Michael's Abbey Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 14

1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. Jesus shifts to talk to all the disciples present, although the previous dialogue with Peter was also instruction for the others. Jesus tells them not to let their heart be troubled because a lot of things are about to happen that will trouble their hearts. It's like when you first walk in the door and someone tells us, "Don't be upset." They wouldn't say that unless there was a very good reason to be upset. But there is the best reason to stay calm and faithful, belief in God the Father and the Son. No matter what happens on this earth we win in the end.
To be clear, "believe in God" could also be translated as "you believe in God". This would make it an argument that since they believe in God, therefore they can believe in Him. Either fits, but the imperative tense of the Greek verb makes the NASB translation almost certain.
2 In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus' Father's house is figurative language for heaven. Dwelling places normally refers to the room in which one lives in a house, but in rare usage can refer to separate homes on an single estate. The many mansions in the KJV is an error based on a mistranslation from the Latin Vulgate. The KJV translators didn't have a Greek manuscript for this passage to base their translation on. Thus this section in the KJV is really a paraphrase of the Latin Vulgate. However, even the correct translation is figurative language regarding heaven because we could not comprehend the literal description. Even dwelling in the altar of the Father with all the other believers who have died and are waiting for eschaton, (the end times,) would be a million times better than the best mansion on this earth.
Jesus' statement that if things were not that way He would have told them has different interpretations. What is most likely is that if the traditions and views of heaven that they had at that time were wrong He would have corrected them as he did about divorce and the suffering Messiah. The views at that time were accurate as far as they went. The Old Testament talks about heaven, holding places beyond the grave, and dwelling with God in heaven, although it is very metaphorical as it is hard to describe something to someone who has no point of reference. Thus Jesus was affirming they had the right view at that time even if it was only scratching the surface.
3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. "If" here is not a maybe or question whether this will happen, but a logical argument. It is going to happen, and because of it the following will be the results.
Jesus will prepare a place for us in heaven. This is most likely referring where believers who die go until eschaton, which is the end times. But it could also refer to our homes in the new heaven and new earth. Either way it will be wonderful. And we shouldn't build a doctrine on a maybe.
That Jesus will come again and receive us to Himself refers to the second coming where He will be the Conquering Messiah. This is the only time in the Gospels it is documented that Jesus said he would return. However, in the other writings of the New Testament it is unquestionable that Jesus did clearly say He was returning while here on earth. In fact, from the narrative in Acts it seems the believers in Jerusalem thought Jesus meant He was coming back while they were waiting.
That we may be where He is most likely refers to both being in heaven before eschaton and in the new heaven and earth after eschaton. While God is omnipresent, and therefore Jesus is always with us, this refers to us being able to perceive and interact with Him like the disciples did face to face while He was on earth.
4 And you know the way where I am going." The disciples had repeatedly been told by Jesus that He was returning to the Father, which means going back to heaven. Whether any understood this is debatable. Is seems they didn't in this instance. But even if they did understand, they didn't know heaven. Yet Jesus tells them they know the way to this place they have never been. He clarified this in verse 6.
5 Thomas *said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Thomas was a disciple who was willing to say when things didn't make logical sense to him. He was a skeptic. While many apply the nickname doubting Thomas as a negative view, Jesus never rebukes Thomas when he is skeptical. Skeptics are not taking in by fakers and frauds like the Pharisees or people inventing false gospels today.
Jesus doesn't rebuke Thomas for being a skeptic, but when Thomas requires evidence he can see and touch Jesus does say the faith of those who believe without direct evidence is greater than his.
There is a tendency by pastors in western churches to put their own negative views on some things they have difficulty with, give them problems, or challenge them. This may just be an unconscious human reaction, or it may be deliberate. For example, skeptics require a lot of work to deal with and their questions are uncomfortable. It is a normal human response to not want to deal with them. But it is an anti-Christian response. We are all prone to error, and therefore it is necessary that we be challenged and have to think about, research, and defend our doctrine. Iron cannot sharpen iron if we never let the other iron near us. Another example is how churches will have prayer, classes, and education on the things the pastors like to see. But I have never even heard of a church in the west that promotes the gift of discernment, let alone been in one. That gift is uncomfortable for pastors as it points out mistakes and errors. They forget it also affirms truth.
6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Jesus reply is a common memory verse. Even non-Christians know it. Jesus declares that He is these three things. He is the way, which is the path to the Father and heaven. He is the truth, and God is the truth by definition. Thus scripture is the truth as it is inspired by God the Spirit. And He is the life, which is the source of eternal life.
That no one comes to the Father except by Jesus is true for all humanity. It is only by Jesus paying for the sins of all humanity that we are saved.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Critics say this can't be because Jesus hadn't died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice yet, and therefore He couldn't be the way for those who came before. This is based on a false assumption regarding the nature of payment that is unscriptural and not even supported by secular culture. When we go to a restaurant today, we sit down, read the menu, order our food, the food is brought to us, and we eat and enjoy it. But no payment has been made yet. The benefit of the meal is allowed based on the promise of future payment. And thus we pay after the fact for a meal we already had. We buy homes, cars, boats, furniture, and more based on the promise of future payment. Thus it ought to be easy to understand that the payment for the remission of sins of everyone was made at the cross. Even under the temple system before Jesus, when the sins of the nation for the previous year would be placed on the scape goat that was set free it only kicked the can down the road for another year. The bill would be paid later on the cross.
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." The "if" that begins this verse is not saying that the disciples didn't know Jesus, but is a rhetorical logic argument. In other words, Jesus was saying that "it's not like you don't know Me. And anyone who knows Me knows the Father. Therefore, know and be assured that you know the Father from this moment on." As Jesus and the Father are one in the trinity, they really had known and seen the Father because they had known and seen the Son.
8 Philip *said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." It is impossible to know what Philip was thinking to ask this question. Considering what Jesus just said it is almost like he wasn't paying attention. However, it could be that since they could literally see Jesus in the flesh, Philip took Jesus' statement to mean that they would have the opportunity to see the Father in the same way.
9 Jesus *said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Jesus' reply is both to the group and to Philip specifically. The first "you" is a plural you, and the next two are singular. This could have been a mild rebuke of Philip for not understanding. However, it could easily be instruction with a rhetorical question rather than a rebuke. Considering that we still don't really comprehend the trinity today, Jesus being patient with a lack of understanding seems likely. Either way, since the disciples who walked with Jesus and heard His teaching for three years still had difficulty understanding God, it would be arrogant of us to think we are even capable of understanding everything about God, let alone to think we actually do understand.
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Jesus again uses a rhetorical question to make His point. In 10:30 Jesus said that He and the Father were one, which is to say they are one being, one substance, but in separate persons. Here Jesus describes this as a mutual indwelling. This functional view means the words of Jesus are the will of the Father, not Jesus acting independently. That Jesus does the works of the Father is brought up to remind them that the miracles were evidence of Jesus' being from the Father, and even of His divine nature.
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Here Jesus instructed them to believe in the mutual indwelling of the trinity because He told them this is how it is. Or if they cannot believe the words believe in the signs and wonders He performed. In other words, it is not necessary to fully comprehend it all. Believe the evidence.
For us today, there are many resources that detail the evidence for scripture and Jesus available. A good one is "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel. He used his investigative reporting skills and legal training to try to disprove Christianity, but ended up actually proving it. The book gives the evidence he found. The movie is just the narrative story.
12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Jesus begins this next teaching with truly, truly, amen amen in Greek. As mentioned in the notes on other chapters, this is normally said after someone speaks to affirm that what was just said was true, usually by a person listening. Jesus uniquely would begin with it to assert that what followed was true and important from His authority as God.
Jesus works were done as evidence that what He said was from the Father. Thus people ought to believe. Here Jesus asserts that those who believe, and this is not just the twelve disciples but all who believe, will do these works also. To this he adds that these works will be greater because He is returning to the father. The word greater is meizona in Greek. This can mean greater in quantity, space, intensity, importance, or of age. However, as the ability to perform these works comes from God, it is not possible that disciples of God the Son would exceed Him in greater quality such as intensity, importance or age. Since the reason they will be greater is because the Son is leaving and won't be here to do them any longer, this must mean the greater is in the sense of quantity and/or space. This is supported by the scriptural record in Acts and the letters of Paul as well as the secular record. The quantity was greater as so many more were performing these. And it was greater in space as they spread beyond Israel to nations across the earth.
13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. These two verses are often misused, or at least badly misunderstood. One way they are misused is when people take it to mean that all we have to do is ask for what we want and put "in the name of Jesus" on the end. This is to distort these verses to say the exact opposite of their real meaning. Jesus was absolutely not saying we can ask for whatever we want. Our wants are not in this at all.
When an officer of the king's court takes action in the name of the king, he had better be doing what the king wants or that officer would face severe punishment, even summary execution. To act in the name of the king is to do his will. In the same manner, when a manager uses company funds to make purchases they are acting in the name of their supervisor, CEO, and the owner of the company incurring expenses on their behalf. If they buy what they want for themselves, they will be fired and possibly prosecuted for embezzlement. When they are acting in the name of the owner then they had better be within the will of that owner.
To ask in the name of Jesus is to ask within His will. And these things will be granted so that God the Father may be glorified in the Son. Functionally, it is not important if we pray to the Father when we ask as Jesus says to do in 15:16 and 16:23, or to Jesus as He says to do here. The point is we are asking God. Jesus is our mediator with the Father and the means of our forgiveness and salvation. But we are adopted into the family of God, co-heirs with Jesus, yet still His disciples. Praying to either or both is acceptable.
15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. It seems simple enough. If we love Jesus we keep His commandments. Therefore those who don't keep His commandments don't love Him. It isn't possible that someone can believe that Jesus took our punishment that we deserve on the cross and not only freed us from that but gave us eternal life we don't deserve and not love Him. Anyone who says they believe but doesn't love Him is lying. Anyone who doesn't keep Jesus' commandments doesn't love Him or believe in Him. This is not to say they keep them perfectly. But if they don't even try, if there is no evidence of anything, then their actions show they don't believe. If they don't know Jesus' commandments, or worse, aren't even aware He has any, then they are clearly fakers and frauds. Someone who believes loves. And someone who loves wants to know what the one they love had to say. Those who don't care what Jesus had to say are playing a religious game and are not really Christians at all.
16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; Here Jesus expressly states He will send the Holy Spirit to help us. The term helper is paracletos in Greek. In the Gospel of John, only the Spirit is specifically called the helper. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus is referred to using the same Greek word, but in this context it means an advocate or intercessor for us with the Father, much like lawyer appearing with us in court.
To be clear, this does not mean the Spirit has been absent from earth or humanity. However, after Jesus leaves the Spirit will be with all believers. And the indwelling of the Spirit will be the normal state for us instead of the exception.
The etymology of a word is not really informative of what a word means. For example, the root of December is the Latin word decem which means ten. But the meaning of December today is the twelfth month. The etymology does not change its meaning or give any actual insight into its real meaning. Meanings change and the meaning at the time a word was written is all that really matters. It can be interesting, but is more likely to create a false doctrine or translation than to actually inform. Since so many Pastors and footnote writers have done such bad etymology on this word paracletos its etymology is done here to correct those mistakes and satisfy curiosity. Paracletos breaks into par, which means helper and cletos which means one who is called. The "a" between them is a connecting vowel between the two roots. Improper etymology leaves the a with par to form the different Greek word para that is not a root of paracletos. Para has a variety of meanings such as of, from, motion to, in deviation from, and so on. But those doing poor etymology latch onto the meaning of coming alongside. While they like the imagery of the Spirit coming alongside to help that is neither the root of the word, nor has anything to do with its meaning. It's actually counter-scriptural as the Spirit indwells us, not stands to the side. Regardless, the meaning of paracletos is not changed or informed by good or bad etymology.
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. The word Spirit is pneuma in Greek, which means wind, breath or spirit. This makes it clear that Jesus was talking about God the Holy Spirit in verse 16, the third person in the trinity. The Spirit is identified as the Spirit of truth. While God is by definition the embodiment of truth, truth seems to be a special area of responsibility of the Spirit. This is logical since scripture is inspired by the Spirit, and discernment is a gift of the Spirit.
That the world cannot even see the Spirit is indicative of the name as we cannot see spirits, wind or breath with our eyes. They would know the Spirit when the Spirit is sent by Jesus. We know the Spirit because we are indwelled by Spirit when we accept Jesus.
18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. While the English translation of this verse in the NASB is absolutely accurate, the meaning isn't as clear as it is in Greek. This is not talking about the second coming of the Messiah. And the immediate context is the sending of the Holy Spirit after Jesus returns to the Father, as well as the broader context of instruction on how things will be after Jesus' departure from earth and the nature of the trinity.
"I" is not in the Greek verse, just the first person singular case endings on the verbs which is allowed in Greek but not English. Thus, this is not a hard "I" as it appears and is required for proper English grammar. These are both a soft "I". Therefore these should be viewed as a trinitarian "I". Thus the verse could be translated as I, God, will not leave you as orphans; I, God, will come to you. The first I is likely from the person of the Son, and the second from the person of the Spirit, or Jesus, or both.
19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In contrast to the previous verse, the "me" that appears twice in this verse is a hard me, (the specific word me,) meaning it refers to Jesus specifically.
That Jesus will shortly no longer be seen by the world refers to His upcoming death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father. What is notable is that those of us that are His disciples will still be able to see Him after all of this. How this will happen is explained in verses 20, 21, 23, and 24.
That Jesus will live, and because of that we will live also refers to Jesus conquering death itself. Thus we are guaranteed the same result, resurrection and eternal life with Him.
20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. This is how we will see Jesus. He will abide in us and the Father, and we will abide in Him as well. While it is possible that this refers to the Spirit abiding in us rather than the person of Jesus, that requires an interpretation that the plain Greek text does not support. The pronouns are all hard pronouns which specifically refer to Jesus, the Father, and us, meaning they are referring to those specific people. Thus is seems that we are indwelled by both the Son and the Spirit. However, this is not something worth arguing over. If anything, we should not be rigid in our doctrine about the nature of God as is it certain we don't and can't understand it until we see Him face to face. Some of us like to put things in rigid categories, including the three persons of the trinity. Whereas scripture does talk about specific roles for each person, scripture also indicates there is some crossover between them in actions. Regardless, all three persons of the trinity are one God. So this is really a difference without a difference.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." This verse expands on verse 15. In order to keep Jesus' commandments we first need to have them, that is to know them. We get them by reading them in scripture and being taught them by others. (Although it is scripture that is our check to make sure we are being taught correctly.) And it is necessary that we have these in our minds as we live our lives. We cannot follow what we don't know. Again, if we don't have Jesus' commandments, we don't love Him, and we don't really believe in Him. But if we have them and follow them, we do love Jesus. And therefore we will be loved by the Father and the Son.
Disclose is emphanizo in Greek. This can mean to make it able to see, to explain or make clear, or in a judicial context to make a formal report or bring charges. In this context it is clear that the second definition is meant here, to explain or make clear. Thus Jesus is saying He will explain himself to us even after he has returned to the Father.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" Judas Iscariot was the only one of the 12 disciples named Judas. Therefore, Jesus was teaching a larger group of disciples here than just the inner 12. This is an intelligent question as up to now Jesus had primarily been teaching for all to hear, with instruction only to the disciples being the exception and not the rule. Therefore there must be something to change this.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. Again Jesus states that if we love Jesus we will keep His word, another way of saying we will keep His commandments both in us and in our actions. And those who meet those criteria the Father will also love. Then it explicitly states that both the Son and the Father will live inside them like someone living in a room of a home. While it is possible that functionally this is the Spirit, with the Father and Son being present in a trinitarian sense, the wording is quite explicit that the Father and Son will live in us. It is most likely that all three persons of the trinity live within a disciple of Jesus.
24 He who 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. The converse to verse 23 is that one who doesn't keep Jesus' word, that is doesn't have His commandments in mind and/or doesn't actually do them, is one who doesn't love Him. And since Jesus' word is not His, but the word of the Father that is to reject God entirely.
25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. This is just a statement of fact. Jesus taught them all these things while He was living with His disciples here on earth as a human.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. After Jesus returns to the Father, the Father will send the helper that is the Holy Spirit in Jesus' name. As covered in verses 13-14, being in the name of Jesus is not a superficial label. In this instance it is in the authority and instruction of Jesus. The Spirit will continue to teach and remind the disciples everything Jesus taught. While this does include the inspiration by the Spirit in the writing of the Gospels and letters of the New Testament, it is much more than that. It is helping as they would teach other Christians, preach to those not yet saved, and proclaim to the world that Jesus is the way.
This could be an indication that functionally the Spirit is the one indwelling a disciple of Jesus, with the Father and the Son being there in a trinitarian sense. But it seems more likely that all are present and this is just telling us some of the duties of the Spirit.
27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. Here Jesus is wrapping up this teaching.
Jesus leaves His peace with His disciples, including us. The peace Jesus leaves with us is not like the peace the world gives. The peace the world has to offer is merely an absence of conflict. But the threat of conflict is always looming. The peace Jesus leaves us is a true peace. It is peace that is not dependent on circumstances. It exists in or out of conflict. In fact, we are to be in conflict with this fallen world, including fake Christians. But this does not disturb the peace Jesus gives, it is strengthened by it. Jesus gives a peace that passes understanding of humanity.
Therefore, live in the peace Jesus gives and don't let our hearts be troubled. The most troubling events in all of Christianity were about to take place. Yet Jesus instructed His disciples not the let their hearts be troubled by it. And beyond that, don't be fearful. The peace of Jesus reminds us that we win in end, and nothing of this world changes that.
28 You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. At the beginning of this verse Jesus was essentially saying, "You heard Me before. I'm going away to the Father. And I will come to you and live in you." The "if" here is for a rhetorical logic statement, and not to imply they didn't love Jesus. But what He said next was contrary to earthly reasoning. In the natural, when someone we love goes away we are sad. Rejoicing is not a factor normally. However, if the one we love is leaving in the sure knowledge that they are going to fulfill their lifelong dream then we rejoice at their coming achievement more than we wish they didn't have to go. And that is the point Jesus is making. The disciples ought to rejoice that Jesus is going to the Father, because that is a wonderful thing.
That the Father is greater can be difficult to comprehend when the three persons of the trinity are all God. And we shouldn't have to understand to believe and accept Jesus' teaching. That being said, Jesus is willingly subordinate to the Father. The Father sent the Son, not the other way around. But the Son chooses to do the will of the Father. Jesus is the way, but he is the way to salvation, eternal life, and ultimately the Father.
29 Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. As the cliché goes, forewarned is forearmed. Jesus has been warning the disciples that His time on earth is drawing to an end, and that the end will be troubling for them. And Jesus has been instructing them that this is in reality a great and wonderful thing, both for Him and for them, as well as for us.
30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; Jesus' face to face teaching is nearly at an end. The ruler of the world, which is Satan, is coming. This could mean that Judas Iscariot was on his way back since Satan had entered him. But it is more likely that this refers to the approaching events that Satan was trying to engineer thinking it would defeat Jesus. In other words, Satan's plan was coming for Jesus.
31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here. Here Jesus tells of one of the motivations for what He was about to do. It was to demonstrate His love for the Father by following the Father's commands. Thus Jesus was an example of how we should live by following His commands.
Jesus' telling His disciples to get up and leave is merely narrative that tells us this teaching was concluded, and the following chapter was a different teaching.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

If you have a question, you can find the email address to write to on the FAQ Page under the Questions FAQ.

John 13   -   Gospel of John   -   John 15

Bible Study Page   -   Michael's Abbey