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JOHN 14
Setting of the chapter
As we noticed when looking at chapter 13, what is called the Upper Room Ministry may be looked at in three sections. In Chapters 13 and 14 we find principles to guide believers as they come together. In Chapters 15 and 16 there are principles that guide believers as they live in the world. In Chapter 17 we gain insight into the present heavenly ministry of Christ for His own as He “ever liveth to make intercession”, Hebrews 7:25.
In chapter 14 therefore we have the attitude of heart that should characterise believers as they come together during the absence of the Lord Jesus. In the previous chapter He has washed the disciples’ feet, indicating that as they come together they must do so having applied the word of God to their pathway since the last time they met, so that the defilement of the world through which they must needs pass does not cling to them. If they do not do this they will bring worldly influences into the holy confines of the assembly gathering.
Survey of the chapter
Chapter 13 closed with the announcement that the Lord Jesus was going away and would be glorified. After Judas had left, He was free to speak of His glory. That glory would be earned at the cross, but would be exhibited initially in heaven. So it was that He gently said to His remaining apostles, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you”. The fact that the apostles and the Jews were in the same situation shows that the going away is physical. It is not a metaphor, as if He is speaking of making progress in some matter beyond what they have attained so far. In that case, they might be able to follow Him. But the going away is from earth to heaven, and they cannot tread that path yet.
In 14:1-3 the Lord balances the idea that He is going away, with the truth that He is coming back for them, to take them to be where He is, in the Father’s house.
There follows a discussion on the subject of the way, suggested by the foregoing. Whilst the disciples could not follow the Lord to heaven, He said they would seek Him, 13:33. The Lord encourages His own to travel the road to heaven in the sense that they make spiritual progress, and grow in heavenly-mindedness. This is why the section centres around the idea of knowing Christ.
They will need to be occupied whilst He is away, which is why in verses 12-14 He speaks of works that they will do. They need power to do these works, and therefore the coming of the Spirit is the subject of verses 15-26.
The rest of the chapter is designed to comfort and strengthen them for the short-term trauma of the crucifixion, and the longer-term stress of His absence. They will be able to cope because He leaves His peace with them. The peace of heart He knew through doing the Father’s will is to be theirs too.
Structure of the chapter
| (a) | Verses 1-4 | His going to the Father and His coming again |
| (b) | Verses 5-14 | The believer coming to the Father |
| (c) | Verses 15-20 | The coming of the Spirit |
| (d) | Verses 21-24 | The Father and the Son coming to dwell |
| (e) | Verses 25-31 | Resources for believers in His absence |
(a) Verses 1-4
His going to the Father and His coming again
14:1
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Let not your heart be troubled- the previous chapter ends with the forecast of Peter’s denial. It is important to notice, then, that “your” is plural, so it is not a personal exhortation to Peter to not be troubled in heart about denying Him. We know from the record of Peter’s denial that afterwards “he went out, and wept bitterly”, Matthew 26:75. And well he might, and well might we if we in any way and to any degree deny the one we call our Lord.
The trouble of heart they were experiencing was due to His statement, “yet a little while I am with you…whither I go ye cannot come”, 13:33. He had been with them for over three years now, and they with Him. Now it seems that things are going to change, and they are troubled. Notice that the exhortation puts the responsibility on the believer to not let his heart be troubled. It will not happen automatically. The application of the truths the Lord is about to impart to the disciples will enable them to heed the exhortation.
Ye believe in God- the first thing to do when troubled in heart is to act in faith. Earthly remedies cannot cure the maladies of the soul. Men may distract their minds from their trouble of heart by the use of many things, some innocent and some evil; but the trouble is still there beneath the surface. The believer has the infallible remedy, namely, trust in God.
Before they met Christ these men were godly Israelites, waiting for the kingdom of God to come. They lived by faith, and that faith brought future things into their souls, and was evidence to them that they would surely come, see Hebrews 11:1. It was not that faith was a substitute for evidence. Rather, it was the response to evidence, for the word of God assures us of things to come, and that is enough for the believer. They knew well the history of their nation, and the example of the sort of people listed in Hebrews 11. The fathers believed in God, and so did the disciples.
Believe also in me- one of the leading features of faith is that it does not need to see what or who is believed in. The Lord Jesus had appeared on the scene in public ministry, announced by the word from heaven that He was God’s Beloved Son, and therefore the long-awaited Messiah. The faith of the Old Testament fathers became a visible reality, and the disciples had believed in Him. But now He has announced that He is leaving them, and therefore they would no longer see Him physically. The faith in the unseen God that they had before He came, which assured them that Messiah was coming, was still to be theirs after He had gone.
Because the Father and the Son are equal, faith in the one is faith in the other, whether they are visible to the eye or not. They are here being commanded to believe in Him in this way. It is true they believed on Him as a miracle-worker, as a fine teacher, as a man of sympathy and concern. But above all this they must believe in Him as a person, even in His absence, when they do not see Him work, and do not hear Him speak. This is the remedy for trouble of heart; it steadies, stabilises, and stimulates.
The apostle Peter learnt the lesson, and writes about the appearing of Jesus Christ, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8,9. The Lord will later on speak of His joy remaining in us, and that it was full joy, John 15:11.
14:2
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
In my Father’s house are many mansions- previously in John’s Gospel “My Father’s house” had been the temple at Jerusalem, for when He purged the temple the first time the Lord had said, “make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise”, John 2:16. Despite all the abuses and evils associated with the temple, the Lord saw it as a continuation of the House of God throughout the Old Testament from Solomon’s time, even though that particular temple had been burnt down by Nebuchadnezzar, for “he burnt the house of the Lord”, 2 Kings 25:9. It was rebuilt under Zerubbabel, and then renovated on a grand scale by Herod, to please the Jews. This was the temple in existence in the Lord’s day.
Now in the original temple there were chambers of varying sizes, as we read in 1 Kings 6:5,6,8, “And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about: the nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house…The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.” The same will be true of the Millenial temple described by Ezekiel.
Is it these chambers that the Lord has in mind when He speaks of many mansions? To us today the word brings to mind a very large and impressive house, so it is strange to us to be told of a house with mansions inside it. However, it was not until the 19th century that the word was used of a stately residence. It was used of a manor house in the 16th century, but before that it simply meant an abiding-place. This reflects the connection of the word with the Greek verb “meno” to abide, (hence “mansion”, and “manor-house”). It is a place where you are resident, not merely staying temporarily. One, moreover, where you are at home, abiding in peace and enjoyment.
So it is that to troubled hearts comes the word, that there is a place of peace and comfort ahead, after the disturbance and trial of the pilgrim pathway is over. David had the confidence that he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, Psalm 23:6, and this is the hope of the believer of this age. It is not even that Paradise is before them, for that was pleasant parkland surrounding a palace. They are promised a place in the palace.
If it were not so, I would have told you- in a sense, where the saints will dwell is a minor point, for there are far more important things we need to know and believe. But if the Lord assures us He has not withheld from us this minor point, then we may be confident that He has not withheld from us any major point we need to know.
Troubled hearts that have been disturbed by the news that He is going away need to know that there are no further shocks in store. He will soon tell them that He is the truth, for it is found in its entirety in Him. There are no realities outside of Him. We may be confident that He will tell us everything we have the capacity to understand, and hold nothing back from us. He does this through the Spirit of truth, who guides into all truth, John 14:13.
I go to prepare a place for you- if the abiding-places are connected with the heavenly sanctuary, then that place needs to be fitted out, for it was not the dwelling place of men at the time Christ was speaking. The Epistle to the Hebrews will help us here, for although the basis of that book is the Tabernacle system, nevertheless there are fixed principles that we may learn from it, seeing it was a figure of the true and heavenly sanctuary, as Hebrews 9:24 states. The previous verse to that reads, “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.” verse 23. The earthly sanctuary, the tabernacle, had to be sprinkled with blood initially at its consecration to purify it from the defilement of those who had made it, verse 21. Then the Day of Atonement was needed to maintain it in holiness before God.
The heavenly sanctuary also needed to be purified from defilement, but in this instance the pride of Lucifer when he sought to rise up against God. Until Christ’s blood was shed, there had been no means of doing this, so God looked at the sanctuary in the light of what His Son would do at Calvary. But once He had died, having taken the lowest of all places, (instead of being like Lucifer who sought the highest of all), and having been obedient even unto death, (in contrast to Lucifer who rebelled against the will of God), His blood was effective in purging the heavenly sanctuary from the taint of pride and rebellion.
The writer describes the work of Christ as involving sacrifices in the plural, reminding us that all the sacrifices and offerings of old time have found their fulfilment at the cross, and the varied results they all spoke of have been realised to the full and finally in Him. So it is that the heavenly sanctuary now becomes a fit place for Him to enter, and also for us.
But the Hebrews Epistle also tells us that the Lord Jesus has entered heaven as our forerunner, Hebrews 6:19,20. He has gone where we shall go, and His very presence in heaven as a man with a body is token that it is a fit place for the saints to enter with their resurrection bodies. When He comes again in fulfilment of His promise, He is coming as “the second man”, who is “the Lord from heaven”, 1 Corinthians 15:47. In the context, that means that He is coming in the body He took in resurrection to change His people’s bodies so that they are spiritual bodies, and are thereby fitted for heavenly conditions also. As the apostle Paul says, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Romans 14:7-9. He is going to exercise that Lordship by raising dead saints, and changing living saints, so that they have bodies fitted for heaven.
14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again- the sadness of His departure is tempered by two things in these statements. First that He is going for our benefit, to prepare a heavenly place for us. Second, that the fact that He is going is the guarantee that He is coming back. The disciples saw Him go into heaven, and both Stephen and John saw Him in heaven, so it is an undoubted fact that He has gone. That is, He has not simply gone away to some unspecified place, but gone to the Father’s house. This is His guarantee to us that He will come again. His coming in the future is as sure as His going in the past.
And receive you unto myself- so it is not just that He will present us to the Father, although that will happen, (for we shall come to the Father by Him, verse 6), but receive to Himself. The apostle Paul spoke of or implied five locations, when he was describing the coming of the Lord at the resurrection day. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17. So there will be those who are in the grave. There will be those alive on the earth. There will be a catching up of both parties together in the clouds. There will be the meeting of the Lord in the air, above the clouds. So we shall be received to Himself, and then escorted through the domain of the prince of the power of the air, to arrive, unharmed and unhindered, in heaven. The saints will move from one location to another under His close supervision. They shall arrive safely in heaven, it is true, but their main object will be Christ their Lord and Saviour.
That where I am, there ye may be also- believers may not be constantly in one place, but they will always be with Him. When He comes to earth to reign they shall come with Him, Colossians 3:4, but He may not always be on the earth, for there is to be a connection between heaven and earth, and movement from one to the other. The prophecy of Ezekiel speaks of a Prince who shall function in the temple, no doubt as Christ’s representative when He is elsewhere. So He is assuring His disciples, and all believers, that the compensation for Him being absent for a time, is to be with Him for all eternity.
14:4
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
And whither I go ye know- there are several references in John’s gospel to the going away of the Lord Jesus, which the disciples knew, but seemingly had pushed to the back of their minds. Were they not godly Israelites looking for the setting up of Messiah’s earthly kingdom? Why should they think their Lord was going to heaven; was He not about to ascend the throne of David? But they should have known where He was going by the following statements:
Speaking to Nicodemus, the Lord said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.” John 3:13.
After the feeding of the five thousand, He said, “What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?” John 6:62.
Later in His ministry at the feast of tabernacles He said to the Jews, “Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me”, John 7:33. From these statements alone the disciples should have known where He was going to.
And the way ye know- not only did they know the end of the way, but they knew what would happen along the way. In John 3:16 He spoke of being lifted up as the serpent had been lifted up in the wilderness. In John 8:28 He said, “when ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he”. In John 12:32 He said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”. And John adds, “This he said, signifying what death he should die”. The disciples knew of only one way of dying when you are lifted up, and that was by crucifixion.
But in the synoptic gospels He was even more specific about what would happen. We read, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Matthew 16:21. Later, He said, “The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise again. And they were exceeding sorry”, Matthew 17:22,23. As they neared Jerusalem for the last time He said to the twelve disciples, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.” Matthew 20:18,19. All these quotations justify the statements, “whither I go ye know”, and “the way ye know”.
(b) Verses 5-14
The believer coming to the Father
Special note on the movements in these verses
(a) Christ to the cross and heaven, alone, 13:36.
(b) Peter, to suffer crucifixion, 13:36; 21:18,19.
(c) Repentant sinners, coming to the Father at conversion, 14:6.
(d) All believers, associated with Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension and present session in heavenly places, Romans 6:1-10; Ephesians 2:5,6.
(e) All believers, making progress in the knowledge of the Father through the Son, 14:7-10.
(f) All believers, engaging in worship and prayer, Hebrews 10:19-22; Ephesians 2:18.
(g) All believers, taken to heaven when He comes again.
14:5
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest- sadly, Thomas speaks for them all, (“we”), and denies that they know where He is going. They are waiting for the kingdom of Messiah to be set up, and they are convinced that He is that Messiah. What other destiny can there be for Him than the throne of glory on earth? The idea of Him going back to heaven without setting up His kingdom was unthinkable. They were like the two on the road to Emmaus, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets had spoken, Luke 24:25. They believed some things, the glory passages, but ignored or misunderstood the suffering passages. And what they did to the prophets they were now doing to the Lord, and were selective in what they were prepared to accept.
And how can we know the way? It is logical to say that if you do not know the end of the journey, you do not know the way to the end. The answer to Thomas’s question is that you know the way by listening to the Lord telling you it. He had told them clearly what His pathway was going to be, but they had not understood Him, allowing their ideas to over-ride His truth. This comes out clearly in Luke’s account, for we read that before He told them He would be delivered over to men, He said, “Let these sayings sink down into your ears”, so He was anticipating that they would be slow to take in the truths He taught them. Then Luke tells us “But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.” Luke 9:44,45. It was the same later on, when the Lord went into more detail about His sufferings at the hands of men, for Luke tells us “And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things that were spoken.” Luke 18:34. How often as believers we are like them, and do not listen when the Lord tells us things, but go on with our own thoughts.
There are two sides to this. On the one hand they did not let the sayings sink down into their ears as He exhorted them to do. But on the other hand God overruled in this so that it could not be said that they preached the resurrection out of enthusiasm and imagination, and not out of belief in the evidence.
14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way- like the other “I am” statements in John’s gospel, this is a figure of speech. In John 6 the Lord had said “I am the bread of life”. So features of literal bread in the physical world, may be applied to Him in a spiritual way. We eat bread literally, but we eat the Bread of Life in a spiritual way for, as He explained in that chapter, He lived by the Father, sustaining His spirit by what and who He knew the Father to be. So believers are sustained in spirit by taking in and mentally absorbing the features that marked the Lord Jesus when He was on earth, as John 6:57 indicates.
The emphatic “I” signals the important fact that He is now developing the conversation, so that from speaking of a literal journey from earth to heaven, He is now speaking of a spiritual journey, namely progress on the way to the knowledge of the Father. He knows the Father perfectly, so He does not have to progress in knowledge of the Father, but He does help us to do so. The fact that He Himself is the way, shows that He is not on the way.
Those features which are true of a roadway, are true of Him. Imagine a solid roadway across some desolate moorland on a foggy, moonless night. On either side are dangerous bogs, ready to suck the unwary traveller to his doom. How can he tell where to go? Simply by staying on the roadway. There is only one over this stretch of moor. It is firm underfoot, and is the safe way to go. The road defines the way, to not diverge is to reach the destination. Christ is the way to the Father; no other route will arrive there.
How does this work out in practice? Notice that He says “I am”, so He was the way as He spoke to them. So we can say that it is as one who lived before them that He is the way. As they “looked upon Jesus as He walked”, they saw every aspect of one who was in possession of the full-knowledge of the Father, and whose life demonstrated the fact. What He knew of the Father was translated into words, works, and ways. By these things He demonstrated what the knowledge of the Father resulted in, and thus He became the model for those who sought that knowledge of the Father.
The truth- we have seen that “the way” is a metaphor for progress. That progress starts at the moment of conversion. He will speak in the next verses of the knowledge of Himself as being the way to the knowledge of the Father. It is the truth of His person that enables us to make progress, for knowing Him increasingly well is the secret. The measure of our appreciation of the glories of His Person is the measure of our progress.
And the life- from the saying “I am…the life” we learn that as we make progress on the way, we do so only because we share His life. He said Himself, “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent”, John 17:3. The possession of the life of God enables progress to be made as we gain an increased understanding of God and His Son. The life of the flesh enables unbelievers to understand natural things, and eternal life enables the believer to understand spiritual things, and gives the energy for it as well.
No man cometh unto the Father, but by me- all other ways lead in the wrong direction. They do not lead to the knowledge of the Father. All other thinking is mistaken, for the knowledge of the Father is vested in the Son. All other examples are vain, for only in His life is the example for believers found as they travel the road to the Father.
14:7
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also- the “should” is not an indication of what they ought to have done, but rather what they could have done, for the verb is in the subjunctive, which is used to indicate that there is something that can possibly happen. The potential is there, whether realised or not. The verb is also in the pluperfect, which places the action further back than merely in the recent past. The Lord is saying to them that it would have been possible for them to have reached the knowledge of the Father by means of what they had learnt of Him during those years when they had been with Him. The way had been pointed out, the truth had been made known, and the life had been lived- what more was there to do? As John writes, “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”, John 1:18. And as He said to His Father just before the cross, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”, John 17:4, which in that context was the manifestation of the Father. So it is possible to make real progress in a relatively short period of time, and this prompts us to ask ourselves what progress have we made?
And from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him- now that they had been given insight into the meaning of His life before them, that it was a demonstration of the way they should walk, they can, as they review the life of Christ, know the Father. Before, they but dimly saw Him, but now He has been manifested to them. And the reason they can now, and from henceforth, do this, is because He is seen in His Son.
14:8
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father- when a named disciple addresses the Lord in the upper room, he always, with one exception, prefaces his remark with the title “Lord”. See 13:6,9,25,36,37; 14:5,8,22. The significant exception is when Peter refused to allow the Lord to wash his feet, 13:8. Peter’s will was pitted against Christ’s in that incident, so it is no surprise that he does not call Him Lord. He commended them generally, however, for calling Him Lord, 13:13.
The disciples never called the Lord Jesus simply Jesus when they addressed Him. Of course, the gospel writers constantly speak of Jesus, for they are writing history, and Jesus is the personal name by which He is identified to men. Those who constantly refer to the Lord Jesus as Jesus are either not believers, (for “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost”, 1 Corinthians 12:3), or uninformed. We have it from His own lips that to call Him Lord is to “say well”, John 13:13, and that should carry great weight with a true believer.
This request on the part of Philip ignores the teaching of verse 7. He is asking for a further revelation, and by using the aorist tense in his request he is asking for it as a event complete in itself. In other words, an instant and final revelation.
And it sufficeth us- it is good to be satisfied with nothing less than a sight of God as Father. Philip’s problem, (as the Lord will point out in the next verse), was that he did not realise that this “shewing” had already been done. It is good to desire to see the glory; it is better to recognise it and respond to it when it is seen. Although the Lord Jesus, in one aspect, made Himself of no reputation in the world of men, it is also true that He “manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him”, John 2:11. Clearly they had not at that point discerned that the glory they saw was not simply of a miracle-worker, but was a display of Divine power. After all, it is God as Creator who makes rain into wine, and that is what the Lord had done at the wedding in Cana.
Notice that to see the Father was, to the apostles as Philip speaks for them, the ultimate goal. Only so could the soul be satisfied. The psalmist expressed it well when he wrote, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4. No amount of Christian activity can replace this knowledge of God. In fact, Christian activity without some degree of this knowledge is pointless.
14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you- the time during which He was publicly manifested was three and a half years, yet there was compressed into that period the most profound teaching, and the display of what had pertained eternally. It was as the one who is in the bosom of the Father eternally that the Son declared God. He brought eternal conditions into display, hence a relatively short period of time, as we think of it, is a long time when considered as to its content. We might compare the remark at the end of John’s gospel that the world itself would not be able to contain the books that could be written about Christ’s life, John 21:25. Every believer of the last two thousand years could write a book about the way Christ has revealed the Father to him.
And yet thou hast not known me, Philip? After such an intense display of Deity in manhood, Philip has not advanced as he should have done. Before we criticise him, we might ask ourselves whether we have done any better? Notice that Philip had spoken on behalf of all the disciples in verse 8, using the word “us”, but the Lord applies His answer to him personally, addressing him by his name to assure him that He was speaking to him kindly as a friend, see 15:14,15. He also says “thou” with emphasis, as if to say, “thou, with all thy privileges and advantages as an apostle, one who has been with me constantly from the beginning”.
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? To ask to see when the object desired has already been shown, is folly. Perhaps Philip was thinking in terms of a blaze of splendour. He does not realise he has seen the splendour of the Father, but it came in a form he was able to appreciate. Sadly, he did not.
“There shall no man see me and live” was God’s word to Moses, when he asked to be shown God’s glory, Exodus 33:20. How this dilemma is solved is told us in the next verse. When his request was granted he heard God speaking, declaring His name, Exodus 34:5-7. There was nothing about God as Father in that manifestation of Divine glory to Moses, but John says, “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father”, John 1:14. This is the final revelation, for God has spoken unto us in His Son, Hebrews 1:2, and in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Colossians 2:9, so He is competent to show the Father. Whereas Moses heard words, Christ is the Word, comprehending in His person all that God can say and be. To see Christ in His life is to see what and who the Father is.
14:10
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Believest thou not that I am in the Father- the sight of the glory of Christ was only known to faith, hence the question as to whether Philip believed. He would no doubt assert he did, but his faith needed to be further informed so that he would realise the implications of the life and works of Christ. They were not simply the activities of a holy miracle-worker, but the outworking in manhood of a Divine relationship.
Being “in the Father” is put first, because the Lord is at pains to emphasise that He was not acting in independence of His Father when Philip saw Him in His ministry. He is in Him in the sense that there is no point at which they diverge, whether it be in essence, character, will, or action. This is not to say that the Father and the Son are one Person. Rather, that one person of the Godhead, the Father, is manifested perfectly by another Person of the Godhead, the Son.
And the Father in me? Conversely there is no moment in which the Father does not fully express Himself in the Son. These two statements depend upon one another. If the Son is not in the Father, then the Father is not in the Son, and vice versa. If the Father is in the Son, then to see the Son with spiritual insight is to see the Father.
The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself- to reinforce His statement, the Lord speaks of words and works, the way the Son manifested the Father. When Moses requested to see the glory of God, Exodus 33:18, he was rewarded, not by a blaze of glory, but by words, even the proclamation of the name of the Lord in terms of His attributes attitudes and actions, Exodus 34:5-8.
There is an ongoing Divine Conversation, in which the persons of the Godhead commune with one another. See, for example, Genesis 1:26, (“let us make man”); 3:22, “Behold, the man is become as one of us”); 11:7, (“Go to, let us go down”); Isaiah 6:8, (“who will go for us”). The Lord is claiming to be privy to that conversation, not as one who overhears, but as a participant. He does not hear to discover, but to discuss. His ear is that of a learned one, not an ignorant one, for He shared mutually known truth, as Isaiah 50:4 indicates.
We could illustrate it like this. Two university professors who teach the same subject are discussing that subject between themselves. They converse as equals, discussing what they both know. Then they go to their respective lecture halls. Now the situation is different, for they now speak with those who do not know, in order to impart to them their knowledge. The Lord Jesus is in the former category, as one who discusses what He knows. He spoke with the tongue of the learned, because He heard as the learned, Isaiah 50:4.
So what He spoke was what He heard as He conversed with His Father, and not a word was spoken in independence. As He Himself said, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” John 12:49. The expression “sent me” alerts us to the fact that He had come to do His Father’s will as a Servant-Son, and as such received commandments. These are not commandments as from a sergeant major to his recruits. Rather, His Father’s words were so important to Him that He treated them as commands.
But the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works- far from acting in independence of His Father, (hence the word “but”), it is in fact the Father who acts when the Son acts. This is because the Father dwelleth in the Son, for He is at home there; there is nothing in the Son to cause the Father misgivings or disquiet.
Note the change from words to works. The words come to the Son as commandments, and those commandments are passed on in the form of the words Christ spoke when He performed a miracle. John uses the word “work” for miracles, as does the Lord Himself, in John 7:21 for instance. In this way the works are words made visible. (There is a similar thought in a different context in John 8:38). This is important to see in view of verse 12. Philip has only to recollect the miracles he had seen Christ do, to see the Father at work, thereby showing His glory.
14:11
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me- Philip, and the other ten, (for the word “believe” is in the plural), has a choice if they wish to see the Father. They can either recognise the life of the Father in the life of the Son, and believe the Son simply because He says that is what it is.
Or else believe me for the very works’ sake- or they can believe the Son on the basis of the works, as they demonstrate Divine power in action. So important is it to believe the truth of the deity of Christ that both routes are open to the enquiring mind. We have learnt already, in verse 10, that the Father is shown to be in the Son and the Son in the Father by the fact that the Son does not speak independently of the Father, but when the Son speaks to perform a miracle, that miracle is in fact the work of the Father and Himself together. So in reality to believe on the Son for the sake of the works, is the same as to believe the Father and the Son are in one another. They are not opposing ideas, but different expressions of the same truth.
14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Verily, verily, I say unto you- the familiar formula introducing that which is a development, might be doubted, even denied, was difficult, but nonetheless definite, and above all, the words of one who possesses deity. It is the statement of one who is equal with the Father, as if the Father says “verily” and the Son echoes the word.
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also- as we have seen in verse 10, the Lord equates works and words; “I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works“. The works were doctrine in action and manifestation. So to do the same works as He did is to set out the truths as found in the gospel records, the teaching appropriate for the time but nonetheless containing timeless principles.
And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father- consequent upon the return of Christ to heaven the Spirit would come and guide into all truth, including that which was to be revealed through the apostle Paul. These were words that were on a higher level. The Lord knew them, of course, but could not tell the disciples at that point because they could not bear them, 16:12.
When we are thinking of greater works, we must bear in mind that the Lord has virtually made words and works synonymous, in verse 10. So the works take the form of words. In any case, it is not promised to all believers that they will work miracles, for the question is asked in 1 Corinthians 12:29, “Are all workers of miracles?” and the answer is clearly “No”. So the works believers are able to do are not miracles, for the promise is to all who believe on Him without exception. It is “he that believeth on me”, not, “he that is an apostle”, or “he that has the gift of miracles”. Hence it is open to all believers to do these works. This would include the sisters as they engage in private conversations, as well as brothers as they preach and teach. They are not doing works greater than Christ could do. Rather, they are doing works it was not appropriate for Him to do before the Spirit came to give them deeper insight into His person.
We could look at the doing of these greater works in the following way, by reference to the works in John’s gospel:
1. To turn water into wine was a great work, John 2:1-11, and believers may so set forth the truth of Christ that sinners can be brought into the joy of God’s salvation. By doing this they do a great work. It is a greater work, however, to show the deeper meaning of the miracle, and explain that it sets forth the glories of Christ. We should remember that we have the benefit of the teaching of John’s gospel, which the disciples did not have as they companied with Christ. The gospel was written after the Spirit had come to bring all things into the remembrance of the apostles, John 14:26.
2. To rescue a child from dying was a great work, John 4:46-54, and believers may likewise present the Saviour as the one who can give life to those who are in danger of dying in their sins. It is a greater work to enlarge upon this and explain that He is eternal life personified, and promised that those who believe on Him shall never see death, John 8:51.
3. It was a great work to feed the five thousand so that there was enough and to spare, John 6:5-13, and believers, too, may point to Christ as the Living Bread. They may do a greater work as they enlarge on the truths set out in Christ’s long discourse on the subject in that chapter. Such things as His relationship with the Father; the nature of His mission to earth; His complete submission to the will of His Father, and the way in which that means believers are eternally secure; the nature of His death as He gives His flesh for the life of the world; the way His person sustains the souls of His people as they feed on Him; His promise to raise His people up at the last day; His return to heaven and its consequences. All these are profound subjects, and the setting forth of them, either publicly or privately, is a greater work than simply pointing sinners to Christ the Bread of God, vital and valuable as that work is.
4. To give a blind man his sight was a great work, John 9:1-7, and to preach Christ is to open blind eyes, for Paul said that he was sent to the Gentiles to “open their eyes”, Acts 26:18. This initial opening of the eyes of the understanding, so that men receive Christ by faith, is followed by the greater work of enlightening believers as to the deeper things of God, “and to make all men see, what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ”, Ephesians 3:9.
5. To raise a dead man to life was a great work, John 11:38-44, and believers may so present the Person of Christ that men believe, and gain a share in the benefits of His own resurrection. A greater work, however, is done by those who set out the consequences of the resurrection of Christ, as found in such chapters as Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 15, and Ephesians 2. The believer is associated with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection in a way unknown to the disciples at that time.
14:13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do- to ask in His name is to ask as if it is Himself that is asking. (It is not a question of merely adding His name to the end of a prayer). This is why the Father is certain to respond, for Christ would never ask amiss of His Father. The phrase “because I go to the Father” of verse 12 will soon be explained as an indication that the Holy Spirit would come to guide them, so that they could and would intelligently ask for the right things. The indwelling Spirit would also ensure they had the power to do these works. The Spirit always directs us to ask for the things Christ would ask for. In the context, it is asking for blessing on the truth as it is made known.
That the Father may be glorified in the Son- from His prayer in John 17 we learn that the great desire of the Son was to glorify the Father, even after He had returned to heaven. So He speaks of being given power over all flesh, so that He might give eternal life to those given Him by the Father. In this way the Father is glorified. The way that the offer of eternal life is made to men is through the setting out of the truth by the people of God. They ask for blessing on the word, they preach that word, and eternal life is given to men. There is no greater work they could do than this. Miracles only fitted men for an improved life for their few remaining years on earth; eternal life fits for heaven for all eternity. Notice that the Father is glorified through the Son; it is not that believers are glorified.
14:14
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it- the disciples may have been taken aback by the immensity of what the Lord is saying here. Is it really true that everything they ask will be given them? Correctly understood, it is, and so the Lord repeats it to reinforce the definiteness of the promise. Just as He repeats the “verily”, He repeats the promise it introduces.
(c) Verses 15-20
The coming of the Spirit
14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
If ye love me, keep my commandments- this verse is the condition for the fulfilment of verse 16. The Lord applies a test, which is applicable in the first instance to the apostles. God tests men when He begins to deal in a particular way. He tested Adam and Eve at the beginning of time. He tested Israel at the beginning of the law-age. He tested Saul at the beginning of the kingdom period. He tested Israel by the preaching of John the Baptist, and the presence of Christ. Now He is going to test the apostles at the beginning of the church age on the day of Pentecost. The essential feature that must mark them is love, for “love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love”, 1 John 4:7,8. This love is expressed in loving obedience.
The circumstances of the giving of the law were calculated to strike fear into the hearts of the Israelites, as Moses said to the people, “that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not”, Exodus 20:20. How different is this age, when “the love of Christ constraineth us”, 2 Corinthians 5:14. So it is that we read that on the day of Pentecost the disciples were “all with one accord in one place”, Acts 2:1. The Lord had “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me”, Acts 1:4. They obeyed this command, and by so doing set the tone for the whole age, for loving obedience is expected of all His people.
Special note on verses 16-23
Verses 16-20 are addressed to the apostles, “you”, (plural), and those they represent, namely believers of this age. The event in view is Pentecost, and the blessing is collective.
Verses 21-23 are addressed to individuals, “any man”, and they concern individual communion with Christ. The context in view is the believer’s love to God, and the blessing is individual.
14:16
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
And I will pray the Father- not only is the day of the coming of the Spirit marked by obedience, but also by prayer, even the prayer of the Son to the Father. The giving of the Spirit is a sign therefore that the Father still continues to hear the Son, as He did when He was on earth, John 11:42. In 15:26 the Lord speaks of the Spirit as sent by Himself from the Father, so on the one hand there is a request that the Father should send, and on the other the fact that the Son would send. There is equal authority with the Father, but there is also the attitude of the Servant, whose desire is only to do the will of Him that sent Him. All three Persons of the Godhead are involved unitedly in this important event, just as they were at the baptism of Christ.
And he shall give you another Comforter- notice the confidence the Son has that His request will be granted. The word for “another” signifies “another of the same sort”, thus confirming the deity of the Holy Spirit. He could not be of the same sort otherwise. The word also indicates that the Spirit is a Person, not just an influence. The Son was not just an influence, so neither is the Spirit.
That he may abide with you for ever- the purpose of the giving of the Spirit is that He may abide with believers for ever, so it is not “and he shall abide”, but “that he may abide”, for that is the purpose in view. This is sure testimony to the eternal security of the true believer in Christ. The Lord Jesus was going away, and the disciples would be unnerved by that, but to encourage them they are told of one who shall never leave them. Of course the Lord did not leave them in one very real sense, (“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”, Hebrews 13:15), but He would no longer be with them in the body and this would sadden them. They would know His presence in a different way.
14:17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Even the Spirit of truth- the Lord now defines who this other Comforter is. He is not a person in the flesh, but is the Spirit of God. And because the promise is in the context of the greater works of setting forth Divine truth, He is aptly called the Spirit of truth. He will disclose the truth to all believers so that they may make Christ known in the various ways open to them, and will support and strengthen them as they do so.
Note that the Lord is careful when He mentions this Comforter to define who He is, for He knew Islam would rise up 700 years later and claim that their prophet was the comforter. The history of that religion down the centuries shows plainly that as they worked out the teachings of their prophet it certainly did not bring comfort to men. Violence and murder were in abundance, but comfort was in very short supply. And the same applies today.
Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him- notice the clear line of distinction drawn here between believers and the world. And the difference highlighted here is that the world is unable to do two things.
First, it cannot see the Holy Spirit. We might think that in this they are no different to believers, for they cannot see the Spirit either. The point is that the world can only appreciate things that are accessible to the natural senses. The spiritual ability to appreciate the things of the Spirit, and therefore the Spirit Himself, is totally lacking in their case, as 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Second, the world cannot know the Spirit, or in other words, cannot have any meaningful relationship with the Spirit, for He will not link Himself with that which is of Adam. Israel were expressly told not to pour the anointing oil on anyone other than priests, “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured”, Exodus 30:32, where the word for man is “adam”. So the Spirit of God cannot indwell anyone who is still a child of Adam, and not a child of God.
But ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you- the disciples already had experience of the working and presence of the Spirit as Christ did miracles in His power. As He said, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” Matthew 12:28. So to have Christ by their side was to have the Spirit with them, for He could say, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”, Luke 4:18. But there was a new experience in store for them, for they would have the Spirit within them. But the word “dwelleth” is in the present tense, and indicates that the Spirit would continue to abide or remain with them, even after He had come within them.
So it was that the Spirit filled every one of the believers on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4, and that happens the moment a person believes the gospel, for the apostle Paul states very clearly, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9.
We should be clear that every believer is filled with the Spirit all the time. When the apostle exhorts us to “be filled with the Spirit”, Ephesians 5:18, he is not saying we need a further supply of the Spirit because for some reason we have become less than full. He means that we should “be” what we “are”, that is, filled with the Spirit. We are to live in the light of the fact that we are filled with the Spirit, and allow Him to control us.
In verse 16, the Lord prophesied that the Spirit would dwell or abide with them. Here, He speaks of the Spirit abiding or dwelling with, and also actually being within. In verse 16, “with” is “meta”, with the genitive. In verse 17, the word “with” is “para”, with the dative. These distinctions would have been appreciated by the apostles when they heard the Lord Jesus speaking in Hebrew, and Greek-speakers who first read them as John translated them would note the difference too.. Both “meta” and “para” mean “with”. But “meta” is “in connection with”, “in company with”, or “among, in the midst of”. Christ companied with men, and with His disciples; He was in their midst, and among them, but He was about to leave them, and leave the world, so they would not have His company in that sense any more; however, they would have the companionship of the Spirit.
The word “para”, however, involves a closer relationship, meaning “by the side of”. In fact, the word for Comforter is “para-clete”, one who draws alongside to help. So we have three ideas. The Spirit is among the people of God for ever, verse 16; He is alongside them to help, verse 17; He is within them to empower, verse 17.
14:18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
I will not leave you comfortless- the word used here is not the same as is used in the word Comforter. It has the idea of being an orphan. An orphan is one who is left vulnerable and alone. The Lord will see to it that His own are not like that. He had called the disciples little children in 13:33, and would do so again in John 21:5, (and the apostle John adopts the thought in his epistles), and in Hebrews 2:13 also.
I will come to you- there are several ways we could look at this promise. First, He would come at Pentecost in the person of the Holy Spirit. This is enlarged on in verse 23. Any one of the Persons of the Godhead may fully represent the other. We see this in Romans 8:9,10, where to have the Spirit within is to have Christ within. So here, to have the Spirit within is to have Christ and His Father within.
Second, when individual believers commune with Him He promises to come in unto them and sup with them, and they with Him, Revelation 3:20, a very precious promise, especially for those who live in Laodicean conditions.
Third, and allied to this, is the way He manifests Himself to those who keep His commandments, verse 21. The word for coming in verse 18 is in the present tense, “I am coming to you”, as if He cannot wait to make Himself known to His own.
14:19
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more- the world could not see the Holy Spirit, but it could see Christ, for He was manifest in flesh. That physical presence was, in a little while, to be withdrawn from the world, as He ascends back to His Father.
But ye see me- it was true that the disciples would not see Him in that sense either, but in another and very real sense, they would continue to do what they were doing at that moment, namely, see Him with spiritual insight. Their view of Him was not limited to physical sight, so to not see Him physically was no handicap. They saw Him to be the Son of God, and equal with the Father. As the Lord had said, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40. They would continue to see Him in that way even when He was gone from their physical sight. When the manna was given the people saw it physically, but “they wist not what it was”, so they did not see the spiritual significance of what they were looking at, Exodus 16:15. So in John 6:42, the chapter where the Lord shows He is the true manna, the bread from heaven, the people said, “is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven”. They saw Him physically, but they had no spiritual insight into His person. But at the end of the discourse on the Bread of Life, Peter confessed “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”, John 6:69. Moses had told the people that on the day the manna came they would see the glory of the Lord, Exodus 16:7. The disciples had seen the glory that day.
Because I live, ye shall live also- their sight of Him, even when He was gone, would be of a living person, the very embodiment and personification of eternal life. One of the reasons why John wrote his first epistle was so that what he and his fellow-apostles saw and heard might be seen and heard by others who were not physically present at the time.
Because the Lord Jesus is eternal life personified, the eternal life they already had would flourish as they understand Him better by the aid of the Spirit. In John’s gospel there is a close connection between seeing and knowing, for knowing in this context is spiritual insight. Because they knew Him, they could continue to see Him, even when He was no longer visible to the eye, and hence their spiritual life would develop. To possess eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ, 17:3, and there is to be progress in that knowing, and when this happens we can be said to live in the fullest sense of the term.
It is “because I live”, as He said, that we live; it is no credit to believers, but He works in them by the Spirit, so that they develop in the knowledge of Himself. By seeing Him and knowing Him as the full expression of eternal life, they would live in the good of what He is, and thus themselves live. He is not only the living bread, who, having life in Himself can impart it to those who believe, John 6:51, but He is also the bread of life, verse 48, the sustainer of the life He gives.
The expression “I live” emphasises the fact that Christ as to His Deity is not subject to death, for His life is constant and indissoluble, or as Hebrews 7:16 puts it, “endless”. As He said to John, “I am he that liveth”, Revelation 1:18. John had fallen at His feet as dead; but death, or even its semblance, cannot be allowed in Christ’s presence, therefore the Lord spoke of Himself as the Living One to counteract John’s condition.
14:20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father- “that day” means the present age marked by the fact that the Spirit has come. After the Spirit had come they would be given insight into three things: First, His relationship with the Father. Second, their relationship with Him. Third, His relationship with them.
Their insight into His Person would deepen, and they would not only believe that He was in the Father because He had told them, verses 10,11, but they would know it with conviction. The Spirit would work in them to this end. Note there is no “the Father in Me”, as in verse 10. Having asserted that truth there, the Lord only needs to assure them here that there will be a link between them and the ascended Son of God. In verse 10 the relationship is horizontal, so to speak, with the persons involved being on the same level of Deity. Here the relationship is vertical, with the Son linking us to the Father because He remains in Him. It is not so much that the Father will be in us, but the Son will, by the Spirit, as we learn in the remainder of this verse.
And ye in me- this is a new truth, only to be grasped when the Spirit came. It involved being linked so closely with the Son of God that we can be said to be in Him. That is, personally, vitally, and intimately identified with Him in the bonds of eternal life, enclosed in all that He is, so that all that concerns Him concerns us. Of course, our relationship with Him will never result in us sharing Deity. But we do share His life. As the apostle John wrote, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true. and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20.
And I in you- by the Spirit He will dwell within, for the presence of the Spirit is as good as having Him within. He cannot be in us physically, for He has a body, but He can be in us as the Spirit dwells in us. It is a truly solemn thought that a Person of the Godhead dwells within. How careful this should make us as to our behaviour.
(d) Verses 21-24
The Father and the Son coming to dwell
14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them- just as obedience on the part of the apostles was necessary for the Spirit to come, (for He cannot indwell a rebellious body), so now in relation to “any man”. The good of this verse is not automatically known by all the people of God. There is a condition, and that condition, as with the apostles in verse 15, is obedience. The blessing held out in this verse is for those who, first, have His commandments. That is, they have heard His commands and hold them in their hearts as precious. Just because we are not saved by works of the law we must not think that the Christian life is an unprincipled and lawless life. Christ is our Lord, and has every right to issue commands to us. (We learn from the Lord’s words in 15:10 that the word of the Father to Him was so important to Him that He looked on those words as commandments, with binding force). They are not commands which by keeping we gain the blessing of salvation, but rather, by which we gain the blessing of an enhanced sense of who He is. Second, they keep those commands. They do not hold them as theories, but work them out in practice.
He it is that loveth me- of course all believers love the Lord, for “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8. Here, however, we have a similar idea to the fact the John describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, John 13:23; 19:26; 21:7; 21:20. Did He not love Peter? Of course, for John 13:1 says, “Jesus…having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end”. But there was a special bond between John and his Lord, as is seen in that he leant on the bosom of Jesus at supper. Some believers “love much”, Luke 7:47. So just as John had a very special sense that the Lord loved him, so the Lord Jesus likewise has a special attachment to those whose love for Him is strong.
And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father- the reaction of people to His Son touches the Father’s heart. When He sees one who is devoted to His Son, who loves Him deeply, and show his love by keeping His commandments, then He has a special love for that believer, without in any wise diluting His love for all His people. Just as John was loved by Jesus, and had a special sense of His love, so here the same is true in relation to the Father.
And I will love him- not only is this one loved of the Father, but is loved by the Son also. The Father and the Son are united in their reaction to this believer.
And will manifest myself to him- this is no doubt through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who takes of the things of Christ and reveals them to us as 16:14 will explain. But that is a work done in the heart of every believer. Here there is something special and individual that we might well covet. What a promise this is to us, that even though He is in heaven, He reveals Himself to those who are on earth. Once again, the sadness of the disciples that He was going away is tempered by this promise that He will come to them personally.
14:22
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot- just as there were two Simons in the apostolic band, (so that John needs to distinguish them by saying, Simon Peter, to show he is not writing about Simon the Cananite, who we read of in Matthew 10:4), so there were two men named Judas. The one, Judas Iscariot, was the betrayer, the other was loyal, but John carefully marks the distinction between them here by saying “not Iscariot”. The reason he does this is not only to protect the character of the other Judas, but also to highlight how he addressed the Lord, as we next see.
Lord- this is the difference that John wishes to emphasize. It is noticeable that Judas Iscariot never addressed Christ as Lord, and this is the mark of an unbeliever. The recognition of the Lordship of Christ is vital, and where it is in evidence, is the sure sign of a believer. Salvation comes to those who confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, Romans 10:9. Because the gospels are in the first place historical records, it is appropriate for the writers to constantly refer to Jesus, but when the disciples addressed Him, they never used this name. We should beware if those who profess to be saved never use it either. It is remarkable that Saul of Tarsus, confronted on the Damascus Road by one who said “I am Jesus”, immediately responded with the title “Lord”, Acts 9:5,6.
How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? This is the typical response of a godly Jew who is waiting for the glorious manifestation of Messiah’s kingdom upon the earth. Judas is puzzled, for how could that happen, and only believers see it? He is about to learn that the manifestation is of a quite different kind to the one of which he is thinking.
14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words- there is nothing in this answer about a coming kingdom. The manifestation will be personal to the man who loves Christ. Notice the “if”, and “any man”, for this experience is not common to all believers, but is reserved for those who are truly in touch with Christ. The distinguishing feature of a man who loves the Lord Jesus is the obedience to His commands that His love to us deserves. These commands are contained in His word, not in the sense of “in the Bible”, but more specifically, in His statements to us, which taken together, make up His collective word to us. We are not given an option of choosing which words we will comply with and which not, as suits us.
But this statement goes further, for it not simply practising His words, or believing them, or obeying them, it is keeping or preserving them. Thus we learn that there is a special place in the heart of Christ for those who preserve His words from the attacks of the enemy. To insist on the integrity and truthfulness of the words of Christ in the face of liberal tendencies, takes courage, and that only comes through love to Christ. Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ and His cause; the other Judas is being given the opportunity to be loyal to Christ, and further His interests, even in a world that still betrays Him.
And my Father will love him- the Father is very sensitive to reactions to His Son. The reward for the one who keeps the words of Christ is to have a special sense of the love of the Father. Of course God loves all His children, but just as Christ loved all “his own”, but John was “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, so there is a special and loving relationship formed between the obedient child and his Father. This is well worth going in for.
And we will come unto him, and make our abode with him- clearly the Son is sensitive to reaction to His word as well, and He, together with His Father, makes His abode with the one who is the object of special favour because of his obedience. To make an abode means to be at home, happy with the atmosphere that prevails. It is a further thought than simply being in a person. The Father and the Son are in each believer, but they may not be fully at home, because of the things that believer allows in his life. The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith”, Ephesians 3:17. He was not praying that they might get saved, for they already were, but that the Lord Jesus, who entered their hearts when they received the Spirit at their conversion, might be at home there, and not just present.
At the beginning of the gospel, two disciples desired to know where Jesus dwelt, and when He said “Come and see”, they came and dwelt where He did, probably in a temporary shelter near the river Jordan, (it was very likely at the time of the feast of tabernacles). It mattered not the outward circumstances, the important thing was to dwell with Him. Now the reverse is the case, He, and His Father, dwell with the obedient child. The psalmist wrote of God’s commandments that “in keeping of them is great reward”. He had little insight, if any, into the greatness of the rewards for believers in this age, but he had grasped the principle.
No doubt this is by the power of the Spirit, for Divine persons can each be represented by the other, even though they are distinct. For instance the apostle Paul wrote, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you…” Romans 8:9,10. So there is the mention of the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ, but the same Spirit in each case, but considered in relation to Himself, to God, and to Christ. Instead of going on to say “And if the Spirit be in you”, Paul writes “if Christ be in you”. So to have the Spirit is to have Christ, for He is able to fully represent Christ to us. So this is the way Christ manifests Himself, not in a blaze of glory to the world, but in the quietness of the heart that loves Him.
14:24
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings- here is the reverse situation to that of the previous verse. John in his writings often presents the opposite side to a statement he has just made- is this where he learnt the technique? It ensures that we are in no doubt, for there are no exceptions. Following the line of argument from verse 21, we might say that the one who does not love the Lord is the one who does not “love much”, Luke 7:47. The one who loves much will keep His sayings, and will have a special sense and appreciation of the presence of the Father and the Son, by the Spirit.
Note that the counterpart of “my words”, is “my sayings”. Is this why the Authorised Version renders the former phrase in the plural, even though the expression translated “my words” is in the singular? It would be well for those who insist on constantly criticizing the Authorised Version to give the noble translators of that version credit for their godliness and learning, and not be so hasty to try to correct them.
And the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me- this shows the seriousness of not keeping, or even believing, the word of Christ, for it does not originate with Him in isolation, but in harmony with His Father. It is not the rejection of the words of a carpenter from Nazareth, but of the Son of God as He speaks for His Father. This is yet another passage where this unity is manifest in the Lord’s speaking. Others are as follows, (notice they are all from John’s Gospel, the one that emphasises the equality of the Son with the Father. The relevant words have been put in bold lettering simply and only for the purpose of making them stand out):
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“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” John 7:14-18. “Then said they unto him, Who art Thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.” John 8:25-27. “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.” John 8:38. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” John 12:48-50. |
(e) Verses 25-31
Resources for believers in His absence
14:25
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you- this is another gentle indication that He is leaving them. He had told them about Judas so that they would not be overwhelmed, and also so that they would maintain confidence in Him when He was arrested and crucified, seeing He, knowing beforehand what was to happen, had forewarned them, 13:18-19. This short-term prophecy would also give them confidence in His more long-term prophecies. This is important, because a man whose prophecies did not come to pass was to be stoned as an imposter, Deuteronomy 18:20-22.
He had also warned them in the words, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you”, 13:33. Something of His pity for them is expressed in the words “little children”. Jehovah pitied His people in Psalm 103:13 “as a father pitieth his children”, and now God manifest in flesh is expressing this. This going away, however, is so that He may prepare a place for them and return to escort them to heaven. So these indications of His departure are followed by words of encouragement. The same is true in our verse, for the mention of not being with them is followed by the assurance that the Spirit would come as a comforter.
14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost- the word “but” emphasizes the changed conditions that are about to prevail, yet also serves to introduce the compensating benefit. The Lord is careful to define who the comforter is, lest they think He is a man. After all, the Lord has already described Him as “another”, meaning “another of the same sort”, so they could be forgiven for this mistake, seeing Christ was a man. So “Comforter…Holy Ghost” rules out that notion, as it does in verses 16,17, and 16:7,13. But even though He is spirit and not flesh and blood, the fact that He is of the same sort as Christ assures us of His Deity. This careful defining of the Comforter is necessary for its own sake, but also because the Lord well knew that Mahomet would come on the scene in the 7th Century and claim to be the promised comforter. His claim is forestalled by these words, for how can a man be described as a holy spirit?
The title of Consolation of Israel had been given to the Lord Jesus by Simeon, in Luke 2:25, and it is interesting to notice that when the child Jesus was presented to the Lord in the temple at the age of forty days, Mary offered to God either two turtle doves or two pigeons, (we are not told which). But the Holy Spirit is seen to come down on Christ at His baptism as a dove, and Luke tells us He came in bodily form, Luke 3:2. Thus these things give incidental testimony to the unity of Divine persons, for the dove represents the Spirit, but He came in bodily form because the Son was now in the body.
Whom the Father will send in my name- this indicates that the Father sends the Spirit in response to all He sees in His Son. Whatever He discerns in His Son’s character gives meaning to His sending of the Spirit. We may be assured, then, that there will be no discrepancy between the attitude of the Spirit to things, and the attitude of the Son. And because the Son’s attitude to things was that of His Father, then the Godhead is, as always, acting manifestly in harmony. This ensures the continuity of Divine testimony. The Father had sent the Son, but He had taken a body. The Holy Spirit dwells within the body of the believer, as 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us in the words, “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God”. He uses the vehicle of the believer’s body to carry out His work.
The coming of the Spirit is here the act of the Father, whereas in Acts 2:33 it was the Lord Jesus who shed forth the Spirit, as John the Baptist had predicted in the words, “the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost”, John 1:33. Again, the Persons of the Godhead are seen to be in harmony. This being the case, we should expect the Scriptures that come as a result of the Spirit’s movements to be in harmony also, and this is certainly the case.
He shall teach you all things- the word “He” is emphatic here, which does not make it mean, “He, the Spirit, shall teach you as I did not”, but rather, “He, this same one, difficult as it is for you to take in, shall teach you”. They had been used to listening to men teaching, whether the rabbis, or John the Baptist, or Christ, but now it was to be the Spirit teaching, and they were possibly perplexed.
The solution to their puzzlement is two-fold. First there is the idea of truth being brought to remembrance so that it could be written down. The Spirit and the Word would be vitally linked. Second, it is seen in the fact that the apostles, men of flesh and blood, would be the Spirit’s teaching agencies. So much so that it becomes their word, John 17:20; Acts 2:41.
Note it is the Spirit who will teach, not the church, as the Roman Catholic system claims. As soon as men start to claim to originate ideas, there is confusion, as the history of the last two thousand years clearly demonstrates.
By “all things” is meant, “all things that remain to be taught”. It is not that the Spirit will start afresh, or else they would not need past things brought to their memory. There were further truths to be brought to light after the Spirit had come at Pentecost, as 16:12,13 explains.
And bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you- nothing of what Christ had said was going to be lost, but the Spirit of God would gather it up and enable the apostles to remember what He had said, just as after He had fed the five thousand, the Lord said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost”, and this they did, John 6:12.
When they came to write it down, and when they preached it, they were able to give a true account of the Lord’s teaching. We may be confident that what we read in the Scriptures is indeed a trustworthy account. Luke tells us that many had set themselves the task of writing down the details of the Lord’s life. He does not condemn them for doing this, but the fact that Luke’s gospel gained the approval of the apostles, (as is seen, for instance, in that the apostle Paul quoted from it in Acts 20:35), shows Luke’s gospel is authoritative. And it is this because the Spirit of truth inspired it, which could not be said of other attempts at writing a gospel. Furthermore, the apostle John was allowed to live a long life, so that he could assess that which was written, and approve the genuinely inspired Scriptures, and condemn all that was spurious. The books of the Apocrypha, (the word means “hidden”), were called that not because they were suppressed, but because they were seen to be not genuine, and therefore should be hidden away as being of no use.
Because the apostles were thus guided of the Spirit, that which they preached before the New Testament was written can be relied upon. They were not using their imagination, nor did they have to depend on their own memory. Nor did they have to draw on traditions, and paste together a collection of them as they saw fit. So it is that Peter can assure us that the apostles “have not followed cunningly devised fables”, 2 Peter 1:16.
14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace I leave with you- there were three sweet-savour offerings in the Book of Leviticus, and they spoke of aspects of Christ as to His person. As the fulfilment of the Burnt Offering He was the Accepted Man, pleasing to His Father in all things. As the Meal Offering He was the Ideal Man, the sort of man that God was looking for. As the Peace Offering He is Harmonious Man, at all times in fellowship with His Father.
We might see a connection with this statement and the one before it, that the Spirit would bring to their remembrance what He had said unto them. As He left them to go to His Father, there would be the remembrance of His words, and as they contemplated them great peace would fill their hearts, for it was as if He were still with them. This was one of the ways in which their troubled hearts would be filled with peace.
My peace I give unto you- in His ministry at this time the Lord spoke of several things that were especially His own. For instance, He could speak of My joy, the joy that was personally His, John 15:11. He could speak of My love, John 15:9. Then in His prayer to His Father He spoke of My glory, John 17:24. Here it is My peace. This is peace that is special and unique to Him up to that point, the peace of one whose whole being was in harmony with God.
One of the meanings of the word peace as used of the peace offering is wholeness. This is why when the apostle was praying for the Thessalonian believers he asked the God of peace to sanctify them wholly, so that their whole spirit and soul and body might be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The perfect example of blamelessness in spirit and soul and body is the Lord Jesus. Now He has left us an example that we should follow His steps, 1 Peter 2:21, and in this way He has left peace with us. As we follow His steps we shall be at peace with our Father, just as He was at peace with the Father.
These disciples were about to experience the worst events of their lives, and they would be left sorrowful, perplexed and distressed. They need a special word of assurance to prepare them for this, and they receive it now as He grants them His peace. The last phrase of the Old Testament priestly blessing was, “The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace”, Numbers 6:26. This is what is happening here. If they remembered His words as they went through the trauma of the next few days, His peace would fill their hearts. They would realise that, great as their distresses were, His were infinitely greater, and yet His heart was at peace as one who was wholly set apart to do His Father’s will. In the measure in which they reacted like He did to the trials, they would know the same peace as He knew.
Not as the world giveth, give I unto you- the world only gives peace to those who compromise with it. He gives peace out of the love of His heart for them. The world gives with ulterior motives, He gives sincerely. The world gives sparingly, He gives substantially. The world gives temporarily, He gives eternal blessings.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid- here is His specific exhortation, one that in trying times they may be able to recall as spoken directly to them, designed to calm their fears. One of the distinctive features of the peace offering was its emphasis on the inwards of the animal, and the fat that surrounded them. Now the Hebrews believed that the emotions were centred in that region. So it is peace of heart that the man had as he came with his offering, but in order to preserve the uniqueness of Christ, he must come with the inwards of a substitute, which foreshadowed Christ. Only the Lord Jesus can offer Himself without spot to God as an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet savour to God, Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:14.
We can be troubled by the past, and we can be afraid of the future. As they passed through the experiences of the next few days, they might torment themselves for their failures. The way in which they forsook Him and fled; how they, (except John), had not the courage to stand by the cross; how they betrayed Him, Peter openly, the rest of them by their desertion of Him. Yet in the midst of it all His words would come to their hearts, “Let not your heart be troubled”. He had said this before He told them He was going away, verse 1, and now they need the same word because of the current circumstances. Just as He knew Judas would betray Him, He knew they would desert Him, yet He still spoke words of comfort to them. He knew that in their heart of hearts they were true to Him.
But we can be afraid because of what we think might be in the future. If they let Him down once, might they not do it again? He pre-empts that thought, and gives them His word of cheer so that they do not allow the future to frighten them. The apostle Paul could say, “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39. The believer shares his confidence.
14:28
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you- He reminds them of His promise that, even though He was going away, He would come again to receive them to Himself that they might be in the safety and calm of the Father’s house. This prospect would cheer them as they waited for His return. They had heard His words, but how they would react was critical.
If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father- far from being sad, they should turn away from themselves and their own circumstances, and concentrate on the fact He was going back to His Father, and all His sufferings would be over. If we thought of His interests more, and thought of our interests less, our fears would be gone. So, far from being sad for themselves, they should in fact be the opposite, and rejoice for Him, for the following reasons:
1. He would be rewarded for His service down here as He revealed the Father.
2. He would be given reputation after the reproach heaped upon Him by men.
3. He would be recompensed for His sufferings, by being glorified.
4. He would release the power they needed to fulfil His commands.
For my Father is greater than I- this is an important statement, (as well as a misunderstood one), and we need to bear the following things in mind as we consider it:
1. This statement is pointless if Jesus Christ is merely a creature like the rest of men. It goes without saying that God is greater than a man.
2. The expression “my Father” itself is a claim to Deity, as the Jews recognised in John 5:17. When the Lord said, “My Father worketh hitherto and I work”, they saw this as making Himself equal with God.
3. He is stated to be equal with God in other scriptures, such as follows:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.
“I and my Father are one.”, John 10:30.
“Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”, Philippians 2:5,6.
“His dear Son:…Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created”, Colossians 1:13,15,16.
“his Son…being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person”, Hebrews 1:2,3.
So nothing in the phrase we are considering should be thought of as denying the truth of the Deity of Christ.
4. John writes to specifically set forth the Deity of Christ, (“these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”, John 20:31), so why is he the only one to record this statement, if it goes against his theme?
We could ask ourselves the question, is a natural father greater than his natural son? Do they not share the same nature? Does not the father beget in his own likeness, and reproduce himself in his son? The father is not greater because he is prior in time, for that does not bestow greatness. Nor is he greater because he is responsible for the begetting of his son, for the son is simply, in a sense, an extension of himself; that does not bestow greatness either.
But what if the father is head of the company he has built up, and when his son leaves school he feels it best that he should be on the payroll like an employee, and obey the dictates of the company director, who just happens to be his father? Is not the father greater than the son in a sense then?
No sooner does the son become an employee, he becomes subject to his father. He must obey if he wishes to remain in the workforce. He may be morally superior to his father; he may be more hardworking than his father, he may be more clever than his father, but the over-riding matter is that he is a servant.
Now the above illustration has many flaws in it in regards to the relationship between God the Father and His Son. But the main point is this, that when the Son of God took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men, He accepted a place of subjection, and with that came the obligation to obey. At that point His Father became, not greater in essence or nature, not greater in integrity or character, not greater is skill or ability, but greater in administrative function. Nevertheless, when He commanded the Lord to do something, it did not in any wise imply that He was inferior to Him.
So what is the connection between the Son going back to the Father and Him being greater than the Son? The Lord was not able to say at that point, for there were certain things they were not able to bear before the Spirit indwelt them. But we now know that the return of the Lord Jesus to heaven opened up a whole range of ministries that He could not engage in until the work of Calvary was over.
We should remember that the Lord Jesus has taken the form of a servant for ever, for part of being a man is the obligation to serve God, and He is a man for ever. Currently He is a minister of the sanctuary, Hebrews 8:2, and in a day to come He said Himself that “he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them”, Luke 12:37. And even at the end of time, we read, “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all”, 1 Corinthians 15:28.
He was going back to His Father in full recognition that He had much service ahead of Him, which service He would render in obedience to His Father, and this should give the apostles cause for joy, for it would mean He would minister to their needs despite being far away in heaven. All that He had been to them in the past would be secure for them in the future, and more besides.
14:29
And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
And now I have told you before it come to pass- He had told them that Judas would betray Him, “that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He”, 13:19. Now we have almost identical words in connection with His going away and the ministry that would open up for Him afterwards. So whether it is the sadness of His betrayal, or the joy of His reinstatement in heaven, the apostles were fortified by the fact that He knew beforehand, and that these events did not take Him by surprise. They would thereby be confirmed in their faith in Him. Their faith in Him before was in one who would ascend the throne of David, now their faith would be in one who had ascended to the throne of heaven.
14:30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you- He would teach them some more, but not much, for they were not able to bear it until the Spirit came at Pentecost to carry on His teaching work, 16:13. Does He sense the approach of Judas, and does He wish to protect from disturbance the man who kindly gave Him the upper room? It is possible that the house was owned by Mark’s father, and that Judas came to the house first before he tried to locate Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Was the young man clad only in a linen cloth who followed the arrest party Mark himself, disturbed from his sleep by Judas’ visit, and who then followed the band of soldiers to Gethsemane? See Mark 14:51,52, the only place where this incident is recorded.
For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me- even though Judas, empowered as he now was by Satan, the prince of this world, would put into operation the arrest, examination, sentence and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, He was confident, at the outset, that all the accusations were baseless, and that He was innocent of them all. All other men had things in them that Satan could accuse them of, but not He.
This statement by the Lord would strengthen their hearts, for many charges would be laid against Him, and when they heard of them they might waver in their belief in Him. Here is His assurance that all the charges would be baseless, and continued faith in Him was worthwhile.
14:31
But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
But that the world may know that I love the Father- having assured the disciples that there was nothing in Him that the prince of this world could fasten upon to gain an advantage, (as, sadly, there had been with Judas), the positive side is presented here. It is that the Father has everything in Him that He looked for. He asserts His love to the Father, thus assuring the disciples that there was nothing that He would fail to do for Him. He would go to the cross without any resentment or reserve.
Strange as it may seem, this is the only place where it is stated that He loves the Father. We are told several times that the Father loves the Son, but not that He loves Him. How shall we account for this? John writes, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18. Is the same principle here, that the love of the Son for the Father is not stated, because it was so obvious by deed and truth? The disciples knew that He loved the Father, but now the world is going to discover it. To the unbeliever, simply observing the events of the next three days would not reveal the Son’s love to the Father, but if they came into the good of the gospel, they would learn it. So it is “the world may know”, not “the world shall know”. They will have the opportunity to know.
And as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do- even though the Father’s word to the Son was not of the same sort as the ten commandments given to Israel, nevertheless so eager was He to comply, that He treated them like commandments. He did not need to be ordered to obey, for He did so willingly. Not only was He willing, but He was careful to do exactly as the Father said, for it is “as…even so”. The specific commandment in view was the one He spoke of in John 10:17,18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” So it is that He begins the journey from the upper room to the cross, to the tomb, and to heaven. The love of the Son for the Father, resulting in Him obeying His commandments, is the example for the disciples whilst He is absent from them, so they show their love to Him by likewise keeping His commandments, verse 15.
Arise, let us go hence- on the original passover night, the Israelites were told to eat the passover meal “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s passover”, Exodus 12:11. Just as Israel began their journey to Canaan that night, and ate the meal in readiness to move off, so the Lord and His disciples are beginning a journey. He is about to accomplish His decease, (the word is “exodon”, meaning exodus), Luke 9:31, and depart out of this world. The disciples will soon learn that He has taken them out of the world, morally speaking, but will send them into the word, evangelically speaking. By removing them from the upper room at this point, the Lord is indicating that there is a change in His ministry, and He will now prepare them for conditions in this world in the next two chapters. This will involve fruit-bearing and testimony, the subject of chapters 15 and 16. With this we may compare the change of location in Matthew 13, with the first four of seven parables spoken to the crowds at the sea side, and the last three spoken to the disciples in the house, Matthew 13:1,36. The location is significant in each case.