United Church Podcast

In the previous section of John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke directly to Peter. Now, he broadens his focus to include the other disciples, for they, too, are troubled—not because they rush toward pain, disgrace, shame, or crucifixion but because they are confused and uncertain of what Jesus means about His imminent departure. Jesus’ talk about departure and denial disturbed them greatly. It is no wonder the Eleven are profoundly upset. The way the disciples are to calm their hearts, Jesus spells out for them—Believe in God; believe also in me. Another way to say it is to trust God and trust me. They can only find real hope and confidence by focusing on God rather than themselves. The reason He gives for leaving them is a promise—He is leaving to prepare a place for them. His departure is to their advantage. Yes, He is going away, but He is going away to make a home for them. The language Jesus employs here—Father’s house and rooms—is used in many Jewish sources when speaking of Heaven. Since Heaven is pictured here as the Father’s house, it is more natural to think of ‘dwelling places’ within a home such as rooms or suites in a large resort, not individual mansions. The point, of course, is not the extravagance of each suite but the fact that Jesus is making such ample provision that there is more than enough space for every one of Jesus’ friends to join Him in his Father’s home. Interestingly, this begins to answer our question: What is Heaven?

It is reasonable to wonder about what happens when we die, and sadly, Christians' varying beliefs on the matter are often not tethered to Scripture. The chaos on this topic creates mistakes in our thinking, praying, liturgies, practices and mission to the world. So, we will answer this question today from the Scriptures, and I hope we can dispel all confusion. While there have been many views and teachings on what happens at death, my goal is to teach the most historically accepted Christian orthodox understanding of life after death. So, if something is particularly challenging for you and you want to reach out, I’m happy to discuss what the scriptures say.

It is a human issue. Personal and global events only serve to exacerbate it. Yes, it is mainly in the rearview window now, but we lost over a million of our fellow citizens and 6 million of our fellow image-bearers of God globally to a pandemic. Are the cultural patterns we see today not profoundly influenced by that? From the great resignation to the massive separation to the hyper-politicization, while not exclusively a result of our collective loss, they are most certainly influenced by it. Our collective mortality confronted us, and it altered us. It heightened our collective fear of that spectre of death. The fear that plagues us is just wrong. No one should live in fear of death.

What does it look like to fully commit to Jesus? To learn more visit renovationchurch.com