During 56 years of ministry, I have conducted over 200 funerals. In many of them, I have used John 14:1-23 referencing the home that Jesus has gone to prepare for the deceased. But is that all this passage is saying to us? In this short article, I am proposing that we examine it more closely for another viewpoint.
All Scripture passages have at least one interpretation but may have one or more applications. Some passages (prophecy for example) may have two interpretations – present and future.
As I have studied John 14 recently, I have seen more clearly that perhaps this passage is referring to the hereafter, but is also saying something about the present.
Jesus is saying to His hearers that as they have believed in God they should believe in Him. He explains elsewhere in this discourse that the Father is in Him, and He is in the Father, and they both would come to dwell in each of those in the audience who believed in Him (v.7,9,11,17,20,21,23). Knowing this should enable His hearers, and us, to not be troubled or agitated! I see that perhaps He could be referencing sometime in the future, but more so in the present time for them and for us now.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms…” This has most often been seen as our future home in Heaven. It could be, and/or it could be referring to the Father’s dwelling being in the spirit of the redeemed now. Jesus was then and is now preparing His disciples as a dwelling place of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
They, and sometimes we, have a difficult time understanding the role of Father, Son, and Spirit and the seeming overlap that exists. Which one is speaking, who is doing what in the universe and in and with us? It seems to me, however, from this passage and others, that Jesus is saying from this passage that He, the Father, and the Spirit are all going to come and dwell within them and us, now. In my understanding, this in no way diminishes Heaven but empowers us now with God’s triune presence.
Other than a few special anointed people in the Old Covenant, the Spirit did not dwell upon or in people. But in the New Covenant, He dwells within every believer (Romans 8:9). This is what makes it so much better than the Mosiac covenant (Hebrews 7-10).
Jesus had to go to the Cross and die as us and for us. He overcame death and ascended back to the Father in Heaven so that they could send the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and thereafter indwell His disciples.
A present reality today is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live within each disciple. Notice these statements:
verse 9 “…he who has seen me has seen the Father…”
verse 11 “Believe that I am in the Father and Father is in me…”
verse 18 “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.”
verse 20 “…I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I in you.”
verse 23 “…we will come to him and make our abode with him.”
And we do not have to wait until we get to Heaven to experience this, it is a present reality! This should be an encouragement to all of us that we now have everything we need to live a victorious, overcoming, productive life in the Kingdom of God!