Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.
Where is Jesus going? Returning to the Father!
The Teacher knows the cross is waiting. Then a resurrection and a glorious ascension back to heaven!
He wants to prepare His students for His coming departure. And He wants them to know heaven will also be their ultimate destination – you will follow later.
He knows this hope will be of inestimable comfort to them in the days ahead. That’s why He assures them of a future reunion with Him.
Peter’s response? Lord, why can't I follow you now?
Who can blame Peter? For nearly three years he and the other students have followed Jesus everywhere. It must have been inconceivable to Peter that the close bond would be broken.
Peter is a thinking man. The Teacher had been talking about dying. Maybe that’s why we can’t follow Him.
So Peter expresses a willingness to follow Jesus even in death - I will lay down my life for you.
Peter, it is a noble thought and your intentions are great! But the Teacher knows you will not die with Him now, rather you will deny Him three times first.
And that’s ok too. For when Jesus’ work on earth is done, Peter and the others will have more work to do. They will carry the message of Jesus to the world. And some will die for Him!
But for them and for every student of Jesus there will be a time to follow the Teacher beyond this life into the next. Later…
I am going there to prepare a place for you and….I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jesus had taught his followers the necessity of leaving everything to follow him. He also told them of the rewards in this life and in the one to come. Sometimes the despair and troubles we have now as a result of following Jesus overshadow the blessings in this life. Thank God for His faithfullness in that He cannot lie. So we eagerly wait for the time when we will be where He is. Without this promise and hope we would be most miserable in this life. So we pray; come Lord Jesus come!
ReplyDelete"If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him"
ReplyDeleteThis is something that stood out to me as I read through the book of John 2 weeks ago. Over and over we see statements in John's Gospel showing the unity between Father and Son
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 1:1
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth." 1:14
"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son does also." 5:19
"My teaching is not my own. It comes form him who sent me." 7:16
I made a list: John 1:1-5,14, 1:18, 3:31-36, 5:17-18, 19-30, 6:38, 7:16 ,29 8:19, 26-30, 42, 8:58, 10:15, 30-38, 12:44-45, 49-50, 13:3,
14:7-14, 20, 16;11, 21.
All those mention or support Jesus and the Father being One - being unified - working together.
My favorite was John 1:18
"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."
No one has ever seen God - But Jesus has made Him known to us!
How awesome of a teacher do we have!?! One who shows us God Himself.