In this passage from John 14:1-14, we find the disciples troubled by news that Jesus is leaving. How could they ever go on without Jesus? But as Jesus shows them, his departure means more of the love of God, not less.
Jesus offers us four things as He departs:
- A Loving Home: Our true home is to abide in love with God forever. What makes Heaven, heaven, is not the location but who is there–God. It’s not about where you are, it’s who you’re with.
- A Loving Path: In the 6th “I AM” statement in Scripture, Jesus calls Himself “The Way.” If you want to know the way to God the Father, look no further than in the person of Jesus. The way to God seems narrow, but it’s about a love relationship with the Father through the mutual opening of hearts to one another. God has opened wide the door of His heart in Jesus. Jesus is the only way to the Father’s heart.
- A Loving God: The Triune God exists as a community of eternally-loving, self-donative, and mutually-indwelling persons too one to be many and too many to be one. What theologians call perichoresis is the ultimate meaning of the universe. This is a dance of eternal loving embrace, each person of the Godhead lovingly self-giving unto the others, and welcoming and receiving one another into themselves with unrestrained, overflowing intimacy, delight, and everlasting joy. The triune, perichoretic love is what everything is all about.
- A Loving Power: Because we are united with Christ, He works through us. Jesus is preparing a place for us to dwell deeply in love with the Triune God forever, and in the meantime, He’s inviting us to live in union with him so that His presence and power flow into us, transforming us, and then flow through us into the world around us. Jesus’ love transforms us so He can give us all we want.
Jesus’ departure means more of the love of God, not less. He offers us a Loving Home, by means of a Loving Path, into a relationship with a Loving God, with a Loving Power that transforms first us and then the world.
Three Takeaway Questions for Self-Reflection:
- Am I believing in the love of God?
- Am I abiding in the love of God?
- Am I transforming in the love of God?
If your answer to any of those questions worries you, please contact us at the link to discuss it further: www.moodychurch.org/connect.
John 14:1-14
