John 14:1-3 - Comfort for the Stressed-Out; and Everyone Else Too.
John 14:1-3 (NLT) Dont let your hearts
be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in
me. There is more than enough room in my
Fathers home. If this were not so, would I have told
you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
When everything is ready, I will come and get
you, so that you will always be with me where I
am.
John 14:1-3 (AMP) DO NOT let your hearts be
troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and
adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in
and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me.
In My Father's house there are many dwelling
places (homes). If it were not so, I would have
told you; for I am going away to prepare a place
for you. And when (if) I go and make ready a
place for you, I will come back again and will
take you to Myself, that where I am you may be
also.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Recent research has shown that the United
States is the most stress-ridden nation on the
planet. And this generation, according to experts,
is the most stressed-out in American history.
Thats why these words of Christ are so
relevant: Dont let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more
than enough room in my Fathers home. When
everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that
you will always be with me where I am (John
14:1-3 NLT).
This is a pivotal point in the Gospel of
John. Jesus was saying to His disciples, Its
true that Im going away. And where I am going,
you cant come right now. But I dont want
you to be stressed out and agitated and
worried.
Then Jesus said, And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who
will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who
leads into all truth (verses 16-17 NLT). In
other words, Im not going to leave you
without help or hope. Im going to send the Holy
Spirit.
When Jesus walked this earth, the
disciples had a privilege that we dont have. They
were with Him in person.
He was saying, Im going to leave
you, but I will send the Holy Spirit, who will do
a unique work in your life. He will seal you,
guide you, and advocate for you. And He will
empower you and fill you again and again.
What was true for the disciples in the
first century is true for followers of Jesus
Christ today. To those who are afraid, to those who
are stressed-out and agitated, Jesus says,
Dont let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God,
and trust also in me. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com re
vs. 1]
COMMENTARY
Jesus told His followers that He was
leaving them to prepare a place for them in His
Father's house. These are the same words a groom
might speak to his intended bride, fitting the
custom of the time, when a bride would leave her
family and join her husbands to live in a newly
prepared add-on to the family's home. This intimate
image was a signal to the disciples that something
greater than friendship would eventually be desired
of them. In the divine plan, God wants His
people as close to His heart as possible.
Earlier in John's Gospel, John the
Baptist referred to Jesus as the bridegroom (3:29).
It's an image Jesus frequently used of Himself;
both in parables and in pointed comments to those
who fasted and mourned in His presence rather
than rejoicing as if at a wedding. And it's a
stronger image of relationship than any other in
Scripture. We aren't just clay pots, sheep, or
servants. Neither are we merely friends or children.
We are all of these things and more. We are the
beloved bride.
Let that soak in. God could have used
plenty of other human relationships as an
illustration of His love for us - and He often did - but
He took it as far as we can imagine with this
one. There is no greater level of intimacy and
affection than this. When it comes to relating to
those who love Him, God is a romantic at heart.
That thought unnerves a lot of people who
want only the majesty and dignity of God and not
the passion of knowing Him deeply. The truth is
that both sides are true, and one without the
other leads either to a cold and distant
relationship or a sentimental, casual one. God wants both
awe and intimacy, but the ultimate expression of
His love is to relate to us as a bridegroom to a
bride. We know that because Scripture ends with a
wedding. The betrothal at Sinai (Jeremiah 2:2) is
fulfilled at the coming of the Son in splendor. And
the story really does end with "happily ever
after." [The One Year Heaven On Earth Devotional by
Chris Tiegreen re vs. 3]
Going Home
The moment came at the end of a good day
when my dad was in the best of spirits. I'd come
a long way home to see Dad in his final days
at my brother's home on my parents' farm. We'd
spent days visiting and reminiscing. This had been
Dad's strongest, most vibrant day since I'd been
here.
Aaron, my brother, came over late to
where I was staying with Mom. He just had to share
the news: Dad had seen Jesus. He'd told Aaron,
"He was right here in this room! He is here all
the time. He loves us so much." Dad could hardly
describe the magnitude of His love for us. Dad's face
was lit from within. Aaron said Dad looked like
a little boy at Christmas, not a dying old
man.
Later that night, Dad told Aaron about
glimpses of heaven. The beauty was indescribable in
human terms; no words approached the glory he saw.
Dad spoke of how eager he was to see his
parents, and especially his brother. Dad became
excited about what was to come. His body too became
ready to release his soul. The food of this earth
no longer appealed to him. He hungered for
something else. He shifted from home care to hospice
care.
The less he spoke, the more I clung to
that vision of hope. The energy in the room
changed. Jesus Himself was here! Heaven is for real!
I could feel it! And Dad was on the doorstep,
his hand already on the knob.
Lord, You love this world so much that
You sent Your Son so that we may have eternal
life. Bless Your Wondrous Name forever! Erika
Bentsen [Walking in Grace 2021 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan re vs. 3]
Gods People Are Everywhere
Several years ago I heard then Vice
President George Bush speak at a prayer breakfast. He
told of his trip to Russia to represent the
United States at the funeral of Leonid Brezhnev.
The funeral was as precise and stoic as the
communist regime. No tears were seen, and no emotion
displayed. With one exception. Mr. Bush told how
Brezhnevs widow was the last person to witness the
body before the coffin was closed. For several
seconds she stood at his side and then reached down
and performed the sign of the cross on her
husbands chest.
In the hour of her husbands death, she
went not to Lenin, not to Karl Marx, not to
Khrushchev. In the hour of death she turned to a
Nazarene carpenter who had lived two thousand years
ago and who dared to claim: Dont let your
hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in
me. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Thus will be fulfilled Christs promise to
His disciples, I will come again, and receive
you unto Myself. John 14:3. Those who have
loved Him and waited for Him, He will crown with
glory and honor and immortality. The righteous
dead will come forth from their graves, and those
who are alive will be caught up with them to
meet the Lord in the air. They will hear the
voice of Jesus, sweeter than any music that ever
fell on mortal ear, saying to them, Your warfare
is accomplished. Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:34.
Well might the disciples rejoice in the hope of
their Lords return. AA34
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
