By Pastor Greg
Today,
I will tell you a story about death. We
are going to glimpse behind the curtain; take a
momentary glance at what awaits us when we die. Oh, I know we don’t like talking about such
things. Talking about death makes most
of us uncomfortable. And it is only
natural that it does because death IS
unnatural. It’s not what God intended to
happen in this world. Death was the
consequence of sin.
Christianity
teaches that Death held a knife to our throat, and Jesus stepped in to take our
place; He confronted Death and said, “Take Me instead. I offer My life in place of theirs; ‘I lay down My life for the sheep’” (John
10:15). Now, you and I today look back
on what Jesus did with thankfulness and love.
We don’t think about Jesus being dead
because we know that He is alive today.
So His death does not sting;
it doesn’t have that sense of separation and loss we all feel when a loved one
dies today. The death of Jesus affects
us in a different way. However, things
were different for the Apostles. They
did not know about Sunday. They did not
know Jesus would rise from the dead. So
when Jesus started talking about dying, they felt like we do when a grandparent
or a spouse starts talking about their death.
It makes us uncomfortable. It
troubles us, which is exactly the way these Apostles felt as Jesus spoke about His own death.
Although
the Apostles did not fully understand the theology behind the death of Jesus,
it is evident they began to connect the
dots. At some point during the Last
Supper, they began to realize Jesus would soon be gone. I don’t think they suspected their Lord would
be crucified, but something began to trouble their hearts. All this talk about death made them
uncomfortable, especially when Jesus said, “Where I am
going, you cannot come” (John 13:33). So He turns to His Apostles and says, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling
places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place
for you. If I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you
may be also” [1] (John 14:1-3).
In the upper room that night,
Jesus realized that His friends – His disciples – were becoming troubled about
His departure – His death. Therefore, to
calm their fears, He starts talking about preparing a place for His friends so
that one day they will all be together again.
Jesus is talking about the New Jerusalem – the city that descends out of
Heaven and rests upon the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-2). And in this short little exchange, we learn a
great deal about death. Jesus pulls back
the curtain for a moment and gives us a glimpse into life after death.
Jesus first talks about a Dwelling Place. You and I would call it Heaven. It is the place where we will be with Jesus,
the Spirit, and the Father. A new city
is prepared for us which is called the New
Jerusalem in Revelation. But here,
Jesus calls it His Father’s House. I know some Bible translations say Many Mansions, meaning that there is a
mansion for you and a shack out back for me.
But what Jesus says here is that there are many dwelling places. Some Bibles
say “many rooms.” The idea is that, in Heaven, we will be part of one family. We will not be
separated from one another, and we will
not be separated from God. Jesus teaches
His troubled disciples that they will be together again in the Father’s House. The
point here is that when we die, there is a place for us to go; a place Jesus
has prepared for us so we will all be together.
The second thing we see as we look
behind this curtain is that life does not end at death. Look at what Jesus says here. He had been talking about dying. He had been talking about laying down His
life for His sheep. And all this talk
troubled the disciples. However, Jesus
says He will come back and bring them all together again even after dying. Even after
dying, Jesus will still be alive, AND
these disciples will join Him on the other side – meaning that they too will
still be alive even though they pass through the curtain of death. Do you see the significance here? Why prepare a place for a dead corpse? We do that here on earth, but that’s not what
Jesus is saying. A dead body has no fellowship with other dead bodies, but people
who are alive interact with one another.
They fellowship with one another.
In this momentary glance, we see people alive and interacting
with one another. We see people gathered
together in the Father’s House.
I tell you the truth; when you start reading about all that
God has promised us, the only thing we can mutter is “what did I do to deserve
all of this?” The splendor of the
Father’s House is more than we can possibly conceive. Who we will be when the Lord receives us is
more than we can imagine. I’m talking
about the end of pain, crying, suffering, sadness, and death. I’m talking about being made new; about
getting a second chance at living, only this time living without that old sin
nature corrupting us and leading us astray.
I’m talking about knowing ourselves and knowing others as God has known
us all along. All of this, and so much
more, awaits those who overcome – those who remain faithful to God all the way
to the end. Jesus tells us not to be troubled
about our present life because He knows what awaits us. “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an
absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians
4:17. HCSB). I know life can be pretty tough sometimes, but hang in there. For, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians
2:9).
All these things and so much more await those who believe in God and
have placed their faith in Jesus. You
too can receive these things by trusting in Jesus. By allowing Jesus to ransom you from sin and
death, you too can join the rest of us in
the Father’s House. Won’t you trust
Him as your Savior today?
[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Jn 14:1–3).
LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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