"Many Mansions" a sermon for 5 Easter A 5/3/26

 

“Don’t let this rattle you.  You trust God, don’t you?  Trust me.  There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home.  If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you?  And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live.”

John 14:1-3 (MSG)

            Here I love the King James Version.  “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (v. 2a).  Mansions.  Not just a closet or a spare room added on but a mansion.  To me, that speaks of the lavish abundance of God’s grace and mercy.  There is room enough and to spare in God’s kingdom.  Room for you and for me.

            Jesus speaks these words of assurance just hours before His own death.  Here a little context may be helpful for us.  Jesus is gathered with His friends in the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday.  They’ve shared foot washing and a final meal.  Jesus also continues to teach them in chapters 14 through 17.

How easy it would be for Jesus to focus on Himself.  But, no, Jesus continues to prepare them for what is to come.  Soon, Jesus will be crucified and die.  The disciples will all scatter in fear and grief.  They will be like sheep without their trustworthy Shepherd.  So, Jesus seeks to comfort his friends and reassure them.

Jesus must go, yes.  But He goes so that, one day, the disciples (and me and you) can be with Him forever.  Only if Jesus leaves can he prepare our places for us.  Later, in John 14 (vs. 25-27), Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ on-going presence with us.  The Spirit can only come after Jesus has left.

We often hear Jesus’ words at funerals.  There, Jesus’ word provide comfort that our loved one is now with Jesus.  A special place has been prepared for them in God’s eternal kingdom.  And, one day, we shall join our loved ones in that heavenly dwelling place.  That is Jesus’ promise for those who put their trust in Him.

My friend and a clergy colleague, Jessica Wachter, writes, “Dwelling places (v. 2), the same Greek word for abide, a key word in John, a word of deep relationality.  We don’t know what heaven will be like exactly, but we will be deeply connected to Christ and other people.  No solo heaven vacation, floating on our personal cloud for eternity.”

Jesus uses the word “abide” again in chapter 15.  There Jesus teaches about the relationship between a branch and its vine.  The two must be intimately connected in order for the branch to bear fruit.  Without a connection to the vine, the branch is dead.  A close, intimate connection is what Jesus promises in Heaven.

Jessica, writing at the blog “Porch Sitting with Jesus,” continues: “Eternity will be all about togetherness (although as an introvert myself I am hoping for some solo chill time here and there!).  The communion which death had broken will be restored, and we will see our loved ones again, and many we didn’t know before but are part of God’s big family.”

In the Church and in the world, we get glimpses of the abundance and relationship that await us:

As when a church family surrounds a member with prayer and support following a surgery or hospital stay.

Or when we see the first female Archbishop of Canterbury meeting with the Bishop of Rome in a sign of Christian unity.

Like when we gather week-by-week from our diversity as one at Jesus’ Table during the Holy Eucharist.

We are living in times of deep division.  Discord speaks louder than unity.  Hate and anger seem to carry the day.  I challenge us to stay away from those life-stealing emotions.  Instead, let’s try to focus on being people of unity.  Look for the bright spots of hope and togetherness that foreshadow God’s kingdom- here and for ever.