Very little is said about the Father’s house save what we find in John 14. One is never weary of those verses because they tell of the personal love of the Lord Jesus to His church. The location of the house is not defined, nor the thought of heaven introduced as meaning any particular locality. But Jesus lifts up His eyes to heaven.
Whenever my faith goes up there, what does it experience? The thought of the One there who was once in all my circumstances of sorrow down here—the thought of home up there with Him. Oh, what a warm, happy feeling the heart experiences at that thought—not the circumstances of that home, but the being there with Him. A man’s heart is in his home, not because of its circumstances, but because the object of his affection is there. It is the same with regard to heaven. I find uncommonly little of detail as to circumstances there, but I find unfading reality in one or two simple verses; for instance this: “If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father.” What a volume in that expression! Christ wants us to enter into the joy of His heart at the thought of the Father’s home, saying, in substance, “I want to share with you this thought of My joy; I want you to rejoice with Me because in a little while I shall be with My Father, and not only that, but you also shall soon be there with Me.”
If we could see all the glory of heaven, it would be poor in comparison with the thought of seeing the Son sitting on the throne of His Father, and ourselves seated together with Him in those heavenly places. What perfect rest of heart there is in that expression, “Made us sit together in heavenly places,” thus bringing us into the blessed taste of the glory He has!
The character of our rest and our power to walk as risen men are laid down in Colossians 3. When God’s eye looks upon you, what does He see? That you are one who has a place up there. And when His eye rests on Christ, it rests as not expecting to find a blot. How impossible, as the eye of God turns on us, that He should find anything but imperfection! But He turns round to see us hid in Christ, and to meet in those who are hid in Christ, Christ’s perfection. By His work and in that perfection we are prepared for the Father’s house.
G. V. Wigram