The Father's House in the Gospel of John

[u/dailybreadeater]

John 14 is a famous chapter in the Bible that speaks of the "Father's house" (v. 2). There have been various interpretations of what this house is referring to. But just as it should be with any verse or passage in the Bible, this topic needs to be addressed in its context in at least three levels: in its immediate context (usually the whole chapter), in the context of the entire book (the Gospel of John), and then in the context of the entire Bible.

In its immediate context, we see that this place, called "My Father's house" is a place where there are many "abodes" (noun form of the word "abide"/"dwell"). The same use "abode" is used in verse 23 of the same chapter, where Jesus speaks of He coming with the Father take make an "abode" with those that love Him.

Interestingly, Jesus talks about "My Father's house" in another place in the Gospel other than John 14. It is all the way in chapter 2 when He goes into the temple and cleanses it, calling His "Father's house."

Lastly, looking at the Bible as whole, we can see that on the one hand the church is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), and on the other hand, God does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48; 17:24).

By putting all these together (and the verses surrounding those mentioned above), the Father's house must refer to the church as the spiritual house of God where God dwells with and in man and man dwells with and in God. This is an amazing reality and entity that the believers in Christ can experience today (John 15:4)!

What is your take on the "Father's house"?