John 14:1-14 (Common English Bible)
“Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. 4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”
5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever 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 have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. 12 I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. 14 When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
God's House - The Community of Faith
Upon arriving in Chicago in the late summer of 2009, I could tell the city was steeped in architectural diversity. Just a brief walk through the neighborhood of Hyde Park was enough to open my eyes to a vast array of architectural styles. Hyde Park came into being after the 1893 World’s Fair. The University of Chicago was founded shortly after. These two events brought people to Chicago from all over the world, including architects. As the neighborhood grew, architects began to compete against one another to construct the most lavish and beautiful houses. I am no architect, but I can appreciate the beauty of their world.
Downtown is another architectural world. From stout buildings of thick concrete, to towering skyscrapers of steel and glass, there is no mistaking the beauty of the various ways humanity has found to build structures. Again, I am not much of an architect myself. The complexities of designing a building are lost on me. But I can appreciate their beauty. And while in Chicago I was thankful for their shelter from the icy winds of a midwest winter.
I do not think Jesus is much of an architect either. He talks about his Father’s house having many rooms, but he describes the house no further. If he were an architect, I imagine he could describe the rooms in their rich variety and purpose. He could give us details on the kitchen and living rooms. More importantly, he could give us the details on those many rooms that he was just talking about. For centuries people have speculated about those rooms. Hoped for those rooms. Longed for those rooms. So some detail from Jesus would have been helpful to us who want to know what those rooms look like. And perhaps there is if we look closer at the story John is telling.
There are details in this story that help to shed some light on what Jesus is talking about when he references these rooms. The first big clue is the phrase “my Father’s house.” This phrase alludes to a very clear frame of reference; the temple.
The temple was a central part of the Jewish life. It was the center of their religious, economic, and political life. Though the one in Jesus’ time was a rebuild, the legacy of the temple stretched back to the days of Solomon. The temple was literally God’s house on earth. The temple housed the ark of the covenant, where God’s presence was located. The temple was God’s dwelling place among the people. Jesus has already addressed the temple a couple of times in John’s story. These encounters help us to shed some light on what Jesus is talking about this morning.
In chapter two, Jesus clears the temple. He turns over tables and drives out the animals with a whip made of cords. He then tells those who are listening that he could rebuild the temple in three days if they destroyed it. Again, Jesus is not much of an architect. The people point this out by explaining to him that the temple had been under construction for 46 years. But Jesus is not talking about the physical temple, he is talking about himself. He is referring to himself as the temple. In that moment Jesus shifts the metaphor. His “Father’s house” is no longer the temple, it is Jesus himself.
God no longer dwells in a building of brick and mortar, but in the beating heart of Jesus, the Word made flesh.
In chapter four we encounter the Samaritan women. In this exchange, Jesus declares that soon no one will worship the Father in Jerusalem, nor on the mountain where the Samaritans worship. Soon the place of worship will change; “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.” Jesus is again talking about a shift that is taking place, from worship in a physical place, to something new entirely. God is changing things through Jesus.
With these two stories in mind, the image of the “Father’s house” begins to shift. No longer is Jesus talking about the temple, or some place removed from the physical world, Jesus is talking about himself.
Let’s play out the metaphor that Jesus is working with in this story. The idea of the “Father’s house” being a physical place has been shifted by Jesus. In his encounter in the temple and his talk with the Samaritan woman, Jesus spoke of the Father’s house as something other that what people already knew, or a physical place. God was doing something new through Jesus. God was no longer present in just a building. The Word has become flesh. The incarnation has changed the nature of the relationship between God and humanity.
This is what Jesus is talking about when he tells the disciples he is going ahead of them. These words are spoken on the same night as the foot washing and the new commandment to love one another. Jesus is giving his disciples a promise, words to remember in the tough hours that are still to come. They don’t get it in the moment, but after the resurrection they remember.
“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus is going ahead of the disciples to prepare a place for them. And not just for them, for all people. This moment is connected to what Jesus will do on the cross. Jesus will be lifted up, has been lifted up, for the sake of all people. On the cross he will be lifted up, drawing all people to himself. It is through the cross that Jesus creates the many dwelling places in the Father’s house. There is room for all people in Jesus, in the relationship that has been renewed. There is room for all people in God’s love.
God creates a new reality through Jesus. A reality based on a relationship and not a set of rules. A reality based on the incarnation of Jesus, and not the temple. A reality based on love and not on requirements. God’s kingdom is a reality born out of the incarnation. The way we encounter God changes through Jesus. God comes to earth through Jesus, not only to save us, but to be in a relationship with us - that’s the incarnation. The love of God is known to us because God was incarnate through Jesus on this earth. Right where were are.
The kingdom of God is grounded in the community of faith. God has created this community in us. “I go ahead to prepare a place for you….you know the way.” These words from Jesus are a promise. They tell us who we are in relationship to God. We are loved. We witness what Jesus is doing through the stories of John and through our own lives, and we trust that God is at work. God is no longer a distant entity of platitudes and doctrine. God is an intimate part of ours lives. God is in our relationships with one another. God is in the love we demonstrate.
God is the ultimate architect. But God does not work with brick and mortar or steel and glass. God works with flesh and blood and beating hearts. God works with people. God built a community of faith through taking on the form of one of us…the Word made flesh. God built a community based on a relationship of love.
Don’t get me wrong - we still need buildings. God does not do away with them. But it’s the community that demonstrates the kingdom of God. We can build the most beautiful buildings in the world, and those buildings can be dead because there is no one inside them to give them life.
In a little while we are going to gather around a meal and our long range planning committee is going to make a presentation on what our future as Bethany might look like. And that future will involve buildings. As we begin to imagine together what this future will look like, let us not forget that God lives in us. What ever we may build, we are the ones who will make it alive with the presence of God’s community. We will be the witness that God is alive in those buildings, and in this community.
We are God’s beloved people. And Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us in God’s kingdom. In the world to come. And in this world. Right here and right. May God bless us as we tell this story with our lives.
Downtown is another architectural world. From stout buildings of thick concrete, to towering skyscrapers of steel and glass, there is no mistaking the beauty of the various ways humanity has found to build structures. Again, I am not much of an architect myself. The complexities of designing a building are lost on me. But I can appreciate their beauty. And while in Chicago I was thankful for their shelter from the icy winds of a midwest winter.
I do not think Jesus is much of an architect either. He talks about his Father’s house having many rooms, but he describes the house no further. If he were an architect, I imagine he could describe the rooms in their rich variety and purpose. He could give us details on the kitchen and living rooms. More importantly, he could give us the details on those many rooms that he was just talking about. For centuries people have speculated about those rooms. Hoped for those rooms. Longed for those rooms. So some detail from Jesus would have been helpful to us who want to know what those rooms look like. And perhaps there is if we look closer at the story John is telling.
There are details in this story that help to shed some light on what Jesus is talking about when he references these rooms. The first big clue is the phrase “my Father’s house.” This phrase alludes to a very clear frame of reference; the temple.
The temple was a central part of the Jewish life. It was the center of their religious, economic, and political life. Though the one in Jesus’ time was a rebuild, the legacy of the temple stretched back to the days of Solomon. The temple was literally God’s house on earth. The temple housed the ark of the covenant, where God’s presence was located. The temple was God’s dwelling place among the people. Jesus has already addressed the temple a couple of times in John’s story. These encounters help us to shed some light on what Jesus is talking about this morning.
In chapter two, Jesus clears the temple. He turns over tables and drives out the animals with a whip made of cords. He then tells those who are listening that he could rebuild the temple in three days if they destroyed it. Again, Jesus is not much of an architect. The people point this out by explaining to him that the temple had been under construction for 46 years. But Jesus is not talking about the physical temple, he is talking about himself. He is referring to himself as the temple. In that moment Jesus shifts the metaphor. His “Father’s house” is no longer the temple, it is Jesus himself.
God no longer dwells in a building of brick and mortar, but in the beating heart of Jesus, the Word made flesh.
In chapter four we encounter the Samaritan women. In this exchange, Jesus declares that soon no one will worship the Father in Jerusalem, nor on the mountain where the Samaritans worship. Soon the place of worship will change; “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.” Jesus is again talking about a shift that is taking place, from worship in a physical place, to something new entirely. God is changing things through Jesus.
With these two stories in mind, the image of the “Father’s house” begins to shift. No longer is Jesus talking about the temple, or some place removed from the physical world, Jesus is talking about himself.
Let’s play out the metaphor that Jesus is working with in this story. The idea of the “Father’s house” being a physical place has been shifted by Jesus. In his encounter in the temple and his talk with the Samaritan woman, Jesus spoke of the Father’s house as something other that what people already knew, or a physical place. God was doing something new through Jesus. God was no longer present in just a building. The Word has become flesh. The incarnation has changed the nature of the relationship between God and humanity.
This is what Jesus is talking about when he tells the disciples he is going ahead of them. These words are spoken on the same night as the foot washing and the new commandment to love one another. Jesus is giving his disciples a promise, words to remember in the tough hours that are still to come. They don’t get it in the moment, but after the resurrection they remember.
“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus is going ahead of the disciples to prepare a place for them. And not just for them, for all people. This moment is connected to what Jesus will do on the cross. Jesus will be lifted up, has been lifted up, for the sake of all people. On the cross he will be lifted up, drawing all people to himself. It is through the cross that Jesus creates the many dwelling places in the Father’s house. There is room for all people in Jesus, in the relationship that has been renewed. There is room for all people in God’s love.
God creates a new reality through Jesus. A reality based on a relationship and not a set of rules. A reality based on the incarnation of Jesus, and not the temple. A reality based on love and not on requirements. God’s kingdom is a reality born out of the incarnation. The way we encounter God changes through Jesus. God comes to earth through Jesus, not only to save us, but to be in a relationship with us - that’s the incarnation. The love of God is known to us because God was incarnate through Jesus on this earth. Right where were are.
The kingdom of God is grounded in the community of faith. God has created this community in us. “I go ahead to prepare a place for you….you know the way.” These words from Jesus are a promise. They tell us who we are in relationship to God. We are loved. We witness what Jesus is doing through the stories of John and through our own lives, and we trust that God is at work. God is no longer a distant entity of platitudes and doctrine. God is an intimate part of ours lives. God is in our relationships with one another. God is in the love we demonstrate.
God is the ultimate architect. But God does not work with brick and mortar or steel and glass. God works with flesh and blood and beating hearts. God works with people. God built a community of faith through taking on the form of one of us…the Word made flesh. God built a community based on a relationship of love.
Don’t get me wrong - we still need buildings. God does not do away with them. But it’s the community that demonstrates the kingdom of God. We can build the most beautiful buildings in the world, and those buildings can be dead because there is no one inside them to give them life.
In a little while we are going to gather around a meal and our long range planning committee is going to make a presentation on what our future as Bethany might look like. And that future will involve buildings. As we begin to imagine together what this future will look like, let us not forget that God lives in us. What ever we may build, we are the ones who will make it alive with the presence of God’s community. We will be the witness that God is alive in those buildings, and in this community.
We are God’s beloved people. And Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us in God’s kingdom. In the world to come. And in this world. Right here and right. May God bless us as we tell this story with our lives.
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