Our Place Prepared - March 20 Readings: John 14, I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life

The Story of the Bible from Creation to the Cross to Eternal Glory

In 72 daily readings, we will examine the overall story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, seeking to get the big picture of God's work through Jesus Christ in this sinful world.

Today's Reading: John 14

Through the Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 17-18, Mark 15:21–47, Psalm 37:8–14, Proverbs 8:32-33

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Context 

The sixth of the "I Am" statements is a clear assertion of the uniqueness of Christ. He is not one way to heaven. He is not "my truth" or "your truth." He is the only hope any of us has of reconciliation with God and no one will come to the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus does not simply teach truth, he is truth.

Devotional: Our Place Prepared 

I took a fair degree of grief from my family in the years before the GPS made travel so easy. Before we left, I would prepare a notebook that had a complete itinerary of our plans, from Mapquest. There would be invoices in the notebook for any hotels we planned to stay in and everything else we needed for the trip. When I left on a trip I wanted to have all the information. It is so much easier now. How did we travel cross-country before we had these marvels?

Jesus’ disciples were feeling that way at the beginning of Jesus’s message that we know now as the Farewell Discourse. In John 14:1-3, Jesus began to instruct them on how to survive the nuclear explosion that was about to tear apart their lives. Jesus would be arrested, tried and crucified in the next 12 hours and their lives would never be the same. Jesus gave them the first and most important key to surviving the destruction of their lives. They must put their trust in him.

This conversation with Thomas reveals the disciples’ fundamental problem. Their lives were about to explode and they had no idea what was going on. They had wrong ideas and wrong ambitions – their eyes were on the wrong prize.  The wrong destination was programmed into their GPS.

Jesus told them two things. He told them the destination and he gave them the route. That’s all we need, isn’t it?

Verse 2 reveals the destination of Jesus’work. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

It is a common mistake to believe that Jesus is in heaven working on our eternal dwellings. No, that is not it at all. Jesus told them that he was going to prepare a place. Where was he going when he said that? He was on his way to the cross where he finished his work and prepared a place for us in God’s eternal home. That is your destination – eternity with God in heavenly glory.

How do we get there? What is the route? It is simple. In verse 6, he makes it clear. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Verse 7 talks about Jesus being the means by which someone can know the Father. We come to God by faith in Jesus Christ and in that way alone.

In a sense, Jesus is both our destination and our path. He gives us a home in heaven with him and he is himself the path to that home.

Thank you, Father, for sending your Son to prepare a place for me in your eternal home. He paid the price for my sins to remove all that hindered me from being with you forever. 

Think and Pray:

Thank God for the eternal salvation he provided for you.
Thank him for Christ, who prepared a home for you in eternal glory.
Remember that your place in heaven was won by Christ's work and not your merit.