Juan 14

Jesús consuela a sus discípulos

1 »No se angustien. Confíen en Dios, y confíen también en mí.^[a]

2 En el hogar de mi Padre hay muchas viviendas; si no fuera así, ya se lo habría dicho a ustedes. Voy a prepararles un lugar.

3 Y si me voy y se lo preparo, vendré para llevármelos conmigo. Así ustedes estarán donde yo esté.

4 Ustedes ya conocen el camino para ir adonde yo voy.

Jesús, el camino al Padre

5 Dijo entonces Tomás:—Señor, no sabemos a dónde vas, así que ¿cómo podemos conocer el camino?

6 —Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida —le contestó Jesús—. Nadie llega al Padre sino por mí.

7 Si ustedes realmente me conocieran, conocerían^[b] también a mi Padre. Y ya desde este momento lo conocen y lo han visto.

8 —Señor —dijo Felipe—, muéstranos al Padre y con eso nos basta.

9 —¡Pero, Felipe! ¿Tanto tiempo llevo ya entre ustedes, y todavía no me conoces? El que me ha visto a mí, ha visto al Padre. ¿Cómo puedes decirme: “Muéstranos al Padre”?

10 ¿Acaso no crees que yo estoy en el Padre, y que el Padre está en mí? Las palabras que yo les comunico, no las hablo como cosa mía, sino que es el Padre, que está en mí, el que realiza sus obras.

11 Créanme cuando les digo que yo estoy en el Padre y que el Padre está en mí; o al menos créanme por las obras mismas.

12 Ciertamente les aseguro que el que cree en mí las obras que yo hago también él las hará, y aun las hará mayores, porque yo vuelvo al Padre.

13 Cualquier cosa que ustedes pidan en mi nombre, yo la haré; así será glorificado el Padre en el Hijo.

14 Lo que pidan en mi nombre, yo lo haré.

Jesús promete el Espíritu Santo

15 »Si ustedes me aman, obedecerán mis mandamientos.

16 Y yo le pediré al Padre, y él les dará otro Consolador para que los acompañe siempre:

17 el Espíritu de verdad, a quien el mundo no puede aceptar porque no lo ve ni lo conoce. Pero ustedes sí lo conocen, porque vive con ustedes y estará^[c] en ustedes.

18 No los voy a dejar huérfanos; volveré a ustedes.

19 Dentro de poco el mundo ya no me verá más, pero ustedes sí me verán. Y porque yo vivo, también ustedes vivirán.

20 En aquel día ustedes se darán cuenta de que yo estoy en mi Padre, y ustedes en mí, y yo en ustedes.

21 ¿Quién es el que me ama? El que hace suyos mis mandamientos y los obedece. Y al que me ama, mi Padre lo amará, y yo también lo amaré y me manifestaré a él.

22 Judas (no el Iscariote) le dijo:—¿Por qué, Señor, estás dispuesto a manifestarte a nosotros, y no al mundo?

23 Le contestó Jesús:—El que me ama, obedecerá mi palabra, y mi Padre lo amará, y haremos nuestra vivienda en él.

24 El que no me ama, no obedece mis palabras. Pero estas palabras que ustedes oyen no son mías sino del Padre, que me envió.

25 »Todo esto lo digo ahora que estoy con ustedes.

26 Pero el Consolador, el Espíritu Santo, a quien el Padre enviará en mi nombre, les enseñará todas las cosas y les hará recordar todo lo que les he dicho.

27 La paz les dejo; mi paz les doy. Yo no se la doy a ustedes como la da el mundo. No se angustien ni se acobarden.

28 »Ya me han oído decirles: “Me voy, pero vuelvo a ustedes”. Si me amaran, se alegrarían de que voy al Padre, porque el Padre es más grande que yo.

29 Y les he dicho esto ahora, antes de que suceda, para que cuando suceda, crean.

30 Ya no hablaré más con ustedes, porque viene el príncipe de este mundo. Él no tiene ningún dominio sobre mí,

31 pero el mundo tiene que saber que amo al Padre, y que hago exactamente lo que él me ha ordenado que haga.»¡Levántense, vámonos de aquí!

Juan 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. "Confíen " "… " "en mí" . Alt. "Ustedes confían en Dios; confíen tambien en mí" .
• [b]. "me conocieran, conocerían" . Var. "me han conocido, conocerán" .
• [c]. "estará" . Var. "está" .