Reflections on John 14
(John 14 KJV) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. {4} And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. {5} Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? {6} Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. {7} If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. {8} Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. {9} Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? {10} Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. {11} Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. {12} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. {13} And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. {14} If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
• Have you ever considered why it is that Christian people feel they are never alone?
{15} If ye love me, keep my commandments. {16} And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
• This is a curious statement from several points of view. One, Jesus says he is going to send someone or something to live with us—to abide with us—forever.
• It is also odd that Jesus calls it another comforter, because that implies another in addition to or in the place of one already given. The various translations fool around with other words and sentence structure, but no one changes the qualifying word: “another.”
• Other versions render comforter as “advocate,” “counselor,” or “helper.” it is an odd word
on the face of it. John, in his first epistle, calls Jesus Christ our “advocate” and uses the
same word he uses here.
So we have two advocates, one is Jesus himself, and the other is
the one he sends. Confusing? Perhaps, but it is important to know what the issues are. He
sends an advocate to be with us, and he remains an advocate for us with the Father.
• Paul sheds some light on this issue in 2 Corinthians, by using the root word 10 times in five verses with various applications. See them here.
• After careful thought, I felt the most apt word to retain Paul’s play on words is the verb, “to encourage.
• Now, who is this encourager?
{17} Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
• I don’t see any reason to assume we are dealing with something entirely new here. More likely, it is the Spirit of God working with us in a new relationship. He also implies that this new relationship depends on his going to the Father.
{18} I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
• Here, the word changes. The word “comfortless” is the Greek orphanos. “I will not leave you like orphans.”
{19} Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. {20} At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
• This falls strangely on modern ears, but I think it was familiar enough to the disciples at the time. What Jesus is describing is something like blood brotherhood. He has just, at the last supper, given them his blood to drink and they entered covenant with him.
{21} He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. {22} Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
{23} Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
• They will come to you and move in. You will never be alone again.
{24} He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. {25} These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. {26} But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
{27} Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
• I have thought about this for a long time. My idea of peace differs somewhat from what most Christians experience. My idea is that of the world.
• The kind of peace Jesus gives is that which allowed Paul and Barnabas to sing hymns in the night, in stocks in jail, after having been beaten.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. {28} Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. {29} And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. {30} Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. {31} But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
• The conversation continued as they walked to Gethsemane.
[These notes correspond roughly to the radio program, The Gospel of John #10.