“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?” (John 14:2)
Most of the homeless people in our city are within walking distance from my house. One of the things I have learned interacting with these neighbours is that homelessness is hell.
The reasons for homelessness are varied, but the experience of homelessness is always the same. It is punishing; it grinds people down. A number of people in our church have experienced homelessness, some for years, some on and off. Those who have been there never ever want to experience it again. Homelessness is hell.
Which brings us to the ascension. On the eve of his death, Jesus’ disciples were really upset (John 14:1,27) and felt like they were being abandoned (vs 18). To comfort them, Jesus promises that he will ascend to heaven to prepare a home for them (vs 2).
We were studying this passage at our Bible study. I made the rather vague comment: “Isn’t it great that Jesus ascends to prepare a place for us.” From the back of the room, a young woman (we’ll call her Nancy) pipes up: “Yeah, cause otherwise we would be homeless!”
Nancy is a troubled soul in a number of ways and knows what living on the street is like. To her, the idea that Christ is preparing a forever home for her sounds like good news! In her own way, she is channeling something of the excitement of the apostle Paul who in 2 Cor 5:1 says “we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
A more biblically astute Bible study member (we’ll call him Gary) responds matter-of-fact from across the room: “We wouldn’t be homeless, we would be in hell.” To which Nancy responds: “Exactly!”
Gary is right, of course. There is no homelessness in heaven. Either by grace through faith we enjoy the place God prepares for us in heaven, or through unbelief and unrepentant sin we suffer damnation in hell. But Nancy is right too, in her own way. After all, homelessness is hell.
Let’s remember that in John 14, Jesus is preaching the comfort of the ascension to troubled hearts. So to all the Garys and the Nancys, and to you dear reader, trust and believe that the Lord has not and will not abandon you. He has ascended to prepare a home for you. His ascension is a promise that he will one day take you home to himself.
This Ascension Day, keep your ears open for the good news on the street:
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4)
Thank you, Jesus, for ascending, so we won’t be homeless!
