Episode 8: It's Not 'Goodbye'..It's 'See You Later'

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Jesus didn't promise us life after death. He promised something far better: a reunion. The distinction transforms how we face loss as Christians. When someone we love who knew Jesus passes away, they're not lost—they're gone. And "gone" has a forwarding address.

That awkward funeral moment when we accidentally say "see you later" instead of "goodbye" might not be a mistake after all. Jesus's words in John 14 make it clear: "My Father's house has many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me." This isn't distant comfort—it's a logistics promise from someone who has never failed to keep His word.

The Greek word for "take" here is the same used for a bridegroom coming to get his bride—personal, intentional, face-to-face. When we lose Christian loved ones, we can trust Jesus personally went to get them, looked them in the eye, and said, "Your room's ready, let's go home." And someday, He's coming back for us too.

This doesn't mean grief isn't real. Even Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb despite knowing resurrection was minutes away. Missing someone isn't lack of faith—it's love with nowhere to go right now. But as Paul writes, we don't grieve like those with no hope. We can be sad without being hopeless, missing someone without believing they're gone forever.

When you understand Jesus is actively preparing a place for you and everyone who knows Him, it changes everything—how you say goodbye, how you remember people, how you live today. Next time you're missing someone, remember they're not lost—they're just ahead of you. And until Jesus comes back for you too, you get to live like someone who knows that "see you later" actually means something. Subscribe now for more faith-filled perspectives that bring hope to life's hardest moments.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, faithful foxes?
Welcome back to another episodewhere we dig into faith with a
little bit of fun.
I'm Justin, your host, andtoday we're talking about
something that's honestly prettyheavy, but also incredibly
hopeful.
We're diving into what happenswhen we lose people we love and
why Jesus gives us permission tosay see you later instead of

(00:20):
goodbye.
And before we jump in, let mejust say if you're walking
through loss right now, I'm gladyou're here.
This one's for you.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
The faithful fox, I'm so happy you made it.
I'm just in your host and I'mso glad we're acquainted.
We're praising your name andthe way that he's taken away our
sin.
Yeah, your words give me graceand you're here in this place.

(00:54):
I've been blinded by your holylight.
Give me blessings from abovewhen I broadcast.
Welcome to the Faithful FoxPodcast.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
All right, let's start with something we've all
experienced, that awkward momentat a funeral when someone asks
how you're doing and you're like, well, my person is gone, so
not great.
But then there's that otherweird thing that happens You're
talking about someone who diedand you catch yourself saying
see you later instead of goodbye, and for a split second you're

(01:35):
like wait, did I just mess thatup?
That doesn't make any sense.
But what if it actually doesmake sense?
What if see you later isexactly the right thing to say.
Because here's the thing Jesusdidn't promise us life after
death.
He promised us something waybetter than that.

(01:55):
He promised us a reunion, andnot just any reunion, the kind
where someone actually shows upwhen they say they will.
Let me read you exactly what hesaid.
This is from John 14, verses 2and 3.
Jesus is talking to hisdisciples right before his
crucifixion and they're scaredbecause he's about to leave them

(02:17):
.
But listen to this my Father'shouse has many rooms.
If that were not so, would Ihave told you that I am going
there to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a placefor you, I will come back and
take you to be with me that youalso may be where I am.

(02:38):
Did you catch that?
I will come back and take youto be with me.
Not maybe I'll see you around,not hope you can find your way
there.
Someday I will come back foryou.
That's not goodbye language,folks, that's see you later.

(03:00):
Language it changes everythingabout how we think about death
and loss.
Let's talk about the ultimatemoving coordinator.
This is Lost vs Gone.
So now that we've heard Jesus'promise, let's break down what

(03:33):
this actually means.
Notice what he didn't say tohis disciples.
He didn't say well, this is it,guys, it's been fun, it's been
real, but it ain't been real fun.
He said I'm going to prepare aplace for you and then I'm
coming back to get you.
That's not goodbye language,that's moving day language.
That's your friend saying hey,I'm heading to the new place

(03:55):
early to set up everything.
I'll be back with the truck tohelp you move.
See, there's a huge differencebetween lost and gone.
When something's lost, youdon't know where it is.
When someone's gone, you knowexactly where they are.
They're just not here right now.
Are people who have died.

(04:15):
They're not lost, they're gone.
And gone has an address.
Gone has a forwarding address.
Gone means see you later andget this.
Jesus isn't preparing a place,he's preparing the place, the
place where there's room foreveryone we've ever loved, who
knew him.

(04:35):
Many rooms, he says, notlimited seating, not sorry,
we're at capacity.
Many rooms.
I don't know about you, butI've never had a contractor tell
me don't worry, I'm personallycoming back to move you in when
it's ready.
Most of the time they won'teven return your calls.
But Jesus, he's like, not onlyam I building this for you, I'm

(04:58):
personally coming to get youwhen it's time.
Speaking of showing up when yousay you will, let's talk about
promises that actually meansomething.
This is the ultimate reunionplanning committee.
It kind of scared me a littlebit when I hit that one.
You know what I love about thispassage, though.
Jesus isn't just throwing outempty comfort here.

(05:20):
He's making a logistics promise.
He's basically saying I'mhandling all the reunion
planning and, unlike yourfamily's attempts at organizing
get-togethers, this one'sactually going to happen.
Think about it.
How many times have you heardsomeone say we really need to
get together soon?
And then crickets or I'll callyou next week.
And next week turns into nextmonth, turns into wait, what's

(05:44):
her number again?
But Jesus says I will come backand take you to be with me.
Not, I might swing by if I'm inthe neighborhood, not, I'll
send directions, you can findyour own way.
I will come back for you.
And here's the beautiful partabout that word take.
In the original Greek it's thesame word used for a bridegroom

(06:07):
coming to get his bride.
It's personal, it's intentional, it's I'm not sending someone
else, I'm coming myself.
So when we lose someone we love, who knew jesus, we're not just
hoping they made it to somedistant, vague place place.
We're trusting that Jesuspersonally went and got them,
that he looked them in the eyeand said your room's ready,

(06:29):
let's go home.
And someday, someday he'scoming back for us too.
And when he does, guess who'sgoing to be there waiting?
Everyone who went ahead of us,everyone we've been missing,
everyone we've been saying seeyou later to.
That's not just wishfulthinking, that's not just trying

(06:51):
to make ourselves feel better.
That's a promise from someonewho has never, not once, failed
to keep his word.
So what does this actually meanfor us, right here, right now?
This is why See you Laterchanges everything.
Here's what I think this meansfor us.

(07:15):
When we're walking through lossFirst, our grief is real and
it's okay.
Jesus wept when his friendLazarus died, even though he
knew he was going to raise himfrom the dead.
Missing someone isn't lack offaith, it's love with nowhere to
go right now.
But second, our grief doesn'thave to be hopeless.

(07:37):
Paul says in 1 Thessaloniansthat we don't have to grieve
like people who have no hope.
We can be sad without beinghopeless.
We can miss someone withoutbelieving they're gone forever.
Because here's the thing whenyou really believe that Jesus is
preparing a place and comingback to get us, it changes how
you think about everything.
It changes how you say goodbye,it changes how you remember

(08:00):
people.
It changes how you live.
You know that feeling whensomeone you love goes on a long
trip and you're sad they're gone, but excited because you know
they're having an amazing timeand you'll see them soon.
That's closer to what this issupposed to feel like.
And maybe most importantly, itchanges how we treat the people
who are still here.
Because if see you later isreal for the people who've gone

(08:23):
ahead, it's also real for thepeople sitting right next to us.
This isn't just about death.
This is about eternity.
This is about forever.
So when someone asks you howyou're doing after you've lost
someone, maybe it's okay to sayI'm sad they're gone, but I'm
not worried about where they are.
Maybe it's okay to say I missthem, but this isn't goodbye.

(08:46):
Maybe it's okay to mean it whenyou say see you later.
You know, I think one of themost beautiful things about
Jesus's promise in John 14 isthat he doesn't just tell us

(09:06):
there's a place for us.
He tells us he's preparing itright now, today, while you're
listening to this, jesus isgetting your room ready and he's
getting rooms ready for thepeople you love who are already
there, and rooms for the peopleyou love who are still here with
you.
So the next time you're missingsomeone who knew Jesus,

(09:28):
remember they're not lost,they're not even really gone.
They're just ahead of you.
They're in the same place,jesus prepared for them, and
someday, when he comes back foryou, you're going to see him
again.
And until then, until then, youget to live like someone who
knows that see you lateractually means something.
Thanks for joining me today,faithful foxes.

(09:52):
I hope this brought you somecomfort, some hope, or maybe
just reminded you that the storyisn't over yet.
Keep being faithful, Keep beinghopeful and remember some
goodbyes aren't really goodbyesat all.
I'll see you later you.