April 3 -- John 14:1-14
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” –John 14:6 (NIV)

Peter must have felt terrible hearing he would deny Jesus, but Jesus followed this bad news with, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me” (v.1). He was essentially saying, “I know what I’m telling you is hard to hear. Peter, you are weak, but believe in Me. All of you believe in the One who sent Me, so believe in Me. Everything will work out.”
Then, Jesus told them He was going to “prepare a place” for them in His Father’s house so that He may come back and take them to be with Him. The “rooms” in His “Father’s house” reflect the image of a first-century “insula.” As male children married, they would bring their wives into their father’s household, where their “rooms” or “homes” were built onto their father’s house so they could remain close to their father. Though John does not give us the details of the Lord’s Supper in the same way as the other Gospels, there is a beautiful connection between Jesus’ offering of the wine and His mention of going to prepare a place for believers. For an excellent exposition on this connection, please see this five-minute video teaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOaWb7AIVVc It’s totally worth the five minutes!
After Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, He added, “You know the way to the place where I am going” (v. 4). The way is through Him. In a personal relationship with Him, we find the way to God. He confirms this in verse 6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus also told His disciples that if they know Him, then they know the Father (v. 7) because He is so intimately connected to the Father that His message and work are the Father’s message and work. The Father is in Him, and He is in the Father. And because He is going to His Father, His disciples will be able to do even greater things than He has done. He will work through them, doing whatever they ask in His name (vv. 12-14). Some commentators think “greater things” refers to the worldwide spreading of the faith. This may be the case, but it is also a greater thing for the Holy Spirit to work through sinful human beings, making them God’s agents in this world and conforming them to the image of Christ.
As for receiving whatever we ask for “in Jesus’ name,” it is important to note that this does not mean Jesus is our vending machine. To “ask in His name” means that (1) we pray with confidence that He is who He says He is and (2) we align the content and motivations of our prayers with His character. A “name” in the time of Jesus was associated with the character and quality of the person or thing the name signified.
Consider: How is my prayer life—really? Am I talking to God in relationship, so that I begin to understand His heart for my life? Do my requests in Jesus’ name reflect His character? Talk to God about these things. When you start to see your life as a journey with Jesus, prayer becomes more vibrant, more real, and the answers you begin to see to it fill you with gratitude.
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