CHAPTER 14
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1
Steadman thinks that this verse might make up a good lesson on stress management.1 We are in a very stressful world and more and more people are stressed out. As recent as 2001 the Girl Scouts of America introduced a “Stress Less Badge” for girls aged eight to eleven. It pictured an embroidered hammock that was suspended from two green trees.2 Max Lucado speaking on the 700 Club in 2009 noted that today’s children have the anxiety level of the psychiatric patients in the 1950s.3
We can surely believe that the eleven disciples were stressed out as the night of Jesus’ trial, conviction and crucifixion rapidly closed in upon them. In this passage, he assured them that he would return to them but they did not seem to understand the particulars of this promise. The sense of the Greek used here signifies that they should “stop being troubled,” so clearly, they were already deeply troubled.4
Jesus charged them to have faith in God. How often in our own lives has the simple recovery of faith turned our shadows into sunshine? We should note here that faith is not only placed in God but in Jesus. Morris makes clear that “faith in Jesus is not something additional to faith in God.” 5 In the truest sense, they are one in the same.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (14:2). Beginning centuries ago, with the King James Version of the Bible, this passage started to confuse people about heaven. The King James reads, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” A lot of folks today are eagerly awaiting their heavenly mansions, but this is not what the Greek says. The Greek word is monai (from menō) and it means to abide, or to have abiding places.6 The NIV here translates it as “rooms.” Barnes says, “It denotes a dwelling of less permanency than the word house.” 7 We may see this reflected in verse 23, the only other place where the word is used. Barclay sees it as speaking of spiritual stages that may argue against the idea of a static heaven.8 Grundy sees it as references to spiritual positions attained in Christ.9
Burge says, “To ‘remain’ with Jesus is the highest virtue in John’s Gospel (15:4-10) and he is promising that death will not interrupt that intimacy enjoyed with him.” 10 As we can see, there are considerable differences of opinion reflected in the various scholars.
This does not mean that we will not go to heaven when we die. The Bible is clear that upon death we believers will go to be with the Lord in heaven (2 Cor. 5:8). We will abide with him in heaven until we return to earth with him in glory (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
Some scholars have begun to think that the church has put entirely too much emphasis upon our going up to heaven and living forever in our blissful but static heavenly mansions. In a sense, we seem to have everything going up in our theology while the Bible seems to have everything coming down. Jesus is coming down with myriads of his saints (Jude 1:14), and he is coming to take over the world; the New Jerusalem is coming down; the Bride is coming down (Rev. 21:2). The biblical emphasis is upon the renewing of both heaven and earth (Rev. 21:1) with redeemed humanity having a large role in the management of the new earth (Matt. 5:5; Rev. 5:10).
The scholar Randy Alcorn says: “The great redemptive promises of God will find their ultimate fulfillment on the New Earth, not in the present Heaven…Heaven and the New Earth will be essentially the same place.”11 He goes on to say: “Many religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, characterize the afterlife as vague and intangible. Christianity specifically refutes this notion. Biblical Christianity doesn’t give up on humanity or the earth…We won’t go to Heaven and leave earth behind. Rather, God will bring Heaven and Earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of Separation…” 12 Alcorn’s ideas certainly give us something to think about.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (14:3-4). The whole idea here is that Jesus would not leave or forsake his people. He would rather go before them. This seems to have the same idea as that presented in Hebrews 6:20. There it is the Greek word prodromos, which may be translated “forerunner.” In the Roman army the prodromos was involved in reconnaissance work for the other troops.13 Jesus has gone into the spiritual realm to make a way and a place for us. Like the explorers Lewis and Clark did for the vast western areas of what was to become the US, Jesus has done for the vast heavenly realms.
A number of commentators see verse 3 as a reference to the Second Coming of Christ. Keener, however, sees it as a reference to the return of Christ after the resurrection.14 We realize that this whole picture is intensely spiritual. In verse 5 we will see that Jesus is the Way into this spiritual abode. Jesus is the Way to heaven and in a real sense he is the essence of heaven since he and the Father make up the temple in heaven (Rev. 21:22).
Samuel Rutherford once said: “O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want.” 15 Utley thinks this could speak of the Second Coming or of death. He says, “Heaven is where Jesus is (cf. John 17:24)! Heaven is really face-to-face fellowship with the Triune God!” 16
Alcorn says, “God’s plan of the ages is ‘to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ (Eph. 1:10).’” 17
THE DISCIPLES HAVE QUESTIONS
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:5
Jesus had regularly urged his disciples to think in the spiritual realm but they had habitually lingered in the natural realm. Thomas suffered from literalism. He did not know where Jesus was going so how could he know the directions? Thomas was utterly honest, uninhibited and pessimistic.18 The disciples could still not comprehend that Jesus was going in the direction of the cross in order to return to the Father.19
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (14:6). This verse makes our pluralistic world shudder to its core. The prevalent religious idea today is that there is value in all religions, providing that the devotee is sincere in his or her beliefs. This is really a crazy idea. It would mean that a headhunter from the darkest jungle would only have to be sincere to please God. He certainly would not please many others! History is littered with millions of people who were sincerely wrong in their beliefs.
Pluralism supposedly accepts truth claims from all other religions. However, it does not accept truth claims from Christianity. “It has been said that pluralism accepts no absolute truth claims other than its contention that there are no absolute truth claims.” 20 Here is the problem with Christianity. The Judeo/Christian tradition is exclusivist in its nature. Both Judaism and Christianity make an absolute truth claim. Somewhere around 2000 BC the Lord revealed himself as the Almighty God to our Father Abraham (Gen. 17:1). Several hundred years later the Lord further revealed himself to Moses. He said, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3). Later the Lord said to Israel, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other” (Deut. 4:39).
When Jesus, who was God in the flesh, came to earth, he likewise made an exclusive claim: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If he is the only God, then it makes sense that he is the only way. All other ways are based upon falsehood. Thus, we can never accept Jesus as just a good man or even as a prophet. Jesus, in order to make this claim, would have had to be a madman, a lying devil, or else the one and only Son of God. When Jesus was here on earth even the demons of hell admitted that he was God’s Son (Matt. 8:29). Today, it is the privilege and joy of all Christians to proclaim him as the true Son of God and as the true Way to life eternal.
The Lord’s statement here is perhaps the most profound, the most awesome, and the most exclusivist statement ever made on earth. The great Christian writer, Thomas à Kempis, said: “Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living.” 21 Indeed, Jesus is the true and living way (Heb. 10:20). He is the only authorized mediator between God the Father and humankind.22 The Apostle Paul says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Tim. 2:5). That does not leave much room for all other religions. It is not surprising that one of the earliest names for Christianity was “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
“If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (14:7). The whole Bible is about our knowing God. This knowing is not a casual thing. It is not just a cognitive thing but a most intimate and personal relationship with God (cf. Gen. 4:1; Jer. 1:5).23 All through John’s gospel we have seen clearly displayed the triune nature of God.24 In Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” To know the Son is to know the Father. In fact, it is not possible to know the Father except through the Son (Matt. 11:27; Lk. 10:22). Barclay says, “Jesus is the revelation of God and that revelation leaves the mind of man staggered and amazed.” 25
“Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us’” (14:8). All of us would secretly like to have a god that we could see and manipulate. That desire, of course, was the basis for all idolatry. No doubt Philip wanted a vision of God or theophany like that of Abraham (Gen. 15:17), Moses (Exo. 3:2; 33:23) or the elders and people of Israel (Exo. 24:9-10; 24:17).26 Philip wanted to see God but he had no idea that he had already seen God in Jesus.
“Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father’?” (14:9). Morris says, “…now comes the explanation, staggering in its simplicity and its profundity. To see Jesus is to see the Father…” 27 This is something that the mind of humanity has not been able to accept, that Jesus came to earth as the Almighty God, clothed in human flesh. To most humans such a thing is still unthinkable.28
“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (14:10). The ontological expressions, “in the Father” or “in the Son” are some of the most frequent statements in John’s gospel.29 Such expressions clearly show the unity of Father and Son. Jesus only said what he heard the Father saying and he only did what he saw the Father doing. He thus lived a life of perfect obedience. John’s expressions here are very similar to Paul’s later expressions of “in Christ” and “Christ in you.” (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21; Col. 1:27).
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (14:11). As we have said, Jesus did what he saw the Father doing. His works bore witness to the Father. While miracles are not the best basis of faith, they are far better than having no faith at all.30
DOING THE WORKS OF GOD
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12
Clearly, Jesus is here giving his followers (including all of us) the power and authority to do the kind of works he did. This would include healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the dead (Matt. 10:8; Mk. 16:15-18). The surprising thing here is that Jesus assures us that we will even do greater works than he did. We should probably not think of “greater” as works that are more profound. What could we do that is more profound than raising the dead, for death is the last enemy.31 Probably Jesus is speaking of works on a much broader scale. We know that Peter at Pentecost won more converts in one day than Jesus probably did in his whole career (cf. 2:41).32
Today we have massive evangelistic campaigns going on all over the world. For instance, in the year 2016, the vast Christian Broadcasting Network aired programs in 47 languages across 117 countries and territories. They reached a projected 360 million people and a projected 88 million of these people made professions of faith in Christ.33
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (14:13). Wiersbe assures us here that Jesus is not handing us a carte blanche for any and all of our wants.34 Serious Bible students know that there are many conditions involved before we receive what we ask. Petitions have to be in Jesus’ name (Jn. 14:13-14;16:23). We have to be persistent (Matt. 7:7-8; Lk. 11:5-13; 18:1-8). It is important to agree with others in prayer (Matt. 18:19). We must pray believing (Matt. 21:22) and without doubt (Mk. 11:22-24; Jam. 1:6-7). Our prayers must not be selfish (Jam. 4:2-3). They must be obedient (1 Jn. 3:22) and according to the will of God (1 Jn. 5:14-15).35
Praying in the name of Jesus is important. In the Old Testament, “name” had to do with honor, reputation and renown.36 Whatever was asked had to bring glory to that great name. It had to be prayed in unity with his great purpose. Prayer is not really about us but about him. Robert Law said of prayer that it, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” 37
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (14:14). Barclay feels that there are not two promises in all the scriptures greater than in these last two verses.38 One big problem we have today is that people are not asking God for things. James puts his finger on our postmodern problem. He says, “…You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (Jas. 4:2-3).
PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15
“If anyone really loves Jesus, then that love will be shown in keeping his commandments.” 39 As we have mentioned previously, John begins to make a very strong emphasis upon obedience and keeping the Lord’s commands. As Christians, we know that we do not live by the law. We also know that we do not live without it. Part of our problem in the modern and postmodern church is that we have not placed enough emphasis upon obedience and keeping the Lord’s commands. If we love him, it is a command that we keep his commands. Of course, we cannot do this by our own strength but by the Spirit that he will introduce in the next verse.
The Jewish people often speak of the 613 commands of the Torah (Law), we know there are hundreds of other commands given in the writings, and also in the prophets (cf. Dan.9:10). What might really surprise us is that according to my careful count there are over a thousand additional commands given in our New Testament. This would not count the great number of implied commands or teachings that are quite similar to actual commandments. I once compiled these New Testament commands and put them into a little booklet. It is available free on my website.40 I try to read through these commands on occasions just to see how seriously I am taking the Lord’s instructions.
When we really love someone we seek to please that one. I have dearly loved my wife for over sixty years and I do everything in my power to please her and make her happy. Sometimes that requires doing some jobs that I had rather not do, but love usually wins out. As we say around our house, “I don’t have to do it – I get to do it!”
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever…” (14:16). Jesus is going away but he is promising to send a wonderful heavenly gift to his church. In the Greek language this gift is called allon paraklēton. The NIV here calls this one “another advocate.” The Greek indicates that it is another of the same kind.41 The differing translations refer to this one also as a Comforter, Helper, Advocate, Counselor or even Paraclete. All these terms are fitting to some degree. Today the terms Comforter and Counselor are a little confusing due to present day usage of the words. Morris says, “The thought is rather that of the advocacy of one’s cause than of comforting in our sense of the term; modern translations favor “Advocate”…or “Counselor…The word means a friend, especially a legal friend.” 42
We have noticed especially on Fox News Network that the organization has hired several beautiful female lawyers as newscasters and anchors. The organization has no doubt realized how much of the news in our day has legal content involved with it. The devil is also a great lawyer and tries relentlessly to convict us of some sin. Fortunately for us, God has now provided a wonderful legal Advocate in the Holy Spirit, who is always with us, and often defending us.
The word Paraclete has the meaning of someone who has come beside us to help us or defend us.43 We surely need that help. Long before, John the Baptist had predicted that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mk. 1:8; Lk. 3:16; Jn. 1:33). Now the Lord will further develop the teaching (14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15).
He identifies this heavenly gift as, “the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (14:17). Today, people are at a great disadvantage in trying to understand the Spirit of Truth. Several of our postmodern philosophers have succeeded in bequeathing to us a totally false and defective concept of truth. They have assured us that there is no such thing as universal truth. This new concept has itself almost become universal. Today 72 percent of Americans deny that there is such a thing as absolute truth. As a result, few have confidence in the accuracy or authority of the Bible.44 Researcher Nancy Pearcey says, “The very meaning of the word true has been distorted. It no longer means that a statement matches what really exists in the world but only that it matches my inner experience.” 45 Robert Ringer adds, “People say they love truth, but, instead, they try to make true that which they love.” 46
We can see that postmodern people are certain to have difficulty with the Spirit of Truth that the Lord has sent to believers. As John says, “they cannot accept him.” But we believers can accept him and we rejoice in the Truth. We know that the Spirit of Truth is one and the same with Jesus who is the Truth (v. 6). He will guide us into all truth (16:13).
Jesus did not leave us as orphans at the mercy of the cruel world. He sent us a Comforter, a Counselor, an Advocate to help us in life. Jesus has returned to live in us. There is an old hymn written by Austin Miles in 1908 that expresses our new confidence in his presence:
If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go
Anywhere!
’Tis heaven to me,
Where’er I may be,
If he is there! 47
Today we believers can thank God for sending his Holy Spirit. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will lead us, comfort us, and defend us until the end of the age. He will strengthen us, teach us and cause us to remember all the things the Lord has taught us.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (14:18). In the Old Testament, orphans were powerless and they needed a legal defender.48 The Lord has not left us in such a condition. Since the Holy Spirit is our advocate we now have a good reply to make to Satan and all his accusations. We can say, “Satan, you will have to go talk with my lawyer!”
THE UNITY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19
There is an interesting thing about Jesus’ post resurrection appearances to hundreds of people. He never made a single appearance to an unbeliever, but only to his friends. The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said, “Little faith will take your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to our soul.” 49 What wonders we possess! His life is now in us. His truth is now in us. We are the recipients of his presence, his power, his love, his wisdom. It is just too much to imagine!
“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (14:20). While the expression “on that day” often speaks in an eschatological sense, here it likely refers to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances or to the fullness of the Spirit that was quickly coming.50 We just cannot escape the fact of the Triune Godhead in John’s gospel. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. Because his Holy Spirit is in us, Jesus and the Father are also in us. (cf. 14:10; 14:23).
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (14:21). Here he is reemphasizing what he said in verse 15. Someone has said that it does not matter how high you jump when the Holy Spirit comes upon you but it is how straight you walk when you hit the ground. If we love the Lord we will obey him. In his little book of First John we read this warning and instruction: “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 Jn. 2:4-6). It is to obedient people that Jesus will show himself. These are the ones that really love him.
“Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, ‘But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’” (14:22). Judas the betrayer had now gone to the authorities to do his awful deed. This Judas can probably be identified with Judas, son of James (Lk. 6:16; Acts 1:13). He could also be identified with Thaddeus (Mt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18).51 Quite simply, the Lord points out love as the condition of his revelation.52 For this reason he could not reveal himself to the world in general. It was good that this disciple was concerned about the lost world because he and the others would shortly be sent as missionaries to that world.
“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me’” (14:23-24). Wiersbe comments, “Salvation means we are going to heaven, but submission means that heaven comes to us!” 53 John will not let us get away from the thought that love means obedience. In the New Testament there is no such thing as a squishy, sentimental, namby-pamby love of Jesus. All real love must be attached to obedience. Where there is no obedience there is no love. How could we in our modern and postmodern churches forget this all-important fact?
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS
All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:25-26
Here we see one wonderful thing about the Advocate or the Holy Spirit who is to come. He is a teacher like Jesus and he will prod our memories to recall the things that we have learned from Jesus and his word. At the age of 81, I find that aspect of the Holy Spirit a great benefit to my failing mind. We should remember, however, that the Holy Spirit only recalls that which we have heard from the Lord and which we have read in the word. If we are not praying, meditating in scripture and reading our Bibles consistently the Holy Spirit recall will not work for us.54
Morris says: “This is the fullest description of the Spirit to be found in this gospel…For the first Christians the important thing was that he is holy…He is to be sent by the Father, but in the name of the Son. In 15:26, he is sent by the Son from the Father…It comes from both.” 55 Once again, the Trinitarian implications are abounding in this section. We can see how the early church had to struggle for a few hundred years to finally sort out and formulate the Trinitarian truth found in all of these passages.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (14:27). For the Hebrew, “Shalom” or peace was a normal benediction (or greeting). The same thing is true today in modern Israel. To the Hebrew, Shalom meant many things like, wholeness, completeness, health, security and even prosperity in its best sense.56 Tenney says, “His peace did not consist in freedom from turmoil and suffering, but in a calm undeviating devotion to the will of God.” 57 In our troubled world we hear much about peace, peace conferences and peace treaties but these have nothing to do with the blessed and lasting peace that Jesus gives us.
“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I” (14:28). Instead of sadness the disciples should have had joy. Jesus was going back from whence he came, back to the Father and his glory. He would no longer have to work under the limitations of the flesh. Once with his Father he could send the Holy Spirit to them. Of course, Jesus would appear to them in his glorious resurrection body before he would ascend to the Father.
“I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe” (14:29). We note the great care and preparation the Lord made so that his disciples could accomplish the difficult transitions ahead of them. With all this preparation we would think that the disciples would have done better with the Lord’s trial, crucifixion and burial.
“I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. ‘Come now; let us leave’” (14:30-31). We have said earlier that Satan is not omniscient or omnipresent. However, we can be pretty sure that Satan himself was going to be present for this event. He would not assign something as important as the crucifixion of Jesus to one of his lackeys. Jesus lived such a trusting and obedient life that Satan could not get his hands on him. There was nothing of the flesh for him to hold. Unfortunately, the devil can often find something in our lives that gives him a reasonably good foothold.
Commentators have supposed at this point that Jesus’ upper room discourse had come to an end. It is likely that he continued to do some more teaching on his way from the Upper Room through the temple area and on to the Garden of Gethsemane.