John 14:1-3 • My Father’s House
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011—John 14:1-3 (NASB)
When we fully understand how marriage worked in Jesus' time, a wealth of information contained within many of Jesus' words and parables take on additional, significant meaning. Marriage was actually a contract between two parties which consisted of three phases: the betrothal, the nuptials, and the consummation. Betrothal was much more than an engagement. After agreeing upon the terms of the marriage, the parties were legally obligated in an exclusive relationship to each other. But at this time the groom left the bride, sometimes for up to a year or more, to go to his father's house and build an addition to house his new family. You can see the parallel here when Jesus says, "In My Father's house…I go and prepare a place for you".
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