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What we also find in this tender but firm command to “Believe also in Me” (Jn 14:1c) is Jesus, once again, asserting His equality with the Father (cf. Jn 10:30). It was this very assertion that got the Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial and ecclesiastical council of Jerusalem, torn out of the frame, along with Jesus and His disciples violating the longstanding manmade rules for the Sabbath (cf. Mk 2:27). They saw Jesus as a criminal, not as the Christ, and a day from now, God the Father will allow those rascals to have their long-awaited way with His Son with a fever pitch of intense hatred.
It didn’t matter to the spiritually dead leadership of Israel that this assertion of the son of Joseph was affirmed by the blind seeing, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, and the dead rising. In fact, most of the members of this spiritually blind assembly did not see themselves as sinners; to them, they were convinced that Jesus was a fraud and a clear and present danger to their control and hold over the Jewish nation.
The Sanhedrin wanted a political Messiah, not a spiritual one, to deliver them from the Gentile occupiers of their country; the Romans, according to them, were the true sinners, not the true and faithful Jews! Or so they thought. Their straw man was warning the people that Jesus was a threat to the nation by violating the Pax Romana or the Roman Peace.
On the contrary, He actually posed a threat to their own power and sway over God’s people. Ironically, the Pharisees and Sadducees were Gestapo-like in their actions, making sure the Jewish people played by their rules and weeding out any dissenters. When the blind lead the blind they both fall into the ditch, eh? That ditch epiphany was realized when Titus destroyed the nation of Israel in 70 A.D. Who was left to control the rubble then? Legalism leads to destruction in one way or another.
On the contrary, He actually posed a threat to their own power and sway over God’s people. Ironically, the Pharisees and Sadducees were Gestapo-like in their actions, making sure the Jewish people played by their rules and weeding out any dissenters. When the blind lead the blind they both fall into the ditch, eh? That ditch epiphany was realized when Titus destroyed the nation of Israel in 70 A.D. Who was left to control the rubble then? Legalism leads to destruction in one way or another.
We should all be acutely aware and acknowledge the sovereignty of God, not only in the delightful periods but also in the distressful times. Truly, He is in control in all seasons though the circumstances may yield a false impression that everything is disassembling and spinning out of control. The disciples were stressing out over Jesus going to a place they could not follow (cf. Jn 13:3). It is understandable. Who wouldn’t want to be where Jesus is, just not right now (cf. Mt 26:31)?
Yeah, they would follow Him even unto death, right (Mk 14:31)! How could they possibly deny the One they truly believed to be the Messiah? Like Peter said after the feeding of the 5k when Jesus asked the twelve disciples if they would leave Him, and Peter spoke up, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68); I’m sure the rest were nodding their heads as well. Judas Iscariot must have agreed, for he, too, hung with Jesus when many turned away from Him on that day (Jn 6:66, 70-71). What a snake in the grass Judas was!
I sort of think that the failure of their hype while Jesus was in the Upper Room provided the incentive after His death and resurrection to never disappoint or fail Him again! Oh, the agony of soul they must have sustained in not making good on their promise to Jesus in the Upper Room when the Sanhedrin got their claws on Jesus, and they took off like jackrabbits. Jesus knew they would; He loved them to the end (Jn 13:1).
No, the news of Jesus leaving is not being well received in the Upper Room. Is this not what they had been doing for the last 3-4 years, following Jesus? And now, following Him is coming to an end!? Can you imagine what it must have been like following the most dynamic, amazing, wonderful, and incredibly unique personality in the universe, having witnessed all the told and untold things that Jesus did during His ministry (cf. Jn 21:25)?
And now, it is rapidly coming to a close, even quicker than they thought! Yes, I do believe they were very upset; they were just trying to hold on to the best thing that ever happened to them in their life, but the broken hearts of the disciples will not prevent the will of God from happening. Are we listening? Feelings, no matter how true and tender, must never interfere with doing the will of God, no matter how painful and heartrending it may be.
So many important spiritual decisions are based on the undulations of emotions and here today, gone tomorrow, that cut against the grain of Scripture. The results are always negative in such a case. It may not be noticeable at first, but eventually, we look back and question why did we not follow the wise and godly counsel of the Scripture? Billy Graham believed we could unload 95% of all of our troubles if we just read and heeded the Scriptures. Is this what you’re thinking, “If it was only that simple?” Do you mean like salvation? Just because there is a simple answer does not automatically rule out the possibility that the answer, though perceived as simplistic, actually possesses profound properties!
If we love Him, we must obey Him from our heart; this is the only way we can show our love to our Lord and Savior (cf. Jn 14:15, 21, 22, 23, 24; 15:10; 1 Jn 2:3-4, 5; 4:19-20; 5:2-3 (cf. Prov 3:1; Psa 119:11, 16, 34). It goes without saying, we can't obey what we don’t know, and ignorance is no excuse. I hope you will read every single one of these references for we must get this in our head and heart and never forget it and do it! The love Jesus is referring to is agape, and we are commanded to love (agape) God with the totality of our being (Mk 12:30). Yahweh can demand we love (agape) Him in this manner because it is not about feelings but obedience. Our obedience reflects our love for Him.
Any and everything that enters our lives are purposeful and allowed by God. When things are great, this truth is readily embraced. When things hit the fan, we struggle with it, another example of taking issue with the will of God. I think that our lifestyle reveals we take issue with a lot of principles in the Scriptures more than we may realize, but hey, we believe in the Bible, don’t we! Yahweh is never blindsided, and nothing circumvents His will, absolutely nothing (cf. Rom 8:28). Listen to the words of Isaiah when you think your world is unraveling,
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa 26:3, emphasis mine).
We are to safeguard our hearts and replace any troublemakers with trust in Yahweh and identify the path out of the storm, internally or externally (Prov 3:5-6). It is the only way we extract a peace that passes all understanding in the midst of the storm. We got His Word on it (Php 4:6-9). Biblical faith determines the lifestyle path (cf. Deut 5:32, 33). Invariably, whenever we ditch trust in God and His Word, purpose and peace will go south, sure as the pull of gravity.
Though we understand that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5; cf. Jn 14:18) which is a tremendous comfort, He is also coming back for us who believe! Only the attribute of being everywhere present or omnipresent can pull that space differential off! This is a stupendous promise and a consoling attribute of God! He is with us in the serenities and the storms of life!
Jesus informs His disciples in Jn 14:2c that He is going to “prepare a place” for them in His Father’s house. What is the point of preparing a permanent dwelling for His disciples if Jesus is not returning for them? Or for us? Jesus is not figuratively speaking here! Yes, He is going away, but He is coming back!
“And if I go and prepare a place [permanent dwelling places] for you, I will come again [I love that so; cf 1 Thes 2:19; 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2, 3!] and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn 14:3, emphasis mine).
This verb “may be” is in the present tense (continual, without end), and the mood is subjunctive meaning an act or state having contingency or possibility. This clause, “Where I am, there, you may be also” is not conditional but provisional (“I go to prepare a place for you!”); this is way cool; it is predicated on the solid assurance of the Person making the promise, “I will come again.” In other words, it is not a fact, yet, but it will be! Glory!
The present subjective looks forward to the literal “resolution of the contingency.” And so should we! At that unknowable time, to pinpoint the whereabouts of any believer, one has only to look for Christ! “Where He be; is where I’ll be!” I like this paraphrase,
“When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am” (Jn 14:3, NLT, emphasis mine).
And we know that the Triune Godhead abides in glory! This is where all who are born again or spiritually regenerated are heading! There is no need to be stirred or agitated. Though Jesus will die, He will live. Though He will leave, He will come back. We have no idea of just how sweet, comforting, and encouraging the resurrection of Jesus was to those disciples who were going to put it all on the line for Him in the future. <><
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