Preparing a Place

Where I teach, today is the first day of school! At the time of sharing this, my students will arrive for our first full day of learning together in third grade, and my second year as a teacher will begin. 

However, today is not my first day back at work. That was last Wednesday. For all that time (and for a couple of days before pre-planning, when I went to my classroom), I was preparing for this moment. My classroom was reorganized, new pieces of furniture were brought in, desks and chairs were cleaned, Chromebooks were labeled, papers were printed, and meetings were held. I could not just show up to my workplace today and be ready for my new students’ arrival. No, I had to go and prepare a place for them. 

As I was working at pre-planning this past week, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in John 14: “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? 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” (vv. 2–3). Shortly before He went to the cross, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, that He would come again and take them to Himself, that they would be with Him in that place. 

It is comforting to know that Christ has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us to live, where we can be with Him. However, it can also be a confusing idea. The disciples, certainly, were confused as we may be. Thomas voiced his question: “‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’” (v. 5). Although we now understand that Jesus is speaking of eternity with God as the place where we will go, the disciples did not initially grasp this concept. 

Thankfully, Jesus gives clarity to Thomas’ question: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (v. 6). The way to get to this place Jesus is preparing is through Him. The path to Heaven is a narrow gate that few will find (Matthew 7:13). The way to God, the way to the Heavenly Father, is exclusive; it is through Jesus Christ alone. He is the way, He is the truth, and He is the life. We can’t make it to God by our good works, by our talent, by our money, or by our achievements. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. 

What a consolation it is to know that the Lord is preparing a place for us, and that He has told us how to get there. It would not be entirely helpful if He told us He is preparing a place, but neglected to tell us how to get there. For example, if I am going on a vacation, the employees at the hotel I booked will be preparing a room for me. Yet, if I don’t have directions on how to get there, what use is that hotel room that I do not have access to? 

We have both a place being prepared and knowledge of how to get there. If you are in Christ, Jesus is preparing a place for you, and you know the way to it. However, if you are not in Christ, this is available to you! If you have read this, you now know the way to God, the way to eternal life: it is through Jesus. By believing on Jesus and turning from your sin, you can have the blessed assurance of eternal life with the Father. He will prepare a place for you, not because of anything you have done or your own worthiness, but because of His goodness. 

If you do not know Jesus, I implore you, trust in Christ today! In an even greater way than we prepare places for others, He will prepare a place for you—a place where sin, sorrow, and death are abolished. He is the way, the truth, and the life; if you want to come to the Father, the only way is through Jesus.