10/03/2025
Interesting twist on a familiar passage from John 14.
John 14 is often read at funerals, especially Jesus’ words about preparing a place in his Father’s house. Many assume this means Jesus has gone to heaven to build rooms for us.
Here is a different way to understand these words.
In John’s Gospel, the “Father’s house” is not a heavenly mansion but the true temple, which is Jesus’ own body. When he says he is going to prepare a place, he is speaking of his death and resurrection.
By the cross he makes room for us in himself, and by rising he draws us into his body, where we now dwell with the Father.
This reading fits with John’s larger themes. The Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us (1:14). Jesus himself is the sanctuary where God’s presence is found.
In John 2 he even said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” referring to his body. Thus, the temple, the Father’s house, is Christ’s body.
His going to the Father is through the cross. His return to the disciples is in his resurrection appearances and through the Spirit. Already now he takes us into himself so that where he is, we may be also. As he says later in John 14, “My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (v. 23).
This has profound comfort for the present. We don’t have to wait for death to find a place in the Father’s house. Already in baptism and faith we are united to Christ, given forgiveness, safety, and life in him.
Death cannot take away what Christ has given: a place in himself. Just as he took up his life again, so too we will rise.
In him we already abide in the Father’s house, a promise that sustains us now and will be fulfilled in resurrection glory.
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I realize this is not the interpretation with which many of you are familiar—or agree with—but if you are interested in a longer and more detailed argument, here are two resources:
My video: https://youtu.be/HSTTJpQM-Wk
Jeffrey Gibbs’ essay (to which I am very indebted): https://issuu.com/concordiasem/docs/cjwinter2023
