He’ll Be Back

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.   John 14:3, NIV

Jesus was about to endure indescribable suffering on the cross, and it was in this way that reservations would be made in the Father’s house for all his people. Since he would pay such a price for the reservations, the disciples could be absolutely certain that Jesus would return to bring them to the Father’s home.

The logic of Jesus’ words is powerfully persuasive: “If I go, . . . I will come back and take you to be with me” (John 14:3, NIV). Jesus was saying, “If I go through the agony of death and rise on the third day and ascend into heaven, all for the purpose of preparing a place for you, then is it conceivable that I would not bring you there?”

This is why Jesus told the disciples that they were not to be troubled, but rather to trust in him. They had seen Judas leave, they had heard that Peter would fail, and they had been told that Jesus would be taken from them. They felt that their world was falling apart, but it wasn’t. Jesus was going to prepare a place for them, and they could be absolutely confident that he would bring them home.

Suppose you’re buying a new car, and you want a particular model in black. You go to the dealership and tell the dealer what you’re looking for. He types a few things into his computer and then shakes his head. “Well, we do have that model in stock, but unfortunately, we don’t carry it in black. I can locate one for you, but you’ll need to pay for it up front.”

You really want the car and you really want it in black, so you agree to his terms. If you’ve paid the full cost of the car, you’ll come back to that dealership to receive what you already purchased so you can take it home. Christ laid down his life to purchase you. You can be certain that he’ll come back to take you home.

For further reading, see Romans 8