“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23
Have you ever felt so homesick your stomach hurt? Shortly after my husband and I were married, we moved to New York to begin our graduate studies at New York University. Having spent most of our lives in the cozy farming town of Berrien Springs, Michigan, our move to the congested heart of Manhattan was jarring. On crowded streets and subway platforms, people rushed past, their faces often stern and unreadable. Hardly anyone smiled. I longed deeply for the familiar faces and gentle rhythms of home.
There is a world of difference between being surrounded by people and truly connecting with someone. There is a difference between a house and a home.
House or home?
Throughout the gospels, we see the Jewish leaders preoccupied with their house—their precious temple and manmade traditions. All their energies were bent on erecting barriers of separation, obsessing over external rituals (whitewashed tombs, Jesus called them), and most of all, anticipating the promised Messiah they hoped would destroy the Roman yoke and restore the glory of Solomon’s golden age.
Perhaps that’s why, from the outset, John’s gospel seeks to set the record straight. John presents Jesus as the living temple who came not to add pomp to the house of Israel but to reveal a glorious home—a dwelling far eclipsing the splendor of Solomon’s temple: “‘Destroy this temple,’ Jesus said, likely pointing to Himself, ‘and in three days I will raise it up’” (John 2:19).
The invitational Christ
In his prologue, John emphasizes the nature of the abiding Logos: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Here the verb dwelt (Greek, skénoó) is derived from skēnē meaninga “tent” or “tabernacle,” so that some versions say the Word tabernacled among us. In this imagery, John heralds back to the Exodus sanctuary by which Yahweh desired to begin restoring the lost Edenic home union: “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8).
Through the sanctuary priesthood, Jesus, the then-preincarnate Logos to whom the priesthood pointed, interceded for Israel and taught them how to live righteously in view of the final restoration of all things. Now for over three years, the divine Temple has walked with them (John 2:19). He had been teacher, friend, and home. They had learned to hang on His every word. After the heavenly manna discourse when many disciples left Jesus, He asked the twelve if they also wanted to leave Him. Peter answered for them all, saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
John’s Jesus is the invitational Christ—welcoming us home. The One, whose nail-driven arms were outstretched on the cross drawing all to Him, first extended His arms saying: follow Me…abide in Me. These two invitations are imperative, meaning they are also essential requirements, quite likely the most urgent requirements of the Christian life. Each portrays a different aspect of the relationship Christ desires with His followers—discipleship and intimacy.
Follow Me: Discipleship
In John’s first chapter, the beloved disciple narrates the launching of Jesus’s ministry. We see John the Baptist publicly herald Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Hearing this, the Baptist’s disciples, Andrew and John, make a beeline to Jesus. Perhaps they are a bit nervous, so instead of asking Jesus to clarify these grandiose titles, they make small talk and ask where He is staying. Knowing their hearts, Jesus invites, likely with a smile and motion of the hand, “Come and see” (v. 39). The next day, Jesus finds Philip and motions to him also, “follow Me” (v. 43).
Jesus’s call “follow Me” is addressed to each of us also. Many of us know about Jesus, but following Jesus involves more than assenting to second-hand information or espousing an ideology. Following Jesus is the first source experience of embarking on a life-long journey with Christ, the one who assures us: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Following Jesus is the first-Source experience of embarking on a life-long journey with Christ, the one who assures us: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
The love factor
Following the way of Jesus implies an active journey with Him that embraces three interrelated actions: listening, sacrifice, and service. The first step, (1) listening to Jesus, births (a) love for Him and (b) the desire to imitate Him. As a result, we follow Jesus in doing what He did: (2) sacrifice and (3) serve. Both actions arise from the God-implanted desire to orient ourselves to truth and become one with it in action. (This transformation results from the Edenic promise in Genesis 3:15—of God’s dual action of implanting in the human heart enmity to falsehood/evil and giving us the ability to desire what is true/good.) As we listen to Jesus, His words draw us into a relationship of love that results in our desire to imitate Christ in sacrifice and service.
- Listen-Obey. A disciple is a follower who listens intently to their teacher. The word for disciple (Greek mathétés) comes from the Greek root math– which means “mental effort needed to think something through.” This implies careful listening, connecting every Scriptural truth claim into a big picture corroborating our lived reality. The Greek word for connecting the parts to the whole is suniemi, which is translated “understanding.” Once we understand the truth as revealed in Jesus, we are drawn to do it. Additionally, the Hebrew and Greek words for listening—shema and hupakoé—mean to listen and obey. (This concept originates most powerfully in the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:3–9). The implication is that if we pay close attention to God’s word, seeking to understand Him, it will birth in us the desire to obey—for which God provides strength to follow through (Phil. 2:13).
- Love-Sacrifice. To walk with Jesus implies following His lead of total surrender to the will of the Father exemplified at Gethsemane and the cross. The cost of discipleship—leaving behind our former habits, worldly priorities, and possibly family and friends (just as the disciples left behind their boats and families to become fishers of men)—becomes pleasant as we appreciate what we gain in its place: fellowship with Jesus now and forever! For His self-sacrificing followers, Jesus promises “a hundredfold [in value of what they renounce] now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30). Moreover, as we walk with Jesus, He lightens our burdens: “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30).
- Love-Service. To the disciples who were still vying for a high government place in the hoped-for national resurgence of Israel, Jesus clarified: “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:24–26). John is the only gospel writer to share that on the night of His betrayal, Jesus stooped down like a menial servant to wash His disciple’s feet: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).
The remedy for burnout
The potential for disciple burnout is real. Knowing this, Jesus balances follow Me with a second invitation: abide in Me. He knew that after the rigors of service His disciples needed a haven to come home to, a refuge of peace, a sanctuary of rest.
Abide in Me: Intimacy
Jesus knows His disciples are unprepared for His crucifixion and soon ascension, so on the night before His arrest, Jesus prepares His friends for a new way of being together: “I go to prepare a place for you. . .And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you” (John 14: 2, 16–18).
The How of in-ness: the creative Word
Hallelujah! Jesus has promised to be in His disciples, including us, through the Spirit! But how? Is it via an infusion of grace through faith? Or is it as liberal theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher said, “a feeling of absolute dependence”? Not quite.
Jesus continues, “He [the Holy Spirit] will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). Then, in the next chapter, Jesus invites: “Abide in Me, and I in you. . . If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask for what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:4, 7).
Aha! Jesus equates His own abiding with that of His words in us—the words which the Spirit would bring to our remembrance, the words of eternal life His disciples could not bear to leave (John 6:68)!
Ellen White comments on how God’s word unites humans with God: “The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God.”[1]
How incredible is this! The words of God in Scripture have the same creative energy that brought the world, animals, and humans into existence! This means the more we read and memorize Scripture, the more creative power we get—power to think and do creative things for God’s kingdom!
The what of abiding
So now that we know the how of abiding, what exactly is abiding? The word abide (Greek menó) means to stay, dwell, endure. There are three ways to abide—in place, in relationship, and in endurance.
- Remain in a place. There is a sense in which this abiding in Christ is a place, a home of sorts. The psalmist says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (Ps. 91:1–2). Later, the psalmist calls Yahweh “your dwelling place” (91:9). This dwelling place is Yahweh—His thoughts and teachings as revealed in Scripture. This is the secure place from which we gain wisdom to interpret the world and its ideas correctly and from which we derive courage to go into the world and stand up for the truth.
- Remain in relationship. This place is also a relationship. In the immediate context of John 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and branches: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him bears much fruit” (John 15:5).If the branch does not receive life-nutrients (the words of Jesus) through the vine, it begins to die. In the same manner, we need to drink up God’s words daily. The beauty of this relationship is that it’s mutual. As we drink up the nourishment of Jesus’s words, He grows us and makes us fruitful!
- Endure/persevere in growing: This is the concept of continuous growing/learning. Earlier, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him: “If you abide [endure/persevere] in my Word, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:31). Here we see that having faith in Jesus is not enough, to be true disciples and know the truth, we must persevere in the knowledge of God’s word, trusting that in due time He will fulfill every promise!
Painful pruning
Earlier in John, in the heavenly manna sermon, many disciples left Jesus being jarred by the concept of eating His flesh. But the twelve persevered. Perhaps you have seen others leave Jesus or represent Him poorly so that you’re tempted to leave. Remember that only the disciples who persevere arrive at the knowledge of truth—and are set free! Or maybe you feel discouraged by the hard trials you’re facing; remember Jesus’s words: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1–2). Those trials and hardships you’re experiencing are quite possibly a reward for your faithful perseverance thus far—and will result in much more kingdom fruit! Keep on keeping on!
Jesus’s greatest desire
After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples could no longer physically follow Him, and yet through the gift of the Holy Spirit, they had Jesus in them, guiding them in an even more intimate way through His words and Spirit. Now their Best Friend was just a thought away!
But this abiding union was still not enough. Jesus’ final prayer to the Father was that He might be reunited physically with all of us, His disciples: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory” (John 17:24).
Face-to-face forever
In the last book of Scripture, Jesus reveals to His beloved disciple the glorious final dwelling together. Here in Revelation, the verb “to dwell” (Greek skénoó), which in the NT has its first appearance in John 1:14, is used three more times in reference to the heavenly dwelling (Rev. 7:15; 12:12; 13:6). John leaves the final use to portray the great climax of redemption history: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle/dwell [skēnē] with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God’” (Rev. 21:3).
Jesus, our living Tabernacle, is now with us on the renewed earth, our glorious home! But it is even better than home. On that day, because of our earthly abiding in Christ, we will also abide in the very presence of God the Father Himself! John says, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (John 21:22). Oh, beautiful heavenly words of life that welcome us into the living temple of Jesus, and continually transform us from glory to glory until we are fitted to stand in the presence of God—abiding forever with Jesus and the Father, in face-to-face union for all eternity!
[1] Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903), 126.
