John 14:1-14

• What are your thoughts/reflections from last Sunday's sermon and bible study on 'A Movement Betrayed'?

  • Do you have any stories from the last week about relying on God, responding well to set-backs, and loving others as a witness to the watching world?

Read John 14:1-4

• What do you think troubled the hearts of the disciples?

  • What sorts of things trouble your heart?

• How does believing in (or trusting) God and Jesus help us with our troubled hearts?

• We're going to do a carefully study of the key words in verses 2-4:

  • First, Jesus talks about His 'Father's house' (greek: oikia tou patros) . Look up Luke 2:49 & John 2:16 for Jesus' other uses of this phrase - and discuss together what you think he means by it here.

  • Next, he talks about the many 'rooms' (greek: monai, which the KJV used to unhelpfully translate as 'mansions') in the house. Look up John 14:23 for Jesus' only other use of this word (there translated as 'home') - and discuss what you think he might mean by it here.

  • And now, with all this in mind, discuss what you think Jesus was getting at when he said he was going to prepare a place (greek: topos) for his followers, and returning to take them to that place to be with him there. [1]

Read John 14:5-14

• The words of Jesus in verse 6 are very famous. What do each of these things mean to you?

  • I am the way

  • I am the truth

  • I am the life

• How do you think the disciples would have felt to hear Jesus claim in verses 9-11?

• And how would they have felt to hear him extend this idea to include them in verses 12-14?

  • What does it mean to you, that we get to join in the works of Jesus to an even greater measure, empowered by the Spirit to do great things in His name?

• What sorts of great things has Jesus called you to do in His name?

  • Share with one another, and then spend some time praying and asking him to do these things in us and through us for His glory

[1] Colin Kruse does a similar word study in his commentary on John. Here is his conclusion:

When Jesus said, ‘I am going to prepare a place for you,’ we should not think of him returning to heaven, and having arrived there, setting about the construction of ‘rooms’ for his disciples to occupy – a task he has now been occupied with for some two thousand years! Rather, we should recognize that it was by his very going, by his betrayal, crucifixion and exaltation, that he made it possible for us to dwell in the presence of God. The imminent departure of Jesus, which so troubled the hearts of his disciples, was in fact for their benefit.

Colin G. Kruse, Tyndale Commentary Volume 4: John, p.292