John 14 Study Notes

14:18 The Spirit’s presence within disciples essentially amounts to Jesus’s own presence, because the Spirit testifies about Jesus (15:26) and helps disciples understand the significance of what Jesus has done (16:14). Jesus’s assurance, I will not leave you as orphans, echoes Moses’s parting words to Israel (Dt 31:6; cp. Jos 1:5). By saying this, Jesus likely had in mind both his resurrection and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost.

14:19-20 On that day probably refers to Jesus coming on his disciples in the Spirit at Pentecost.

14:21 The references to the one who has my commands and keeps them and the phrase reveal myself hark back to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai and to other OT appearances of God (Ex 33:13).

14:22 This Judas (not Iscariot) is probably “Judas the son of James,” also known as Thaddaeus (see note at Mk 3:18-19), mentioned in Lk 6:16 and Ac 1:13, not Jude, the half-brother of Jesus (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3).

14:23-24 Make our home with him recalls God’s dwelling among his people in the tabernacle (Ex 25:8; 29:45; Lv 26:11-12) and the temple (1Kg 8:10-11; cp. Ac 7:46-47), and points forward to the time when the Spirit would come at Pentecost (Ac 2).

14:25-26 The Holy Spirit (1:33; 20:22) is mentioned infrequently in the OT (Ps 51:11; Is 63:9-10). Jesus’s focus here was on the Spirit’s future teaching ministry (1Jn 2:20,27).

14:27 The expression peace (Hb shalom) could serve as a greeting or announce blessing upon those who enjoyed a right relationship with God (Nm 6:24-26; cp. Ps 29:11; Hg 2:9). The OT prophesied a period of peace following Messiah’s coming, for he is the “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), who would “proclaim peace to the nations” (Zch 9:10; cp. 9:9). There would be tidings of peace and salvation (Is 52:7; cp. 54:13; 57:19), and God would establish an everlasting “covenant of peace” with his people (Ezk 37:26). Jesus’s parting encouragement for his followers not to be troubled or fearful (cp. 14:1) echoes Moses’s parting counsel (Dt 31:6,8).

14:28-29 After Jesus’s exaltation, his disciples would be able to call on the exalted Jesus and the indwelling Spirit. The Father is greater than I refers not to ontology (Jesus and the Father are one), but to Jesus’s subordination as eternal Son.

14:30 On the ruler of the world, see note at 12:30-31. Satan has no legal claim or hold on Jesus.

14:31 Some scholars view the transition from 14:31 to 15:1 as a literary seam, which would indicate that John’s Gospel was pieced together from different sources (one ending at 14:31; another beginning at 15:1). More likely, John is simply describing Jesus’s transition (Get up; let’s leave this place) from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane, where he arrived in 18:1.