John 14

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

1 ¹"Let not your hearts be troubled. ²Believe in God;^[a] believe also in me.

2 In ³my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that ⁴I go to prepare a place for you?^[b]

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you ⁵to myself, that ⁶where I am you may be also.

4 And you know the way to where I am going."^[c]

5 ⁷Thomas said to him, "Lord, ⁸we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

6 Jesus said to him, "I am ⁹the way, and ¹⁰the truth, and ¹¹the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

7 ¹²If you had known me, you would have ¹³known my Father also.^[d] From now on you do know him and ¹⁴have seen him."

8 ¹⁵Philip said to him, "Lord, ¹⁶show us the Father, and it is enough for us."

9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? ¹⁷Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

10 Do you not believe that ¹⁸I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you ¹⁹I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

11 Believe me that ²⁰I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else ²¹believe on account of the works themselves.

12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, ²²whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I ²³am going to the Father.

13 ²⁴Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that ²⁵the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 ²⁶If you ask me^[e] anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 ²⁷"If you love me, you will ²⁸keep my commandments.

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ²⁹Helper,^[f] to be with you forever,

17 even ³⁰the Spirit of truth, ³¹whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and ³²will be in you.

18 "I will not leave you as orphans; ³³I will come to you.

19 ³⁴Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but ³⁵you will see me. ³⁶Because I live, you also will live.

20 ³⁷In that day you will know that ³⁸I am in my Father, and ³⁹you in me, and ⁴⁰I in you.

21 ⁴¹Whoever has my commandments and ⁴²keeps them, he it is who loves me. And ⁴³he who loves me ⁴⁴will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and ⁴⁵manifest myself to him."

22 ⁴⁶Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it ⁴⁷that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"

23 Jesus answered him, ⁴⁸"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and ⁴⁹we will come to him and ⁵⁰make our home with him.

24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And ⁵¹the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

25 "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.

26 But the ⁵²Helper, the Holy Spirit, ⁵³whom the Father will send in my name, ⁵⁴he will teach you all things and ⁵⁵bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

27 ⁵⁶Peace I leave with you; ⁵⁷my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. ⁵⁸Let not your hearts be troubled, neither ⁵⁹let them be afraid.

28 ⁶⁰You heard me say to you, ⁶¹'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I ⁶²am going to the Father, for ⁶³the Father is greater than I.

29 And ⁶⁴now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for ⁶⁵the ruler of this world is coming. ⁶⁶He has no claim on me,

31 but I do ⁶⁷as the Father has commanded me, ⁶⁸so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

John 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

Christ comforts his disciples. (1-11) He further comforts his disciples. (12-17) He still further comforts his disciples. (18-31)

Verses 1-11 Here are three words, upon any of which stress may be laid. Upon the word troubled. Be not cast down and disquieted. The word heart. Let your heart be kept with full trust in God. The word your. However others are overwhelmed with the sorrows of this present time, be not you so. Christ's disciples, more than others, should keep their minds quiet, when everything else is unquiet. Here is the remedy against this trouble of mind, "Believe." By believing in Christ as the Mediator between God and man, we gain comfort. The happiness of heaven is spoken of as in a father's house. There are many mansions, for there are many sons to be brought to glory. Mansions are lasting dwellings. Christ will be the Finisher of that of which he is the Author or Beginner; if he have prepared the place for us, he will prepare us for it. Christ is the sinner's Way to the Father and to heaven, in his person as God manifest in the flesh, in his atoning sacrifice, and as our Advocate. He is the Truth, as fulfilling all the prophecies of a Saviour; believing which, sinners come by him the Way. He is the Life, by whose life-giving Spirit the dead in sin are quickened. Nor can any man draw nigh God as a Father, who is not quickened by Him as the Life, and taught by Him as the Truth, to come by Him as the Way. By Christ, as the Way, our prayers go to God, and his blessings come to us; this is the Way that leads to rest, the good old Way. He is the Resurrection and the Life. All that saw Christ by faith, saw the Father in Him. In the light of Christ's doctrine, they saw God as the Father of lights; and in Christ's miracles, they saw God as the God of power. The holiness of God shone in the spotless purity of Christ's life. We are to believe the revelation of God to man in Christ; for the works of the Redeemer show forth his own glory, and God in him.

Verses 12-17 Whatever we ask in Christ's name, that shall be for our good, and suitable to our state, he shall give it to us. To ask in Christ's name, is to plead his merit and intercession, and to depend upon that plea. The gift of the Spirit is a fruit of Christ's mediation, bought by his merit, and received by his intercession. The word used here, signifies an advocate, counsellor, monitor, and comforter. He would abide with the disciples to the end of time; his gifts and graces would encourage their hearts. The expressions used here and elsewhere, plainly denote a person, and the office itself includes all the Divine perfections. The gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the disciples of Christ, and not on the world. This is the favour God bears to his chosen. As the source of holiness and happiness, the Holy Spirit will abide with every believer for ever.

Verses 18-24 Christ promises that he would continue his care of his disciples. I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time. Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence. These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that they should know it, and have the comfort of it. Having Christ's commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives. The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit's new-creating grace.

Verses 25-27 Would we know these things for our good, we must pray for, and depend on the teaching of the Holy Ghost; thus the words of Jesus will be brought to our remembrance, and many difficulties be cleared up which are not plain to others. To all the saints, the Spirit of grace is given to be a remembrancer, and to him, by faith and prayer, we should commit the keeping of what we hear and know. Peace is put for all good, and Christ has left us all that is really and truly good, all the promised good; peace of mind from our justification before God. This Christ calls his peace, for he is himself our Peace. The peace of God widely differs from that of Pharisees or hypocrites, as is shown by its humbling and holy effects.

Verses 28-31 Christ raises the expectations of his disciples to something beyond what they thought was their greatest happiness. His time was now short, he therefore spake largely to them. When we come to be sick, and to die, we may not be capable of talking much to those about us; such good counsel as we have to give, let us give while in health. Observe the prospect Christ had of an approaching conflict, not only with men, but with the powers of darkness. Satan has something in us to perplex us with, for we have all sinned; but when he would disturb Christ, he found nothing sinful to help him. The best evidence of our love to the Father is, our doing as he has commanded us. Let us rejoice in the Saviour's victories over Satan the prince of this world. Let us copy the example of his love and obedience.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 27; [John 16:22, 23; 1 Peter 3:14]
• 2. See John 12:44
• 3. [John 2:16]
• 4. John 16:7; [John 8:21, 22; John 13:33, 36]
• 5. ver. 18, 28; [John 21:22, 23]
• 6. See John 12:26
• 7. See John 11:16
• 8. John 13:36
• 9. Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 10:20; [Ephesians 2:18]
• 10. John 1:14, 17; [1 John 5:20]
• 11. See John 11:25
• 12. John 8:19
• 13. 1 John 2:13, 14
• 14. [John 6:46]
• 15. John 1:43, 44; John 12:21
• 16. [Exodus 33:18]
• 17. John 12:45; [John 10:30; John 15:24; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3]
• 18. See John 10:38
• 19. See John 5:19, 20
• 20. [See ver. 10 above]
• 21. See John 5:36
• 22. [Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23; Mark 16:17]
• 23. ver. 28; John 16:28; [John 7:33; John 13:1, 3; John 16:5, 10, 17; John 17:11, 13; John 20:17]
• 24. John 15:16; John 16:23, 24; See Matthew 7:7
• 25. See John 13:31
• 26. [See ver. 13 above]
• 27. ver. 21, 23; John 15:10; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 6
• 28. See 1 John 2:3
• 29. ver. 26; John 15:26; John 16:7
• 30. John 15:26; John 16:13; [1 Corinthians 2:12-14; 1 John 2:27; 1 John 4:6; 1 John 5:7]
• 31. 1 Corinthians 2:14
• 32. Acts 2:4; [1 John 2:27; 2 John 2]; See Romans 8:9
• 33. ver. 3, 28
• 34. See John 7:33
• 35. [John 12:45; John 16:16]
• 36. [Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:5; Revelation 20:4]
• 37. John 16:23, 26
• 38. ver. 10
• 39. [John 15:4-7]; See 1 John 2:28
• 40. John 17:21, 23, 26
• 41. [John 7:17; John 8:31, 32]
• 42. ver. 15; 1 John 2:5
• 43. John 16:27
• 44. [John 12:26]
• 45. See John 7:4
• 46. Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13
• 47. [Acts 10:40, 41]
• 48. See ver. 15, 21
• 49. Revelation 3:20
• 50. [2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 John 2:24]
• 51. [ver. 10]; See John 7:16
• 52. See ver. 16
• 53. [Luke 24:49; Acts 2:33, with ch. 15:26; Acts 16:7]
• 54. John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 John 2:20, 27
• 55. See John 2:22
• 56. John 20:19, 21, 26; Luke 24:36
• 57. John 16:33; Colossians 3:15; [Ephesians 2:17; Philippians 4:7]
• 58. ver. 1
• 59. 2 Timothy 1:7
• 60. ver. 2-4
• 61. See John 8:21
• 62. See ver. 12
• 63. [John 10:29; Philippians 2:6]
• 64. John 13:19; John 16:4
• 65. See John 12:31
• 66. [John 17:14; John 18:36; Hebrews 4:15]
• 67. John 12:49, 50; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:8
• 68. John 17:21, 23

Footnotes

• [a]. Or You believe in God
• [b]. Or In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you
• [c]. Some manuscripts Where I am going you know, and the way you know
• [d]. Or If you know me, you will know my Father also, or If you have known me, you will know my Father also
• [e]. Some manuscripts omit me
• [f]. Or Advocate, or Counselor; also 14:26; 15:26; 16:7