Aug. 27, 2025

Dear Friends,

I hope you can join us tonight for Bible study (at 5:30) as we look at John 14:1-6. This is a familiar passage, but its truths have never been more needed to hear and to know than they are today. Notes are attached.

LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

AUGUST 27, 2025

John 14:1-6

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;a believe also in me. 2 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?b 3 And if I go and

prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

4 And you know the way to where I am going.”c 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where

you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the

life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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v 1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled…”

in the Gk., “your” is plural, as are all the “you” pronouns in this passage; “heart” is singular,

certainly intended as a personal word, not a corporate one

heart – more than the center of emotions, but the center of a man’s being—his very self

Jesus said this when the greatest of trials was just around the corner

“Believe in God…”

So the way to keep our heart from being troubled is not Stoicism—which was certainly well-

known in Jesus’ day. It is faith.

“believe”—the verb is exactly the same in Gk. both times. And it is present indicative, not

present imperative.

• It seems unlikely, but not impossible to accept, to read it one way the first time and

another way the second time, as in “You believe in God, believe also in me.”

• So, yes, it could be an encouragement as rendered here in the ESV and elsewhere.

• Another possible reading is this: “You believe in God, and you believe also in me.” In

this case, Jesus would have been pointing out why there was no reason to fear as opposed

to teaching the disciples what to do to combat or to offset the fear.

• The message is clear either way—believe in God, and believe in Jesus.

This (and what follows) is one of the many instances in Scripture where Jesus points to his own

divinity.

v 2 – “In my Father’s house …”

“rooms” – moné, a dwelling, an abode

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him,

and we will come to him and make our home with him.—John 14:23. This is the only other

appearance of the word in the Bible.

“… if it were not so …”

Many translators render this “And if not, I would have told you,” or something very similar. (See

the ESV note.)

Either way, Jesus’ word is that “I go to prepare a place for you.”

One of the most magnificent promises of Christ!

a Or You believe in God [ESV]

b Or In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you [ESV]

c Some manuscripts Where I am going you know, and the way you know [ESV]

2

It encompasses all eternity.

It is a personalized promise, first person, “I go to prepare …”—not “you shall have a place …”

We cannot overstate the wonder and joy of this promise.

This continues to affirm his deity.

v 3 – “And if I go …”

Jesus is teaching something that is wonderful, but at the same time us gives us a rational basis to

help guard against doubt and discouragement

He has already personalized the promise, and he continues to do so

And now, an encouragement to our reason—If Jesus is telling the truth (and he is), that

means he is going to prepare a place for us, and if that is the case, we have no basis

for doubt that we will then return and fulfill all of his intentions

Lord, liar, or lunatic

“I will come again …”

The second coming is a major theme of the New Testament and is our great and certain

expectation.

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who

pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so.

Amen.”—Revelation 1:7

Jesus himself looks forward to that Day, and his promise is to all who belong to him: “I

will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

He is doing this; we are not doing this. He is our Savior; we, the Church, are the Bride of

Christ.

This is the Day unto which all of history is progressing.

v 4 – “And you know the way …”

“know” – eidó, lit. to see, in this context, to see with the mind, as in “I see what you mean”

More than one ms. witness of this phrase—but the message does not change

Jesus’ statement was to challenge them and teach them—they knew the way, but they did not

know that they knew the way!

v 5 – “Thomas said to him …”

“Doubting Thomas” is perhaps an unfair nickname to this apostle

Chances are that Thomas was not the only apostle who had those thoughts and questions—but he

was the one who voiced them. Or … maybe he was just harder to convince than the others.

But Thomas’ candid response brought for one of the most singular and memorable things that

Jesus ever said, if we can make such an assessment

v 6 – “Jesus said to him …”

“I am” – not “I know,” or “I have taught you.” I am. The Gospel is about the person of Christ. It

is not an ethical system or even a religious system, not a set of rules or laws or religious

practices. It is Christ himself.

the “Way” – a direct answer to the very question that Jesus had promoted (“you know the way”).

You do indeed know the way, Thomas, because you know me—and I am the way.

and the “Truth” – What a statement! Not to say “I know the truth” – many have said as much—

but to say “I AM the truth.” This statement probably goes beyond what we can know in this

life. “Truth” is present and revealed in Christ—truth itself. The world was created through

him. And so the existence of such a thing as truth is, no doubt, tied to Christ in ways that are

beyond our comprehension.

3

“and the Life” – the work of Christ is ultimately the gift of life to all who are his. The Gospel is

about life, again, not about rules. The kingdom of the devil is a kingdom of death. And those

who come to Christ pass from death into life.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has

eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly,

truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the

voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”—John 5:24-25

“No one comes to the Father except through me.”

more lit. “No one comes to the Father if not through me.”

This statement is clear and unequivocal. It is a foundational truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is true for all people and for all time, i.e. It has always been true and always will be true.

We, the people of Christ, need to be absolutely clear on it.

While stated concisely, this statement is not isolated. Jesus made numerous similar statements.

It is forever the immovable object to the “all religions are alike” talk or talk about “the world’s

great religions,” etc.

At the same time, Christians must refrain from judging others. While we reject universalism

(“everyone will be saved”), since the Bible clearly does not teach that, we must realize that

who Jesus saves is entirely up to him.

See John 21:20-23. The issue is a different one, but it is a reminder that there is a such a thing as

being inappropriately concerned about things that are “out of our lane.”