John 14:1, 3.

John 14:1,3
THE blessed grace displayed in these words of the Lord will be evident, if we consider the circumstances under which they were uttered, and the condition of those to whom they were addressed. He was on the eve of His mysterious sufferings, the depth and intensity of which we can never know, but the fruit of which we are nailed into the eternal enjoyment of. He was to go forth alone in His spotlessness to meet the avenger of blood, that He might receive in His own precious person the judgment due to sin, that hateful thing to which His whole nature was a stranger, but which He chose, in the greatness of His love, to have laid upon Him that those for whom He thus became the Surety might be sheltered forever from the consequence of their transgressions, and receive a blessedness which He alone could fully estimate, as being it author and sustainer. A few of these favored ones were around Him. And were they, naturally, better than others? No, in no wise. (Romans 3:99What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (Romans 3:9).) They were men, and men are sinners. Yea, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” “They were men of like passion with ourselves.” But a little space before, unholy strife and ambition had been among them. (Luke 22:2424And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. (Luke 22:24).) Not one of them could appreciate the feelings of the “Man of sorrows.” Within an hour the one that leaned upon His bosom would sleep, regardless of the Watcher and the Holy One that sought his sympathy: another would deny, with oaths and curses, that he knew the Lord; and all would desert Him in the heaviest, darkest hours of trial. This He perfectly knew. They might not have seen their utter weakness and unworthiness―the coming moment was to exhibit that―but “He needed not that any should testify of man.” All was naked to His view. He can tell it all before hand―the denial―the abandonment―the scattering. But is it to upbraid? The very contrary He speaks to sustain―to console. And this is ever His way, His gracious way. He may convince us of our sin. Indeed He will, if He gives us self-knowledge at all? for what is man if looked at in himself? What is a converse man, even, if left to his own strength but for a moment? But, oh! what matchless grace is His who, in the full apprehension of what we are gives utterance to His heart in words like these; “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” He calls them off from confidence in themselves to confidence in Him. They had known something of Him―they were now to learn more. He was no broken reed―no unfaithful friend. They might give way―He never could. They had seen much of His fidelity―His tenderness―His truth. Let them rest in Him unshaken. They might lose sight of Him, but He would be employed for them. In His Father’s house were many mansions. If not, He would have told them. He went before them to prepare a place. None could do this but himself. His blood must mark the way; His blood must open heaven. They must enter only in His name. His title to those blest abodes was indisputable; but they had none, unless derived from Him. This He now gave, and more. He would prepare a place for them. A suited place―such as was worthy of His love to give―such as He could share with them when they should be changed and fashioned for it. “The palace is not for man, but for the Lord God,” said David, speaking of the house which Solomon was to build: and if the earthly house was great―the place of Jehovah’s feet―if, too, the future temple in that land is to be glorious (Isaiah 60:1313The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. (Isaiah 60:13))―how much more the heavenly home, where the Father’s love is to be enjoyed, and the Father’s glory manifested in the Son, who from eternity has been with Him, and through eternity will declare Him in all the spheres which have been or which shall be formed for the enjoyment of that love, or the revelation of that glory. As there have been outshining’s of God’s glory in the past, there will be also in the future, witnessing to His redeemed of what He is, to their eternal blessing. There was a glory in Creation when the morning stars sung together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. (Job 38:77When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7).) There was a glory in Eden for a little moment ere the man and we man fell―a glory on the plain of Mamre when Abraham received his Guests at the tent door―a glory where the sleeping Jacob lay at Bethel-hidden glories these two latter, only for the eyes of those that saw them―precious glories too, that told of a love peculiar, sovereign, discriminating ―wondrous in its character, familiar, perfect, free yet awing by the majesty it brought with it―for if it was a love beyond all measure, it was the love of God―the Eternal―the Supreme. There was a glory when the hosts of Israel went up from Egypt, through the Red Sea and the desert, to the promised land: ―may I not say glories of varied character―the glory of the cloudy, fiery pillar―the glory of Sinai, with its thunders and lightnings, and its trumpet-voice long and loud―the glory of the tabernacle, with its shadows of good things to come. There were glorious visitations in the land in successive periods of its history, in days of its judges, prophets, priests, and kings: glorious deliverances, preservations, miracles: glorious utterances, visions, foretelling’s: glorious exhibitions of Divine longsuffering: patient expostulations, threatening’s, judgments;―until the glory passed away from the temple and the city in the closing days of the kingdom, no more to return till Jesus came, Himself the brightness of glory, the Living Temple wherein the Godhead dwelt (John 2), discerned by faith alone as the Incarnate Word― “the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Glory was there—a soft and tender glory that attracted to itself all hearts that felt its beams, that learned its power to heal their deepest woes―woes that sin had brought―woes that would vanish nowhere save in the light of that blessed countenance which beamed with love and mercy and compassion for the lost. All wants were met in Him. The soul that found Him found its all―all it could need, and all it could desire. “We have found Him,” expressed the satisfaction of the heart. But He was going to the Father by the cross and by the grave into His heavenly dwelling-place. Would He leave them comfortless, as orphans in a world of trial? Surely no! His death would be eternal life to them,―yea, endless peace and endless liberty. The Comforter would come to witness to them of His love―the virtue of His sacrifice―their own full pardon and acceptance before God in Him. And He himself would come again. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” Ask ye of heaven? It is the presence of the Lord. For He is risen―risen from the dead. The glory shone upon the Mount of Olivet the Saviour passed from thence―passed through the heavens―yea, He ascended far above all heavens. And has He not left a blessing behind, ―even the promise of His coming to receive His people to himself? Shall we not cherish in our hearts so rich a legacy? Shall we not cling to this most blessed hope? Lord, deepen, strengthen it in all thy saints, for thy Name’s sake. Amen.