The Rugby World Cup

I go to prepare a place for you.”

John 14:2

We are not to imagine Jesus working around the clock to get heaven organised before the second coming. If He can create the cosmos out of nothing with a word, then He can get heaven ready for believers with a single command.

When Jesus says that He is going to prepare a place, it means that through His going, the place will be prepared. He is going to the cross; He is going to the grave. He is going to die; He is going to rise. And it is through His death and resurrection that He opens up the way for us to enter the glory of the Father’s house.

Imagine you’re playing in the Rugby World Cup Final. You’ve just been passed the ball, and for a moment, the pitch opens up in front of you—there’s a real shot at a length-of-the-field try. The crowd is cheering and your heart pounds as you begin to run. But then you see them—massive defenders coming at you—their names are Law, Sin, and Death. Then there is another one—bigger, meaner, and uglier than the others—Satan himself. There is no way you can get past these guys. They stand between you and the try line, and you know that they will flatten you before you get there.

But then—out of nowhere—a teammate comes running towards them. They are looking to take you out, but your teammate comes and takes them out, opening your way to the try line. This is what Jesus has done for us on the cross. “I go to prepare a place for you.” Sin and death can no longer keep you out!

In your own words, what does it mean that Jesus went to prepare a place for you?