Menu

Join us for worship on Sundays: 10 AM morning service and 5 PM evening service.

Jesus Had to Go

April 17, 2022 Speaker: Kit Johnson Series: Miscellaneous Sermons

Topic: Expository Passage: John 14:1-6

 

Introduction

This morning, we are going to look at a familiar passage that we don’t normally associate with Easter, but we should. It’s the night of Jesus’ betrayal. He is in the upper room with his disciples. Jesus just instituted the Lord’s Supper, and he just dismissed Judas to betray him. It’s been a special but heavy evening just before a violent storm. Our text is 14:1–6, but I’d like to begin reading in 13:33 because it provides important context for our passage (read 13:33–14:6).

Try to imagine what the disciples were feeling. They had sacrificed everything to follow Jesus, but Jesus said, “I’m going away, and you can’t come with me.” “What? How can that be?” Peter boldly replies, “I will follow you to the point of death.” I’m sure he said it with all his normal gusto, and the disciples were thinking, “Yeah, us too!”

But Jesus replies that big, bold Peter will not just fail to follow; within a few hours, things will get so bad that Peter will deny Christ. What a devastating prophecy.

So, when Jesus follows by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” he’s responding to a very troubled room. And he does so by explaining why he must go and what he will do while he is gone. He’s explaining the purpose behind his death, resurrection, ascension, and 2nd coming. I doubt that the disciples grasped much of it in the moment, but these words surely provided great comfort after the fact once they understood Jesus’ plan. They have continued to encourage God’s people ever since. I’d like to build our study of this text around 3 questions the disciples needed answered. The first is…

I.  Why must Jesus leave (vv. 2–3)?

This question weighed heavily on the disciples. Why in the world would Jesus abandon them? Jesus answers that he must go to prepare a place for them in heaven. And he emphasizes that heaven will be worth it all because…

Heaven is a wonderful place. It’s wonderful, first, because it is “My Father’s” Very often we primarily get excited about the gold and lavish amenities of heaven, but the best part of heaven will be God’s presence. I’m going to spend all eternity in “the Father’s house.”

And Jesus adds that his Father’s house includes “many dwelling places.” If you were raised on the KJV you are used to seeing mansions here, and this translation has also inspired many songs and other imaginations about mansions in heaven. It’s a fun sentiment, and it’s not a bad one per se. But it’s is not a good translation of the term Jesus uses. It's better translated as dwelling places or rooms.

So, Jesus is probably comparing heaven to the large home with multiple residences for several generations of a family. It was common in the ancient world for families to simply add on to a home as kids got married and had children. They would live together in a large, interconnected home.

Jesus pictures his Father’s house as something similar. We’ll all be family, and we will all live in close fellowship with God and with each other.

And Jesus especially emphasizes that his Father’s house is large, with plenty of room for all of Christ’s disciples. There are “many dwelling places.” There will never be a “No Vacancy” sign lit up at the gates of heaven. The Father will always have a room ready for all who believe on Christ. And Revelation 5 says that someday heaven will be filled with a vast multitude from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

Yes, Jesus’ departure was going to be terribly difficult for the disciples, and they were going to endure tremendous hardship after he was gone. But Jesus assures them that it will all be worth it in the end. They will dwell in Jesus and the Father’s presence for all eternity.

And this is our great hope as well. Because Christ rose from the dead, we know that everyone who is in Christ will also rise from the dead, be glorified, and spend all eternity in the Father’s presence in glory. The resurrection transforms our hope. So, Jesus first comforts his disciples by assuring them that heaven is wonderful place with plenty of room. It is worth the temporary departure of Jesus. Then Jesus proceeds to explain that…

Jesus must leave to truly be with his disciples. When we read vv. 2–3, we typically focus on the verb prepare. It’s fun to imagine Jesus working to prepare my mansion in the sky. But in the context of 13:33–38, the emphasis is clearly more on Jesus going than on preparing.

The disciples didn’t comprehend what exactly this meant. Maybe they thought he was just going to sneak away. Maybe they had some sense that he would be arrested and potentially killed.

But we know on this side of the cross that when Jesus talks about going throughout this section, he is describing the entirety of his crucifixion, his resurrection, and ultimately his ascension to heaven. So, when Jesus says in v. 2, “I go to prepare a place for you,” he is saying the only way we can truly and forever be together is if I go in obedience the Father.

We know that this plan began with Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus was about to endure unimaginable torment. He told his disciples that his body would be broken, and his blood would be shed. Jesus endured the worst of human cruelty. And infinitely worse was the weight of God’s wrath against the sins of humanity. Jesus knew that the next 24 hours would be the worst that any man ever has or evil will endure.

But today, we celebrate the fact that Jesus did not stay dead. He rose again on Sunday. Jesus proved that he is the sovereign Lord, and he once and for all conquered sin and death. That Sunday forever changed the course of human history and provided a glorious hope for all who are in Christ.

Then 40 days later, Jesus ascended to the Father’s right hand. He sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his disciples, and ever since that day, Jesus continues to intercede for us.

The disciples were devastated to hear that Jesus would go. It was going to be hard for them and for Jesus. But Jesus assures them that his going away is necessary and that it will be worth it all. The only way they could have a place in the Father’s house was if Jesus went. Jesus had to pay for sin, rise in victory, and ascend to the Father.

But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus assures the disciples that he will abandon them forever. Instead, he promises in v. 3, “If I go…, I will come again…” Imagine the significance this verse would have for the disciples who spent 3 years living with Jesus. “I will come again and receive you to Myself.”

“For the Lord Himselfwill descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess 4:16–17).

Someday, the trumpet will sound, and in a moment those 11 disciples and every other Christian will immediately be in the Lord’s presence. It’s going to be glorious.

And “So we shall alwaysbe with the Lord.” Similarly, Jesus assures his terrified and confused friends, “Where I am, there you may be also.” Never again will they be separated from Jesus. We will be together for all eternity.

The same is true for all who are in Christ. The best part of heaven will not be the gold, the food, or the lavish living conditions. The best part of heaven will be that Jesus is there!

I pray that vv. 2–3 add some important perspective to our weekend. The Bible tells several incredible stories of resurrection from the dead. But Jesus’ resurrection is in a category all its own. God didn’t just raise a body; he opened the door to an entirely new reality for all who are in Christ.

So, as we remember that Christ is risen, we can look forward to the day when the trumpet sounds, Christ raptures the church, and I will be forever with Jesus. The resurrection makes all of it possible. So, praise God for the resurrection of Jesus.

So, the disciples wanted to know why Jesus had to leave, and vv. 2–3 answer in resounding fashion. Then Jesus raises a 2nd important question.

II.  How can we join Jesus (vv. 4–6)?

Again, we must remember that the disciples were at a major disadvantage compared to us in understanding Jesus because the cross had not yet happened. Jesus has been taking about going and coming, and they are really confused. Yet Jesus asserts in v. 4, “You know the way where I am going.”

Have you ever listened to someone talk, and you have no idea what they are saying, but you nod your head as if you know exactly what’s going on?

Sadly, people often do this with important spiritual truths. You ask them, “Do you know the way to heaven, and are you sure you will be there?” They say, “Of course I know that. Of course, I’m going to heaven.” But when you press them for a clear answer, they don’t have much to say beyond, “I’ve always thought of myself as a Christian.” “I’m a spiritual person.” Or “I’m a good person.” But they can’t give an objective Bible reason. When your soul is at stake, it’s not a good time to pretend like you understand.

Thankfully, Thomas wasn’t content to pretend like. Sometimes Thomas gets a bad rap for this question, but it’s better to ask for clarification on an important truth than to pretend like you get it. I’m sure he spoke for all the disciples when he said, “Hold on, Jesus. ‘We do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’”

In other words, “Jesus you keep saying you are going away, but we don’t know where you are going. And if we don’t know where you are going, how could we possibly know the way to get there?”

Thomas sets the table for one of the most important statements in the NT regarding the nature of Jesus, the nature of the gospel, and the exclusivity of the gospel (v. 6).

First, Jesus once again tells the disciples where he is ultimately going. He is going “to the Father,” which the disciples should have understood as a clear reference to heaven. Of course, he already said this in v. 2, but it’s a lot to take in, so Jesus patiently restates the point.

Second, Jesus gives a definitive, bold answer regarding the way to heaven. He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Then he adds, “No one comes to the Father but through me.” So, Jesus is saying, “I am the only way, the only truth, and the only life.”

In context, “the way” is clearly the most significant of the 3 descriptions since Jesus and Thomas are discussing “the way.” But let’s not miss the significance of the other two.

Jesus says, “I am the truth.” Jesus does not mean that he is the only one who is truthful, or that we can’t discover some level of truth outside him. But he is saying that all truth is centered in himself because he is the perfect revelation of the Father. John 1:14 says, “And the Word (i.e., Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” And 17 says again, “Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

So, God’s preeminent revelation of himself is Jesus. We know God through him. No other religion, prophet, or revelation adds anything to our knowledge of God that is not rooted in Christ. There is no possible journey to ultimate truth outside of Christ. We can only know God through his Son.

More specifically, we can only be saved through the knowledge of the gospel as articulated in the Bible. The same Peter who denied Jesus would preach only a few weeks later, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

As a result, Jesus is also “the life.” Jesus is speaking of spiritual life. The Bible teaches that because of sin, we are all born spiritually dead. We can’t know God, seek God, or please God. Therefore, we cannot live with God for all eternity in our natural state.

But Jesus proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Jesus gives spiritual life that transcends death. Therefore, death is not the end for the Christian; instead, it is God’s gracious means of delivering us from the curse of this world into his glorious presence.

There is eternal life in Christ. We look forward to the resurrection of all Christians, and it’s all because Jesus rose from the dead.

As a result, Jesus is “the way” meaning that he is the only way to the Father in heaven. “For there is one God, andone mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father but through me.”

The Bible is clear that no one accidentally stumbles into heaven and that “all roads don’t lead to God.” The only way that a sinner like me can be made worthy to dwell in the presence of a holy God is through the mediation of Jesus. The only way any of us can live forever in heaven is if we come to the Father through Christ, who is the truth and the life.

Therefore, Jesus told his disciples in the upper room, “I must go to prepare a place for you. I must take in my body the punishment for sin because you can’t. I must rise from the dead because if I don’t defeat death, no one will. And I must go to the Father so that the Spirit will come and God’s saving mission will go to the ends of the earth.”

Therefore, we are not celebrating a series of unfortunate events this weekend. The cross is much more than a tragedy of heroism and self-sacrifice. No, it is the product of the Father’s sovereign will and Christ’s perfect obedience. It was the only way that we could have a place in heaven. This brings me to my final question.

III.  How should I respond?

Jesus answers with two commands in v. 1.

“Do not let your heart be troubled.” This command was originally directed toward the disciples’ anxiety about Jesus’ departure and Peter’s denial. But what follows offers plenty of comfort for all troubled hearts.

We all endure sorrows, burdens, fears, and forms of suffering. But Jesus became “A man of sores and acquainted with grief.” Then he provided the ultimate answer to them all. Because Jesus died and rose again, I’m going to heaven someday. Where “He will wipe away ever tear from their eyes; and there will be on longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev 21:4).

So, Christian, “Do not let your heart be troubled” because all your troubles will one day give way to glory. Just as surely as God brought Jesus through his suffering and death and into his presence, he will do the same for you. And it will be worth it all.

“Believe in God, believe also in Me.” This command is very important. Afterall, John said that the purpose of his Gospel was, “So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

So, do you want to come to the Father’s house someday? Do you want to spend eternity in his glory? John 14:6 says very clearly that everyone won’t make it. Do you know that you will be there? If you aren’t sure, don’t pretend like you know. Instead, be like Thomas and ask the hard questions.

And listen to Jesus’ answer. You can only come to the Father through Christ. The way you do this is to believe. You don’t just believe in God or a higher power. It’s not enough to be a spiritual person. No, you must believe that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God.” You must believe that your sin brings death, alienation from God, and his eternal wrath. You must believe that Jesus paid for your sin on the cross, and he conquered sin and death in his resurrection. You must receive him as your Lord and Savior.

If you do that, you can know that you will be in the Father’s house someday because you believe in God and believe in Jesus. Please believe on Jesus today.

More in Miscellaneous Sermons

March 10, 2024

Dustin VanWyk

December 24, 2023

A Sunrise of Mercy

October 15, 2023

Your Part in God’s Grand Story