Imagine the World to Come
John 14:1-14
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 "And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father '? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
Imagine with me for a moment that you are with Jesus, and he tells you he is about to be captured, tortured, and murdered. Right after he says this, he tells you not to get upset over it. Really? I bet you would not be pleased. I know that I would definitely not be pleased. These eleven men were hand selected by Jesus to be his students and much more. They were going to go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven was forming on the Earth. The future looked bright. Then, like a house of cards, everything appeared to be falling apart. Jesus then said, “do not let your hearts be troubled.” I think you get the picture.
In his style, Jesus teaches them about the situation. He uses the culture and mannerisms of his day to explain what was going to happen. By the way, this narrative is used at funerals. It offers comfort to the mourners. Jesus said that he has gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us. This is imagery from the way marriages worked in Judea and Galilee. The bridegroom would build a room onto his parent’s home for his bride. When the room was finished, the bridegroom would let the bride know it was time for the marriage ceremony. Jesus used the marriage culture to explain what his relationship was to his disciples and would become with his future disciples. As followers of Jesus, we become a part of the relationship.
The phrase “in the name of Jesus” should always remind us we are students of Jesus and that our task is to learn to become like him. Because we are students of Jesus, we are the recipients of the promises he offered. That main promise is that one day we will pass from this world into the next world. The disciples were very concerned about what would happen to them if they followed their rabbi, Jesus. Things looked difficult and would end dramatically. Jesus’s disciples were told what would probably happen to them because they believed and followed Jesus. Eternal life in heaven is the reward. Unfortunately, the way to eternal life is through death and resurrection. This was a relatively new concept in Jesus’s day. The disciples showed Jesus, after His death, that they believed in Him because they did what Jesus told them to do: spread the Gospel throughout the world. Now that we have that reassurance that we going to Heaven, we need to be spreading the Gospel throughout the world.
This passage is filled with so many theological thoughts that it would take me a while to explain them all. Let me pose some questions that I feel are important for us to consider. Who are you? What is your life all about? What is your purpose? In John’s Gospel, Jesus makes it clear who he is and what is expected from His disciples. When you examine your life, what is your purpose? There is more to life when your life is dedicated to God. Learning God’s Word is a lifelong experience that never ends. Spreading the Gospel by helping people can be a lifelong ministry. The result can be resurrection and eternal life with Jesus, but only if we align our lives with the Messiah.
The vehicle that accomplishes a life with Jesus is the church. In its original Greek form, the term church means a group of people who are of the same religion and mindset. The idea of the liturgies and ways of praising God helps Jesus’ followers to express their love and thanksgiving to him and God. Worship, praise, and thanksgiving need to be a part of your purpose. When we do this as a community, we raise our own awareness of our spirituality. We help people who feel lost to find purpose through Christ.
During the Covid pandemic in 2020, my bishop said that it would be in the best interest to close the church. Many state governors demanded that churches close. My church closed down. I fully regret doing that. Let me explain why. I created live worship out of my house and broadcasted it to the membership. The broadcasts should have been done in the church building. It is unfortunate that during a time of crisis, people seek God. It happened right after the 9/11 attacks, and it happened during Covid.
After the church reopened, I met a lady who told me that she was distressed, not about Covid, but about her life. She came to our church door during the lockdown to find a locked door. When the church should have been there to help her, we were locked down. If I broadcasted from the sanctuary, I would have opened the doors and she could have found the help she needed. OK, we would have worn masks and stayed six feet apart, but she would have found someone in the church who could help her. She told me that all the churches in the town were shut down. Luckily for her she did not give up and after the church reopened, she did come visit and became an active member praising God for the help she was given. If another situation like Covid returns I pray that the church remembers that it is the representative of Jesus and must be available to all lost souls.
Let me close with this thought. Jesus is in Heaven preparing a place for his followers. We on Earth should be preparing a place where wanderers can find a home for their troubled souls. The place we create must be welcoming, safe, and accommodating to the various needs of lost souls. Jesus said that to get to the Father you have to go to the Son. For those who are not believers the way to the Son is through her church. Can you imagine your church being the entrance to a journey that will lead to the world to come and into Jesus’ loving arms?
