John 14:2 - In my father's house are many mansions ...
I recently read a story about an American living in Japan who became confused about the meaning of mansion. It seems the Japanese have adapted the word mansion (manshon) to mean a private apartment. In his perplexity the man did some researching and arrived at the conclusion that this more closely resembles the original meaning. The word mansion comes to English from the French word "masion" which means house. In time, one of its uses came to be mansion-house to refer to a grand manor and this is the usage that came to America. We Americans like to shorten everything so we dropped "house" from the expression and mansion came to mean the abode of the rich.
But is that the meaning conveyed in John 14:2? The Greek word moné actually means dwelling places. The usage is somewhat like the Japanese one for a private house or apartment. So what exactly did Jesus mean? A look at the context will help us to understand His intended meaning.
Jesus was speaking in John 14 of his ascension to heaven and the promised sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of the believer. He says specifically in verse 17 that though this Spirit dwelled with them (Jesus was with them) but He would one day dwell in them. While Jesus was on the earth God's Spirit dwelt in only one human being - Jesus himself. But once the Holy Spirit was sent, God's Spirit dwelt in many Spirit-filled humans. Therefore, there were many dwelling places in God's house. No longer does the believer have to be content with having God near but now God lives inside of us all.
There is also another meaning of the English word mansion chosen to translate moné. In the time of the KJV translators many houses were still made from straw, mud, and dung. The word mansion is akin to the word mason which means a hewer of stones. So an early mansion likely meant a house made of stone. It was a more permanent home. This meaning can be seen in Jesus' conversation with his disciples. In John 14:16 Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit would abide with them forever. Though Jesus time among his disciples was short while he was in the flesh, when His Spirit returned to live in them it was a permanent dwelling.
The meaning is clear. The Holy Spirit will never forsake the believer. We can trust in the abiding presence of Christ. God's Spirit is always with us. He will always lead us so long as we are sensitive to his will.
So does that mean I don't get a mansion in heaven? The answer can be found in the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 20 and 21. The New Jerusalem definitely fits all the descriptions of the "mansions" Jesus spoke about. It is at once a permanent dwelling place and a place of splendor. It will be a place where God's children will live in harmony forever. And it is beautiful to boot.
What a promise the Christian has! God's Spirit lives inside of us, making each of us a mansion in the here and now. And there is a permanent mansion awaiting us in the New Jerusalem! I don't know about you but that excites me! I am a mansion and I have a mansion - what a promise!
In Christ's Service,
Sullivan Jones
I recently read a story about an American living in Japan who became confused about the meaning of mansion. It seems the Japanese have adapted the word mansion (manshon) to mean a private apartment. In his perplexity the man did some researching and arrived at the conclusion that this more closely resembles the original meaning. The word mansion comes to English from the French word "masion" which means house. In time, one of its uses came to be mansion-house to refer to a grand manor and this is the usage that came to America. We Americans like to shorten everything so we dropped "house" from the expression and mansion came to mean the abode of the rich.
But is that the meaning conveyed in John 14:2? The Greek word moné actually means dwelling places. The usage is somewhat like the Japanese one for a private house or apartment. So what exactly did Jesus mean? A look at the context will help us to understand His intended meaning.
Jesus was speaking in John 14 of his ascension to heaven and the promised sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of the believer. He says specifically in verse 17 that though this Spirit dwelled with them (Jesus was with them) but He would one day dwell in them. While Jesus was on the earth God's Spirit dwelt in only one human being - Jesus himself. But once the Holy Spirit was sent, God's Spirit dwelt in many Spirit-filled humans. Therefore, there were many dwelling places in God's house. No longer does the believer have to be content with having God near but now God lives inside of us all.
There is also another meaning of the English word mansion chosen to translate moné. In the time of the KJV translators many houses were still made from straw, mud, and dung. The word mansion is akin to the word mason which means a hewer of stones. So an early mansion likely meant a house made of stone. It was a more permanent home. This meaning can be seen in Jesus' conversation with his disciples. In John 14:16 Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit would abide with them forever. Though Jesus time among his disciples was short while he was in the flesh, when His Spirit returned to live in them it was a permanent dwelling.
The meaning is clear. The Holy Spirit will never forsake the believer. We can trust in the abiding presence of Christ. God's Spirit is always with us. He will always lead us so long as we are sensitive to his will.
So does that mean I don't get a mansion in heaven? The answer can be found in the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 20 and 21. The New Jerusalem definitely fits all the descriptions of the "mansions" Jesus spoke about. It is at once a permanent dwelling place and a place of splendor. It will be a place where God's children will live in harmony forever. And it is beautiful to boot.
What a promise the Christian has! God's Spirit lives inside of us, making each of us a mansion in the here and now. And there is a permanent mansion awaiting us in the New Jerusalem! I don't know about you but that excites me! I am a mansion and I have a mansion - what a promise!
In Christ's Service,
Sullivan Jones
No comments:
Post a Comment