When I was young, I thought that when I died, I would go to a great mansion in the sky. It would be my very own mansion with lots of rooms, and probably an in-ground pool, and a giant backyard full of trees, and all the other amenities that I could want. The verse in John 14 was what put this image in my mind: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” I sort of pictured Jesus standing outside with a hardhat and those big architect drawing plans in his hand, directing the builders (maybe angels or whatever) constructing my super cool mansion.
Now, I am older, and realizing that there is no great worth in a big building with lots of rooms. As I look at Jesus, the desires for that sort of thing fade away. I now desire the eternal treasure of knowing Him. And I wonder what He really meant when He said those words. It was obviously more than a big house to live in, in the great by and by.
So what did He mean?
Here’s that verse in John 14 in context:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many mansions (another translation says dwelling places): if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. “
That where I am, there ye may be also. So basically Jesus says, I’m going to go prepare the place for you where I am so that you can be where I am. Does that make sense?
How does Jesus go and prepare that place? Matthew tells us what happened when Jesus died on the cross, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom…”
Now the veil of the temple was important. It separated us no good sinners from the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God. The priests could go in there but only after making a bunch of sacrifices and cleansing ceremonies, and from what I gather, a rope was tied around one of their ankles so that if they went past the veil, and into the Holy of Holies, and were considered unworthy and dropped dead, others could pull their bodies out with the rope.
When Jesus finally gave up the Spirit, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. Why? Because Jesus, in His sacrifice, opened the way up for all of us to enter into the Holy of Holies. His sacrifice was the final sacrifice, cleansing all of us, making us all worthy.
From Hebrews 1:
“Who being the brightness of His (God’s) glory, and the express image of His (God’s) person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”
Where is Jesus? He is seated at the right hand of the Father. At the right hand of the Majesty on High.
Now, when we hear, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may also be.”, we can see that as Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father, and He has torn the veil of the temple in half, opening the way for us to be with Him, at the right hand of God, the Majesty on High. He went to prepare a place for us, and that place is with Him, with His Father.
He says “that where I am, you may be also.” Present tense. We don’t have to wait until we die to be in that place. Jesus was in that place all the days of His life on earth. He was with the Father. Trusting, resting, living, loving, lighting up everything around Him. That is where He is, and that is where we can be, right now.
Come into the Holy of Holies,
Enter by the blood of the Lamb.
This is our mansion. This is our home. Right here. Right now.
I love you all. And just as a sidenote for those of you who still feel unworthy and are hesitating to enter into that glorious place with God, a verse that has strengthened me and made me realize that I am worthy to enter in, just as I am:
Hebrews 2:11 “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” How wonderful is that?????