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Marcus Dods
Marcus Dods (1834–1909) was a Scottish preacher and biblical scholar whose ministry and scholarly work significantly influenced the Free Church of Scotland during the 19th century. Born on April 11, 1834, in Belford, Northumberland, he was the youngest son of Rev. Marcus Dods, a Church of Scotland minister, and Sarah Pallister. Educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated in 1854, Dods pursued divinity studies and was licensed to preach in 1858. After facing rejection from 23 churches during a challenging probationary period, he was ordained in 1864 as minister of Renfield Free Church in Glasgow, a position he held for 25 years. Dods’s preaching career blended pastoral service with academic leadership. In 1889, he became Professor of New Testament Exegesis at New College, Edinburgh, and upon the death of Robert Rainy in 1907, he assumed the role of principal, serving until his death. Known for his eloquent sermons, he preached a gospel grounded in theological depth, though his 1878 sermon on inspiration sparked controversy and charges of unorthodoxy, which were dismissed by the Free Church General Assembly. He married Catherine Swanston in 1871, with whom he had three sons and one daughter. Dods died on April 26, 1909, in Edinburgh, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose extensive writings, including commentaries on Genesis and John, enriched biblical scholarship and church teaching.
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In this sermon by Marcus Dods, he reflects on the comforting words of Jesus in John 14:2, where Christ assures His followers that He is preparing a place for them in heaven. Dods draws a parallel to how we eagerly prepare for the arrival of a beloved guest, ensuring every detail is perfect for their comfort and joy. Similarly, Christ, who knows us intimately, is meticulously preparing a place tailored to our individual needs and desires in the eternal realm. While we may not fully comprehend the nature of our future existence, we can trust that in God's presence, we will experience the ultimate fulfillment and abundance of life beyond our earthly comprehension.
At Home With Christ
"I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). This of itself is enough to give us hopeful thoughts of the future state. Christ is busied in preparing for us what will give us satisfaction and joy. When we expect a guest we love and have written for, we take pleasure in preparing for his reception,--we hang in his room the picture he likes; if he is infirm, we wheel in the easiest chair; we gather the flowers he admires and set them on his table; we go back and back to see if nothing else will suggest itself to us so that when he comes he may have entire satisfaction. This is enough for us to know--that Christ is similarly occupied. He knows our tastes, our capabilities, our attainments, and he has identified a place as ours and holds it for us. What the joys and the activities and occupations of the future shall be we do not know. With the body we shall lay aside many of our appetites and tastes and proclivities, and what has here seemed necessary to our comfort will at once become indifferent. We shall not be able to desire the pleasures that now allure and draw us. The need of shelter, of retirement, of food, of comfort will disappear with the body; and what the joys and the requirements of a spiritual body will be we do not know. But we do know that at home with God the fullest life that man can live will certainly be ours.
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Marcus Dods (1834–1909) was a Scottish preacher and biblical scholar whose ministry and scholarly work significantly influenced the Free Church of Scotland during the 19th century. Born on April 11, 1834, in Belford, Northumberland, he was the youngest son of Rev. Marcus Dods, a Church of Scotland minister, and Sarah Pallister. Educated at Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated in 1854, Dods pursued divinity studies and was licensed to preach in 1858. After facing rejection from 23 churches during a challenging probationary period, he was ordained in 1864 as minister of Renfield Free Church in Glasgow, a position he held for 25 years. Dods’s preaching career blended pastoral service with academic leadership. In 1889, he became Professor of New Testament Exegesis at New College, Edinburgh, and upon the death of Robert Rainy in 1907, he assumed the role of principal, serving until his death. Known for his eloquent sermons, he preached a gospel grounded in theological depth, though his 1878 sermon on inspiration sparked controversy and charges of unorthodoxy, which were dismissed by the Free Church General Assembly. He married Catherine Swanston in 1871, with whom he had three sons and one daughter. Dods died on April 26, 1909, in Edinburgh, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose extensive writings, including commentaries on Genesis and John, enriched biblical scholarship and church teaching.