My Father's House

In verses 1-4, Jesus gives us a brief glimpse into heaven.

It's like a mansion "with many rooms."

This is a picture of abundance and has a very different feel than Matthew 7:13-14.

Matthew 5:1 describes Jesus' audience in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Crowds follow him to experience his teaching. Jesus emphasizes the difficulty of getting through the narrow gate because his audience is the crowd.

In John 14, Jesus' audience is his 11 faithful disciples. Despite Peter's denials in a few hours and everyone else's desertion, Jesus anticipates their ultimate faithfulness and reassures them.

People on the road to heaven need reassurance. People on the road to hell need reality.

Jesus provides both.