John 14
CHAPTER 14
Knowing the Father and Son
Do not let your heart be disturbed. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go, you know the way. 5 Thomas said to him: Lord, we do not know where you go. How do we discern the way? 6 Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.
7 If you had truly known me, you would have truly known my Father also. From this time forward you will truly know Him and will have seen Him. 8 Philip said to him: Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. 9 Jesus said to him: Philip, have I been with you such a long time, and still you do not truly know me? He that has seen me has seen the Father. How do you ask: Show us the Father? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not from myself; but the Father abiding in me does His works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you: He that believes in me, the works that I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father. 13 And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.
The Comforter
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that he may be with you for ever- 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive. For it neither sees him nor knows him. You truly know him, for he abides with you and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you desolate as orphans. I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world sees me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you shall live also. 20 In that day, you shall truly know that I am in my Father, and you in me and I in you. 21 He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; and he that loves me, shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him: Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world? 23 Jesus answered and said to him: If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him; and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He that does not love me, does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. 25 These things have I spoken to you, while still with you. 26 But the comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and cause you to remember all that I said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give it to you. Let not your heart be disturbed, neither let it be fearful. 28 You heard how I said to you: I go away and I come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father. For the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
30 I will no longer say much to you. For the prince of the world comes; but he has no claim on me. 31 And he comes so that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, thus I shall now do. Arise, let us leave here.
Commentary
14:2 God’s house refers to His temple, His family- not to Heaven as a location. There is a specific place for each of us within His family and purpose. “I go” is in answer to Peter’s question of 13:36: ‘Where are you going?’. Jesus was going to the cross, and would ‘come again’ in His resurrection. These verses do not teach that we will go to Heaven.
14:6 Non-Christian religions therefore cannot lead us to God in truth.
14:9 ‘Seeing’ in John’s Gospel often means to understand. Nobody can literally see God, but Jesus has revealed Him to us (Jn. 1:18); we can ‘see’ Him insofar as we ‘see’ or understand Jesus.
14:10 The words and works of Jesus are paralleled here. Our words too must be backed up by our actions and congruent with them.
14:13 This is not a blanket promise to do whatever anybody asks; whatever we ask that glorifies God, He will do.
14:19 The resurrection of Jesus guarantees our resurrection- if we are baptized into Him and His new life is lived in us (Rom. 6:3-5).
14:21 Has… and keeps- Correct knowledge of Christ’s word is important. We cannot keep His word without knowing what it is.
14:22,23 The reason why not everyone ‘gets it’ about God and Jesus is because they don’t keep their word.
14:26 The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, therefore had special relevance to the disciples who heard Jesus; it brought all things He had said to them back to their memory, so that they could write the inspired Gospel records.
14:27 Peace- In Hebrew, shalom. Jewish people called out “Shalom!” to each other, but the “Shalom” of Jesus isn’t mere words but a real peace which can be felt, known, experienced.
14:28 The Father is greater than I- This clearly refutes the idea that Jesus is the same as God. God was greater than Jesus.
