John 14:3
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Still comforting His disciples before the cross, Jesus follows His promise to prepare a place with the assurance that He will return for them, so they may share His presence forever.
What Does John 14:3 Mean?
Jesus is promising that after preparing a place for His followers He will return for them, so that they may be with Him where He is. This verse completes the thought begun in the previous one. Having spoken of going to prepare a place, Jesus now gives the assurance that He will not leave His people there to find their own way home. He himself will come again and personally receive them. The promise is not merely about a destination but about a reunion.
The deepest comfort here lies in the final clause: "that where I am, there ye may be also." The goal of the whole promise is not simply a beautiful place but the presence of Christ Himself. The reward of eternal life is to be with Him. Jesus does not say He will send a messenger or grant entry from afar; He says "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." This is the language of a bridegroom coming for his own, of a host personally welcoming his guests. For disciples grieving an impending separation, the words turn sorrow into hope. The parting is real but temporary. The One who is leaving has pledged to return, and the future He describes is one of unbroken nearness to Him -- the very thing their troubled hearts most needed to hear.
In the Original Language
The Greek "paralempsomai" (παραλήμψομαι), from "paralambano," means to take or receive to oneself, to welcome closely -- conveying personal, intimate reception rather than distant admission.
Cross References
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
- John 14:2
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
- John 17:24
Application
Anchor your hope in the promise that Christ will return for you personally, so that the heart of your future is not a place but His own presence.