John 14:1-4 14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 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? 3 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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
I spent a while trying to understand this passage. It’s kind of complicated and random of a metaphor, which means it probably hit with its original Greek-understanding audience and 1st century Middle Eastern culture, and less so with 21st century America.
Yes, this is an example where I wish I could read and understand the original Greek. Apparently the word for “rooms” here was only used in 2 places in the New Testament, the other place being John 14:23:
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
I found this article to be the most helpful. It gives context into how people back then understood “home” to be more related to the concept of related extended family. And the Greek word “monen” translates to “abode,” a place where one “abides, rests, or remains,” the same language used all throughout John 15 about Jesus being the vine and us being the branches.
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