell from a 53rd-story window. Clapton took nine months off and when he returned his music had changed. The hardship had made his music softer, more powerful, and more reflective. You have perhaps heard the song he wrote about his son's death. It is a song of hope, and it contains these words:
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart, have you begging, please.
Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven.
Imagine the scene. Jesus has just celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. He has washed their feet just as a servant would have done. He has foretold his betrayal which Judas will soon perform. He has predicted Peter's denial. He has told them he will be leaving them, and that his life on earth will end in suffering and death.
The disciples must have been feeling pretty low by this time. After all, the Passover meal was usually a happy affair remembering their ancestor’s escape from slavery in Egypt. But here, instead of a happy feast, Jesus was predicting all kinds of nasty things. Mind you, these predictions cannot have come as a complete surprise to the disciples, following some of the events of that week. The future was beginning to look pretty grim, not only for Jesus, but also for the disciples, whose future was to be without Jesus, and no doubt each of them would be wondering what trials and tribulations were in store for them.
The disciples couldn’t help but be fearful when they heard what Jesus had to say. Their Master and Lord, their beloved Teacher and Friend.. They had looked to him for help in all their difficulties, for comfort in their sorrows and disappointments. Now He was to leave them, a lonely, dependent company. Dark indeed were the forebodings that filled their hearts.
Oh yes, there were many things which must have greatly depressed the minds of the disciples that night; most of all the loss of Christ's bodily presence, his speedy departure from them, of which he had just given them notice; also the manner in which he should be removed from them, and the circumstances in which he would be betrayed by one of them, and denied by another; likewise the poor and uncomfortable situation they were likely to be left in, without any sight or hope of that earthly kingdom being erected which they had all expected; and also the consequence of all this, that they would be exposed to the hatred and persecutions of men. So now to the multitude of these thoughts within each of them, Jesus speaks words of comfort. He bids them be of good heart, and exhorts them all to exercise faith in God, and in himself.
Life would be full of trials and tribulations for them, and Jesus realized and understood this. Therefore he attempts to prepare his disciples for the road ahead.
And so in that most wonderful discourse recorded in John chapter 14 he gives them this word of hope:
“1) Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you and will come again and take you to myself. So that where I am, you may be also.”
Jesus asserts that the disciples already believe in God, and then exhorts them to believe in him, Jesus, also. To paraphrase, Jesus said to them “You have believed in God as faithful and true in all his promises, even though you have not seen him. Believe also in me. Even though I am going from you, and will be absent for a while, this you may be assured of, that whatever I have said will be accomplished.”
Then Jesus changes the subject.
“2) In my Father's house are many mansions:” he says. “If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
He says this to draw their minds away from an earthly kingdom to a heavenly one, to point out to them the place where he is going, and to support them with views and hopes of glory in all their coming trials. He says this partly to reconcile their minds to his departure from them, partly to strengthen their hope of following him there, and partly to comfort them, assuring them that there would be room not only for himself and Peter, whom he had already promised should follow after him, but for them all.
And then he gives them a great promise.
”3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Here we see Jesus assuring them that, although he will be going away from them for a time, he will be preparing a place for them, and that he will come again to them, either by death or in person a second time here on earth, will receive them and take them with him to heaven, there to be received in glory, joining him where he dwells with the Father, beholding his glory, and being with him for ever.
There then we have three short verses in the biblical narrative. Three short verses containing wonderful words of comfort, hope and promise.
Jesus knew that the time was fast approaching when the disciples would split up and travel to the far corners of the world to proclaim the gospel. Indeed this was in fact the case.
It is believed that Matthew evangelized in regions of Armenia and Ethiopia, James remained in Jerusalem, Thomas preached in Persia and Bartholomew preached around the area south of the Caspian Sea. Philip preached in modern day Turkey, John went to Ephesus, Andrew went to present day Georgia in Russia, Simon Peter eventually ended his ministry in Rome. And all, with the exception of John who wrote the fourth gospel, suffered martyrdom in various ways.
Indeed, the first dozen or so disciples were not the only ones to suffer for their faith. Another of the Lectionary readings for today, Acts 7:55-60 recounts the death of Stephen, one of seven Greek leaders in the Jerusalem church.
So we can very well imagine that the disciples would face the future without Jesus with some trepidation. But out of their trials and tribulations came good. From being a group of frightened men, about to lose their leader, they became a tremendous force in the world. Within just a few decades the good news of Jesus Christ had, through their ministry, penetrated to all of the then-known world.
And in like manner, we very often face the future with some trepidation. Many people today face great trials and tribulations.
The use of this particular passage of scripture to assuage the grief of those whose loved ones have died has special significance in the light of so many tragic murders and other atrocities reported daily with such graphic description. In highly metaphorical language of a mansion with many rooms, these verses give us assurance of never being separated by death from God and Jesus Christ. Whatever else the word “heaven” may mean, that is its minimal interpretation.
As Paul said in Rom. 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Everything attributed to Jesus in the gospels, Paul’s writings and the rest of the books in the New Testament, however, depends on JESUS being the one in whom God dwelt fully, and on HIS glorification through the resurrection.
The whole of the Christian faith rests in the risen Christ, Son of God. Life beyond death depends not on our resurrection, but on his, and this is what makes the Christian faith unique.
After the death of his son, Eric Clapton took nine months off and when he returned his music had changed. The hardship had made his music softer, more powerful, and more reflective.
Our trials and tribulations may seem insurmountable, just like Eric Clapton’s grief over the loss of his son, just like the death of Jesus must have seemed to the disciples, but through the hardship, our faith, like theirs, can become more powerful.
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart, have you begging, please.
Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven.
Indeed a song of hope.
My friends, in times of trial and tribulation remember the words of Jesus, “Let not your heart be troubled.”