06/12/2023
Where do we make our abode? Where is our place of residence? This morning we are trying to determine whether we claim our earthly home as our permanent residence, or whether we list our heavenly home as such. Then there are also the times, in our travels, that home becomes the place where we simply lay our head.
“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.”
John 1:38-39 KJV
Jesus stayed in different places as He traveled, but it might surprise us to find that there were only two places on earth that scripture says were His physical homes... places referred to as His. The first is His childhood home with Joseph and Mary, and the second is the one that is mentioned in Mark 2:15 as "His house." However, the second is often translated as having been the home of Levi so there may actually have been just one.
“And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.”
Mark 2:15 KJV
When Jesus was ministering during His final three years, He was in that place between Heaven and Earth, He was moving back and forth between the two as His relationship with God dictated, so much so that He seemed homeless on earth. As a matter of fact, He said as much...
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
Matthew 8:20 KJV
Although He might have given us this metaphor, Jesus always knew exactly where His home was... or should I say His homes.
When someone asks us where our home is, we typically give them one of three answers, and before we can answer we have to determine which home the person is referring to. First we have our childhood home, second we have our current adult home, and finally we have our heavenly home. One place that I personally call home is Virginia because it is where I was raised, and where my parents and family are, then there is my current home in Nashville where I live and have raised my own children, then finally I have that place which is being prepared for me in heaven. I dare say that we all have similar homes.
If we accept the translation of Mark 2:15 as referring to the home of Levi, then Jesus had three homes as well... He had His childhood home with his parents, Joseph and Mary, His Father's home in heaven, and wherever He laid His head each night on earth (often called His abode).
There is a secular song that was sung by The Temptations that refers to this kind of transient home. It will help us understand how nomads look at the idea of home. Listen to these words...
"Papa was a rolling stone, wherever he laid his hat was his home" -
By Songwriters: Barrett Strong / Norman Whitfield
Nomads will consider wherever they pitch their tent as being their home, but that is end of the similarity between this song and our spiritual homes as Christians because God has never left us alone. We are not like the next line of this song's lyrics which sings of the songwriter’s “Papa” like this…
“And when he died, all he left us was alone” -
By Songwriters: Barrett Strong / Norman Whitfield
American cowboys also sung of this transient existence in songs such as "Home on the Range." So you can see that this isn't an uncommon way of life, and in it we find that the reference to home can take on different connotations to different people. In Luke 21 we see a good example of such a place being referred to as the abode of Jesus...
“And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.”
Luke 21:37 KJV
So where do we claim our home is? It would all depend on the context of the question... "where is your home?" This morning we are asking ourselves a spiritual question... so the answer should be couched by this understanding. What is being asked is whether we value my existence in heaven enough to call it our home, or are we so firmly rooted in our physical life that this has become our sole home.
As people search for home they often get lost. They have no idea where they should travel to find home. Some have never had anywhere that they even considered to be their home... not even the place where they hung their hat. But I want to tell you something wonderful. You don't have to search for a home because there is one home that will find you. If you meet Jesus in your travels and place your love and faith in Him, then He will bring home to you! You will not only have a place that you can always call home, but a spiritual family to go along with it.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
John 14:23 KJV
Each of the places we call our homes is precious to us, but none more precious than our spiritual home in heaven, and this home is the one that we know will always be waiting for our arrival, and that we should never worry about finding my way back to. This home calls out to us, and God our Father seeks for us, and will bring us home to it…
““For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.””
Ezekiel 34:11 ESV
So, where is our true home? What place do we call home when we are asked? Do we have one?
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for each of our homes, but we thank you most for the home you are preparing for us in heaven. Whether we live in one place, two places, or wander this earth, we call our true home the place where you are. You are our Father, our God, and your children are our family; in you we find the love and security that home represents. In you we find a provider that rescues us when we are lost, and someone who brings home to us wherever we are. Holy Father we long to make our abode with you and Jesus; not for just a day, but throughout eternity. In our love and relationship we find peace, joy, rest, and yes, we find our true and perfect home.
Rich Forbes