Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And 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. You know the way to the place where I am going.
This interaction is between Jesus and his disciples just prior to his crucifixion. My guess is that fear and uncertainty hung heavily in the room among them and Jesus could feel it, too. Jesus has the knowledge and wisdom of what is to come and he knows the hope of Heaven. He lovingly tries to prepare and reassure his friends – to offer them the hope of what waits for them on the other side of the difficulties he knows are to come.
This makes me think of a car ride I had with my 2 year old granddaughter last week. We headed out mid morning to go see some family who were visiting from out of state. I strapped her in, gave her a snack and headed out. But about 10 minutes in she started to cry. We stopped for gas, and I peeked in the back seat to wipe her tears, kiss her cheeks and remind her that we were just taking a little drive and we would be there soon – and when we got there we could play with her cousin and have some lunch. The rest of the car ride was marked by my reassurance every few minutes to keep her tears at bay, that we were almost there and reminding her of all the fun we would have when we arrived.
Our trip that day required my granddaughter to trust me. To trust that “Mimi” knew where we were going and that everything was going to be ok when we got there. She needed my reassurance.
That’s just what Jesus was doing for his friends. He was letting them know that where they were headed was a real place, that He would be there with them, and it would be ok. He knew they would need that reminder for the rest of the journey which they would make without him on earth. We need that reminder, too! We can trust Jesus and take him at his Word – so strap in and enjoy the ride…it’s going to be awesome when we get there!
