John 14:1-14

During the stay at home orders, with our church meeting via Zoom, my sermons became shorter – about 7 minutes. This commentary will also be short. Here is one major insight about this passage that I have found helpful. I hope you do, too:

My view of life after death has been strongly influenced by NT Wright. After reading and studying his work, I am convinced that Christian hope – when speaking of afterlife – is a bodily resurrection on a renewed earth, not a disembodied spiritual life “in heaven.” (See Surprised by Hope and The Resurrection of the Son of God.) This passage, John 14:1-14, might seem to challenge such a bodily hope, for on the surface, it sounds like Jesus is going off into heaven, where God is preparing rooms for us to live in for all eternity.

Wright is helpful here (no surprise). He points out that this is Temple language – “my father’s house” = the Temple. At the Temple, there were rooms where pilgrims would stay temporarily, on their journey. It is this temporary sort of room that Jesus is talking about (see The Resurrection of the Son of God, p. 245-6). These rooms – this place to stay – is addressing what is called the intermediate state: that period after death as we await the resurrection.

Perhaps Jesus is saying not to worry about death because even in death Jesus holds us as we await the resurrection.

As we preach this passage, we can focus on the hope Jesus offers, even when we are anxious, worked up, disturbed, or stirred up. Even as we are stir-crazy in our homes. Even when we are full of anxiety and fear. Even with death looms. Trust in God, trust in Christ. Even if the worst happens and death finds us, there are rooms, places of rest, where we will await the resurrection in the presence of God.