Verse of the Day
Monday, December 29, 2025
John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
Introduction
John 14:1-3 marks a pivotal shift in the Gospel narrative, moving from the tension of the Last Supper to the intimate, sustained encouragement of the "Farewell Discourse." The atmosphere is heavy with the scent of impending tragedy, confusion, and the palpable fear of abandonment. Into this shadow, Jesus speaks words that act as a theological anchor. The central theme of these verses is the provision of profound, divine comfort in the face of imminent crisis. Jesus does not merely offer a platitude; he offers a promise of an eternal future, grounding the disciples’ peace not in their circumstances, but in his person and his destination.
Commentary
The Imperative against Fear
Jesus begins with the command: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The Greek word for "troubled" (tarassesthō) suggests a state of agitation, like water stirred up by a storm. The disciples are facing a "trouble" that is both external (the threat of the authorities) and internal (the psychological weight of losing their Master). Jesus’ command is an imperative for the soul to remain steady by looking past the immediate storm toward a higher reality.
The Double Object of Faith
The phrase “Believe in God, believe also in me” is a watershed moment in Johannine theology. By linking belief in the Father directly with belief in himself, Jesus claims a status equal to God. He is asserting that the same trust and absolute reliance historically reserved for Yahweh is now to be placed in him. In the midst of crisis, Jesus presents himself as the visible object of faith who reveals the invisible Father.
The Imagery of Home
The "Father’s house" and its "many dwelling places" (monai) are often interpreted through the lens of celestial real estate, but the theological weight is far deeper. The word *monai* implies "abiding" or "staying." This is not about the size of a mansion, but the permanence of a relationship. It signifies that in God’s presence, there is infinite room, radical inclusion, and an eternal sense of belonging. We are not guests; we are family members with a permanent residence in the heart of God.
The Purpose of Departure and Return
Jesus explains that his departure is purposeful: he goes to "prepare a place." This preparation is not a matter of celestial carpentry, but of the atonement—his death and resurrection open the way into the Father’s presence. The eschatological promise—“I will come again”—culminates in the ultimate goal of the Christian life: relational presence. Salvation is not just a destination; it is being "where I am." The focus remains entirely on the person of Christ as the definitive "home" for the believer.
Understanding the Context
Immediate Context
These verses open the Farewell Discourse, set within the Upper Room. The disciples’ anxiety has been triggered by a rapid succession of unsettling revelations in Chapter 13: Jesus’ announcement that one of them is a traitor, the startling prediction that Peter—their rock—will deny him three times, and the cryptic warning that Jesus is going where they cannot follow. Their world is collapsing; these three verses are the bridge Jesus builds to carry them across that collapse.
Theological Context
In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ departure is his "lifting up"—a term that encompasses both his crucifixion and his glorification. To the world, the Cross looks like a defeat and a departure, but to John, it is the means by which Jesus returns to the Father to open the door for humanity. The departure is the very mechanism of the return.
Application for Today
Addressing Modern Anxiety
In a 21st-century world defined by "permacrisis"—climate uncertainty, political volatility, and personal burnout—the command "do not be troubled" remains vital. It does not suggest an absence of problems, but a refusal to let those problems dictate our internal state. It calls us to find a center of gravity that exists outside the reach of global or personal headlines.
Living in the "Already/Not Yet"
We live in the tension between a world that feels like a "wilderness" and the promise of a "home." This passage encourages us to navigate a destabilized present with the confidence of a permanent future. When we understand that our ultimate security is already "prepared," we gain the courage to act with love and justice in the present, unhindered by the fear of losing everything.
Redefining Hope
The Christian hope is often reduced to a generic "afterlife," but John 14:1-3 defines hope as proximity. It is the difference between going to a place and going to a person. Our hope is not just a change of scenery after death, but the fulfillment of a relationship. This reframes our daily spiritual life from a list of rules to a journey toward a waiting Presence.
Reflection
The "prepared place" of which Jesus speaks functions as a divine reframing of our transient existence. We spend much of our lives in transition—moving between jobs, homes, and seasons of life—and we are constantly confronted by the mortality that reminds us we are "passing through." Yet, the promise that Christ is currently "preparing a place" suggests that our final destination is more real and more solid than the ground we currently walk upon.
True home is not a coordinate on a map or an architectural feat; it is the presence of the One who knows us best and loves us most. When we face the "troubles" of this life, we do so as people who are not wandering aimlessly, but as people who are expected elsewhere. Our peace today is found in the certainty that the One who left us in the flesh has never left us in spirit, and that the end of our journey is not a void, but a welcome.
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verse of the Day is a daily inspirational and encouraging Bible verse, extracted from BibleGateway.com. Commentary by Kenny Sallee, ThM.
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