John 14:2-4 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. And if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, in order that where I am you may be also. 4And you know the way where I am going.”
Jesus next gives assurance to his disciples about where he was going. There are several aspects of these verses that are not easy to understand. The first comes in verse 2 and the idea of the place Jesus is preparing. House (oikia) can refer to the place where a family lives together or even the family unit itself. The saying could be figurative as an open invitation to every one in the world. The Father’s house or family is big enough for all who will believe in Jesus. There is no limit.
Rooms (monai) is translated and interpreted in various ways. It is related to the important word “remain,” “abind,” or “dwell” (menō). The root word occurs in different places in John and has special significance in chapter 15. The Vulgate translated the word into Latin as “mansions,” which the King James Version uses. The word is used again in verse 23, which can help provide meaning for verse 2. The King James Version has led to various artistic interpretations, for example, the famous Gaither song, “I’ve Got a Mansion just over the Hilltop.” It has led people to imagine Jesus going to heaven and building a great mansion on a street paved with gold for every Christian.
Verse 2 should not be interpreted in a selfish way, as if we will somehow earn a mansion in heaven, but more so as the promise to be with God and become part of his family. The primary idea seems to be that there is plenty of room in God’s family for everyone to have a place. Everyone can join Jesus in the place he is going. The outcome of Jesus’ going is the preparation. The going meant the cross and resurrection for Jesus. By facing death on the cross, Jesus opened the way to heaven and eternal life for all who believe. Verse 2 is formed as a question in the Greek text and those English translations that follow the standard Greek New Testament edition of today. The expected answer is that Jesus had indeed told his disciples about the way to heaven. He did not use this figure of speech but gave all the information the disciples needed to know that believing in him was the way to the Father and how to have eternal life.
Verse 3 extends the promise of verse 2 in the form of a conditional sentence (ean followed by a subjunctive verb). The question of verse 2 forms the protasis in verse 3 with two verbs: Jesus will go, referring to the way of the cross, and prepare, perhaps referring to the power of his resurrection that will confirm everything he said and did. If the first part of the condition is fulfilled, the last part of the statement will be true. The protasis also has two verbs that indicate the outcome of the cross and resurrection. The first, I will come, is in the present tense, indicating its certainty. The second, I will take, is given as a promise of what will happen at his coming. The verb can also be translated as “receive,” meaning that Jesus will gather those who have put their faith in him. They will join him in God’s household and receive the promised eternal life.
The final outcome is found in the promise of being with Jesus. Soon, the disciples would face the challenge of Jesus’ absence. The test would be when he was in the tomb. They struggled greatly at that point but still had enough hope to remain together as a group. The test would be extended when Jesus ascended. But at that point, things would be different because he would give to them the Holy Spirit, who would the presence of the Son and Father to remind them that they were not orphans. The presence of Jesus would take a spiritual form when he was physically gone. Jesus explains this idea further in the following verses. LIke 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, these words should bring us encouragement as we await the coming again of Jesus. The you plural of these verses referred not just to the eleven disciples gathered at the supper but to all disciples and all who call on the name of Jesus as part of the open invitation of verse 2.
Verse 4 indicates that Jesus had given his disciples enough information to know the way to heaven, yet they could not fully understand this until after his resurrection. To know Jesus is to know the way. They knew Jesus, so they also knew the way. The promise of eternal life is not complicated. When the invitation goes out, those who hear it have the opportunity to accept it in faith. People dream of heaven, but they fail to recognize the one way there. As the following verses indicate, Jesus in John’s Gospel is exclusive in his claims of how to go where he was going. After reading the following verses, we may need to come back to these and re-imagine Jesus’ promise and renew our hope in this promise.
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