John 14

1 Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe on God, believe also on me.

2 In my Father's house there are many abodes; were it not so, I had told you: for I go to prepare you a place;

3 and if I go and shall prepare you a place, I am coming again and shall receive you to myself, that where I am ye also may be.

4 And ye know where I go, and ye know the way.

5 Thomas says to him, Lord, we know not where thou goest, and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus says to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father unless by me.

7 If ye had known me, ye would have known also my Father, and henceforth ye know him and have seen him.

8 Philip says to him, Lord, shew us the Father and it suffices us.

9 Jesus says to him, Am I so long a time with you, and thou hast not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the Father; and how sayest thou, Shew us the Father?

10 Believest thou not that I [am] in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words which I speak to you I do not speak from myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works.

11 Believe *me* that I [am] in the Father and the Father in me; but if not, believe me for the works' sake themselves.

12 Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes on me, the works which I do shall he do also, and he shall do greater than these, because I go to the Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will beg the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever,

17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him nor know him; but ye know him, for he abides with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you.

19 Yet a little and the world sees me no longer; but ye see me; because I live ye also shall live.

20 In that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

22 Judas, not the Iscariote, says to him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the world?

23 Jesus answered and said to him, If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.

24 He that loves me not does not keep my words; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but [that] of the Father who has sent me.

25 These things I have said to you, abiding with you;

26 but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, *he* shall teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all the things which I have said to you.

27 I leave peace with you; I give *my* peace to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it fear.

28 Ye have heard that I have said unto you, I go away and I am coming to you. If ye loved me ye would rejoice that I go to the Father, for [my] Father is greater than I.

29 And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it shall have come to pass ye may believe.

30 I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world comes, and in me he has nothing;

31 but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has commanded me, thus I do. Rise up, let us go hence.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Oida: as ch. 7.29.
• [b]. As 'now,' ch. 13.19.
• [c]. Eis: see Note, 2Tim. 1.12.
• [d]. In the latter chapters of John's Gospel, in order to maintain the distinction, frequently important, between erotao and aiteo, the first is translated 'demand' [except John 14.16 (beg)], the second 'ask.' There are times when they may be used indiscriminately, at other times each has a sense peculiar to itself: erotao expressing a familiar request to a person where intimacy exists [or equality, either assumed or actual]; aiteo, the request rather for something by an inferior to his superior. The disciples employ both of these words in their relations with Jesus, but only aiteo with relation to the Father. In his relations with his Father, Jesus employs erotao but not aiteo. Martha uses aiteo in ch. 11.22. For the difference between the two, compare John 16.23. In ch. 14.16 the word is erotao; in vers. 13 and 14 aiteo.
• [e]. One who carries on the cause of any one and helps him. This Christ did on earth; this (1John 2.1) he does now in heaven, and the Holy Spirit on earth 'manages our cause, our affairs, for us.' If 'solicitor' were not too common, it just answers the sense.
• [f]. Objective knowledge: see Note, 1Cor. 8.1.