Commenting on John 14:3, Lutheran R. C. H. Lenski wrote the following:
“Shall prepare” or “make ready” is
a heavenly act and, therefore, since no further explanation is added,
impossible for us to visualize in detail. The best explanation is that the
presence of Jesus in his Father’s heavenly home makes the mansions ready for
our reception; for only through the presence of our Redeemer in heaven is it
possible for us disciples to enter heaven. Some have pictured the
preparation in a human way: as we prepare a room for a coming guest, placing in
it all that the guest may like, embellishing and decorating it for his delight.
Perhaps the best analogy is the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration, where
Peter was so anxious to stay with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We shall know all
about this preparation when we are finally received into the heavenly mansions.
(R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel [Minneapolis,
Minn.: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961], 973)
This verse shows one of the goals of the ongoing intercessory
work of Christ.
