Peace, Brother!

Good morning!

Still suffering from a bad cold, and having trouble being "devoted" to anything except my box of Kleenex this morning.  Ugh!

So, our text is John 14.  Grab your Bible.  I'm not going to reproduce the whole chapter here.

Beginning in John 13, at that last supper they shared together, Jesus gave His last instructions to His disciples.  He continues on with His final benediction through John 17.  These are precious chapters because in them He is not talking to the multitudes or to the religious leaders.  He is speaking to those closest to Him, who were totally devoted to Him. (Remember that, by this time, Judas Iscariot had "left the building.")  His words are timeless, as always.  The love expressed by Jesus to His disciples of that day are equally applicable to us, His disciples, today.

If you read yesterday's post, you'll recall that Jesus began his parting words by setting the example of love, humility and meekness, serving the disciples by washing their feet.  He goes on in chapter 14 to comfort and at the same time alarm the disciples.

He tells them that He is leaving.  Some of them "still don't get it".  Notice that Philip and Thomas ask questions which reveal their entrenched belief that Jesus will be liberating the Jews from the Romans. They still do not understand that Jesus is about to lay down His life for all people.  He plainly states in verse 29 that He is telling them this ahead of time so that when it occurs (over the next 24 hours) they will realize that He knew this was coming and that He embraced it.

His words of comfort bookend this chapter:
In verse 1 He says, "In times of trouble, don't be distressed!  Hold on to your belief in me." 
Verse 27:  "My peace I give to you.  I do not give it to you as the world does.  Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage."

He tells the disciples that they will eventually be reunited with Him.  This occurs after His resurrection and also at their deaths.  John 14:2b-4 - - -

"I am going away to make ready a place for you. 3 And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”

We often hear these words of comfort at the funeral of Christian believers.  But, what does Jesus mean by these words?
I've mentioned before in this blog that the Jews believed that when righteous people died their souls went to a place called Sheol (the place of the dead).  Sheol (translated into the Greek "hades" in the New Testament) was compartmentalized into two sections, one being a place of extreme torment and the other being called "Abraham's Bosom" (a place of peace and rest; the Talmud used the term synonymously with "heaven").  See Luke 16:19-31.
Some commentators believe that the whole world of the dead changed once Christ descended into the world of the dead, that a reorganization of things occurred.  They point to Paul's words in Ephesians 4:8-9  and Romans 14:9 as the basis for this interpretation.

"Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” 9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things."

"For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living."

When Jesus' spirit left His body, did He descend to the place of the dead, "capture" the righteous dead and transport their souls to Heaven, to dwell forever with Him in the presence of the Father?  Is that what it means when the Scriptures (Revelation 1:18) record Jesus' words through John (on Patmos) - -  that He holds the keys of Hell and Death?

"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."  (Luke 23:43) Nowhere earlier in Scripture do we see Jesus with the souls of the departed dead.  The dead were depicted as being with Abraham, but not Jesus.  Did Jesus prepare a place for His followers during the time His body was in the grave?  Is He still preparing that place now?

"You know the way where I am going." (vs. 4)
What did Jesus mean by this assertion?  He is more explicit in verse 6, and this is one of my very favorite verses of Scripture:

 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

While these are all interesting questions, two things are sure:
1.  there is only one way to God, to Heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ.  His words leave no room for negotiation.  There is salvation in none other!  This declaration echoes the similar one He made to Martha, Lazarus' sister, shortly before He raised Lazarus from the dead.  (See John 11:25-26)
2.  when we depart this physical life, we who know Him as Savior and Lord will be with Him forever.  That was His promise to His disciples then, and it stands true still today.

Because of this, we can have peace, that calm, supernatural assurance that God loves us and in spite of our current circumstances, is in control.  So ... Peace, Brother!

Dear Father, thank you for giving us, Your children, supernatural peace in spite of the ups and downs of life.  The disciples were about to endure 72+ hours of pure horror and despair.  To prepare them, our Lord spoke timeless words of reassurance, peace and comfort.  May we remember them as we journey through our own lives with Him, as we seek to walk ... resplendent!  In Jesus' name, amen.