John Chapter Fourteen
I Am...The Way, and the Truth, and the Life
14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Jesus continues teaching His disciples. Perhaps perceiving that something major was about to happen or that Jesus may soon be arrested, the disciples became anxious. So Jesus tells them not to worry, that they should believe in God and also in Him. He is not asking them in believe that He and His Father exist, He is reassuring them that He and His Father will keep their promises.
He tells them that in His Father’s house are many rooms. Referring to heaven,[1] not the Temple or any other earthly dwelling, Jesus reassures them that through Him there is life after death. He notes that if that was not the case, He would not be telling them now that He is going to prepare a place for them. He also promised to come back again and will take them there Himself, so they will all be together again. The timing of the return of Jesus referenced here is often debated. Some believe since Jesus does not mention judgment, that this is not His second coming, but is actually another reference to the rapture.[2]
Jesus, having already told them where He was going earlier just before washing their feet (see John 13:1-3) and also previously (see John 7:33), He expected them to remember. But Thomas, perhaps still thinking Jesus was going to some physical location, told Him that they (perhaps speaking for everyone) don’t know where He is going, so how can they know the way? Jesus responded with the sixth, “I Am” statement, proclaiming that He is the way, the truth, and the life. And that no one can make it to heaven without first accepting Jesus. There is only one path to heaven and that is through Jesus. He first states that He is the way, which reflects the lesson of the third “I Am,” being the only door to heaven (see also Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). He is the truth, He not only knows the truth about everything, He is telling the truth about salvation (see John 1:14, 17; 18:37; Revelation 3:7; 19:11), and as such, He is Truth. He is also the Life, He alone posses the life of God. The mystery of life is solved, it all started with Him, without Him there is no life (see John 1:4; 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 1:1; 5:20). Those that reject Him are condemned, but those that accept Him, He leads them on the proper path to eternal life, the way to His Father in heaven. He says that if you know Jesus then you already know His Father, as He and His Father are One (see John 10:30-33, see also John 1:1-3, 14-18; 5:18; 8:58; 19:7; 20:28-29).
14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Apparently speaking for the disciples, Philip tells Jesus that if He would show them His Father, that they will believe. Jesus rebukes Philip as this concept of Him being the same as His Father was an often-taught lesson. He asks Philip that after all this time together, that he still does not know Him? He says that the words He speaks are His Father’s, and that the Father dwells in Him and it is through the Father that He is able to perform miracles. Jesus asks them to believe that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, a true synergy. But if they can’t, they should believe in Him because He can perform miracles.
14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Jesus tells them that whoever believes in Him will do the same miracles as He is doing and will do even greater things. The interpretation of this verse is another controversial subject, as it raises many questions, such as: What does He mean by greater works? What types of miracles can believers do? Can we truly ask for anything? Most believe that the ‘greater’ works refers to the ability to perform greater numbers (quantity), not greater in power. As for the other questions, we need to understand two very important things: 1) Believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, the same power that resurrected Jesus from the dead is within each one of us (as Jesus will explain in the following verses). 2) Believers are called to be ambassadors of Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 5:20), who gave every believer the responsibility to evangelize (see Matthew 28:18-20). So what does that mean? If believers are truly following and listening to Jesus, then power is available to do as He desires. This power is not for ‘rogue’ believers who are engaged in doing whatever they want to do. Wherever God places us we need to remember, wherever God guides, He provides whatever resources are needed. If a healing or some other miracle is needed, He will provide. Believers must be willing to ask and in faith expect God to respond. But it must also be His will.
Considerations
Jesus tells His disciples that He is going back to His Father to prepare a place for them. Described as a house with many rooms, the theme of dwelling with God reemerges. From the days of the Tabernacle that was built in Moses’ day, through the Temple and now the Holy Spirit residing in believers, God has always desired to dwell among His people. The Tabernacle and Temple were required before Jesus because the sinful nature of man had not been resolved yet. But now that Jesus paid the full price and purchased believers from their bondage to sin, the Holy Spirit can dwell among us now and then later, after death, and after creation has been restored to perfection, we will continue to dwell with our loving God in heaven. His love for us is truly incomprehensible.
“Show us the Father,” really Philip? Did they not know that was not a good idea? Remember Exodus 33:20b when God said, “Man shall not see me and live.” Before any of us begins to wonder why the disciples were seemingly slow in understanding who and what Jesus was, we should probably take a quick look at our own ability to perceive. As mentioned earlier, our understanding of what is real is based on our worldview and each of our worldviews, while perhaps similar in many ways, still can vary significantly from person to person.[3] The disciples were unable to think spiritually until they were given the Holy Spirit after Jesus was victorious on the cross. When we read Scripture today we have an advantage of knowing not only “how the story ends,” every believer has the Holy Spirit residing in them that offers us insight, discernment, and wisdom. They could not think past the physical realm, they saw the evidence through many healings and miracles, but still could not understand God being man. In that sense they were not much different than the Pharisees, except they knew Jesus came from God. Peter himself called Jesus the Christ (see Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20), but apparently Peter’s view of the Christ didn’t extend into being the same as God the Father, as Jesus was teaching here. That understanding of reality came after Jesus’ resurrection.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
Jesus tells the disciples that if they love Him, then they will obey Him. He first gave them the power to do miracles through Him (see verses 12-14) and now He is encouraging them to do as He asks. The word translated here as ‘commandments’ is ‘entolas’,[4] which includes the meaning to fulfill a commission. If we love Jesus, we will do as He instructed. Remember, all Christians have been given the Great Commission to go and make disciples (see Matthew 28:18-20),
Understanding that His disciples will soon experience, if not already, separation anxiety due to His eminent departure, Jesus lets them know they will never be alone. He promises them “another Helper” (Greek ‘allon’,[5] another of the same kind but different and ‘paraklēton’,[6] to comfort, encourage, to aid) that will be with them forever. Referring to the Holy Spirit,[7] Jesus calls Him the “Spirit of truth.” Someone who non-believers have no access to, as they cannot see Him nor know Him. He notes that the Spirit dwells ‘with’ (Greek ‘par’,[8] nearby, alongside) them now but will soon permanently reside in them (after being victorious on the cross) on the following day of Pentecost (which is also considered the birth of the church).
14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Jesus assures the disciples that He will not leave them as orphans (Greek ‘orphanous’,[9] a dark term that refers to being neglected, bereaved of parents, to wander into obscurity). As He will return, speaking initially being resurrected as well as later in a yet future event.[10] Referring to being executed on the cross and then later after His ascension, the world will not see Him, but they will see Him again. He tells them that because He lives (becoming alive again after His death), they will also live (eternal life). On that day of His resurrection they will know that He is in His Father (final evidence that answers Philip’s question in verse eight). Jesus adds that they (and all believers) are in Him!
14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Jesus states again the importance of obeying His commandments, those things He taught (see verses 15-17). That those that do obey are those that love Him, which in turn means that they are loved by Him and His Father. John later in his first epistle links obedience to being a true follower of Jesus. “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:3-6) In addition to a Christian’s unconditional love for others (see John 13:31-35), a believer can be identified by their obedience to Jesus. In response to those that love Him, Jesus promised that He will ‘manifest’ Himself to them (Greek ‘emphanisō’,[11] to make apparent, to be intimately known and understood).
14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
The other ‘Judas’, the son of James, was also known as Thaddeus (see Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18), here identified by John as “not Iscariot” to avoid being confused with the betrayer. He asks Jesus how can someone exist and be seen by some and not by others? Judas, like the other disciples, was only thinking about the physical realm and could not relate to the spiritual world. In response, Jesus essentiality repeats verses 15 and 21, with emphasis on keeping His Word (the importance of obedience), and added that His Father will love them and He will come and make ’our’ (plural, a reference to the Godhead) home with him. And for those that do not love Him, they will not keep His Words, because what they do hear is not from Him, referring to the them listening to Satan and the world. Some question whether Jesus’ response answered Judas’ question. Jesus did not answer directly, He is once again explaining the “dichotomy of life,” those that either chose to love Jesus and those who have rejected Him. His answer extends into the following verses where He explains the aid of the Holy Spirit. Those that love Jesus will receive “the Helper,” a manifestation of God to be with them. God will be with them but not with those that do not love Him, which does answer Judas’ question.
14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Jesus prepares the disciples for the transition, after He suffers, dies, and rises to life again, He will return to God the Father. But He will not abandon them, He tells them that His Father will send the ‘Helper’, the Holy Spirit, in His name. The Holy Spirit will teach them all things and help them with their memory, so they can report accurately the words and lessons of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is promised for every believer. Not just available, but He actually resides in each Christian as they become God’s temple on earth (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:11-22).
14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
The Greek word ‘eirēnēn’,[12] just like the English word ‘peace’, it has many applications. Everything from meaning the opposite of war to that of experiencing tranquility. Here Jesus is not referring to cessation of war or conflict between people groups, He is describing something that is beyond human comprehension. Living in the world means living in conflict, as everyday seems to bring new issues that are potentially troubling. Jesus is saying that His supernatural peace will surpass those things that trouble our hearts. Christians are not to be afraid of things of the world. The apostle Peter wrote, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:13-17) Peter is saying that during times of conflict and trouble are good opportunities to witness for Jesus. Having God’s peace that transcends all understanding (see Philippians 4:7) will be seen by others, and they will ask you why you are not disturbed by what is going on in your life or in the world. Peter says that you should then tell them about Jesus. Remember Jesus will always be with you (Matthew 28:20).
14:28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
Theologians often point out that verses that speak of Jesus going away and coming back have two potential meanings. The first being when He dies, He will come to life again, and second, when He goes to the Father, He will one day return (His second coming). Both events are important, but as the apostle Paul noted, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14) The resurrection is the most important element of Jesus’ ministry, the work on the cross is the foundation on which Christianity is built on.
No EVENT OF TIME OR ETERNITY compares with the transcending significance of the death of Christ on the cross. Other important undertakings of God such as the creation of the world, the incarnation of Christ, His resurrection, the second coming, and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth become meaningless if Christ did not die. A faithful student of Christology cannot escape, therefore, the responsibility of a careful study of this doctrine as it is not only the heart of gospel preaching, but without it other doctrines of Christology have no relevance.
In the study of Christ in His sufferings and death, one is in a holy of holies, a mercy seat sprinkled with blood, to which only the Spirit-taught mind has access. In His death Christ supremely revealed the holiness and righteousness of God as well as the love of God which prompted the sacrifice. In a similar way the infinite wisdom of God is revealed as no human mind would ever have devised such a way of salvation, and only an infinite God would be willing to sacrifice His Son.
Like other important doctrines, the death of Christ has been disputed by those who reject scriptural revelation. Some liberals affirm that Christ died, but did not literally rise from the dead. Some have held that Christ did not actually die and was merely revived. Both of these views, born of unbelief, question the validity of the death or resurrection of Christ and are equally destructive to Christian faith.
The biblical record of the death of Christ is a complete presentation both from the prophetic and the historical standpoints. Many passages in the Old Testament as well as in the Gospels predicted the death of Christ, such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22 and similar references. If one accepts the biblical testimony, it is unavoidable that one also accepts the fact of the death of Christ. All the Gospels and all of the Epistles either state or assume the fact of His death (cf. Matt. 27:32–66; Mark 15:21–47; Luke 23:26–56; John 19:16–42; Rom. 5:6; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:15; Rev. 5:9).
Historically, the biblical doctrine of the person and work of Christ are essential to explain the existence of the church. Without the death of Christ there would be no sacrifice for sin, no salvation, no resurrection and none of the other elements that have formed the content of Christian faith from the beginning. The fact that the Christian church was able to endure centuries of persecution and to survive centuries of neglect and opposition is difficult to explain apart from the system of theology stemming from belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who actually died, rose and ascended into heaven.[13]
Jesus returned to the Father just before His resurrection and then later after ascending to Heaven (see John 20:17; Acts 1:6-11). Here He points out that that the Father is greater than He is, an interesting point, although often misinterpreted, He is acknowledging His submission to His Father. He is not saying He has less authority or power, as all authority has been given to Him. Being there in heaven with His Father, provides a powerful duo for all Christians, as Jesus is our High Priest, and our intercessor (see Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24).
Jesus then points to the fact that He is telling them all this before it happens so that they (and us today) can KNOW that He indeed is telling the truth and therefore believe in Him. Jesus is calling our attention on the importance to understand prophecy. Throughout the Bible, prophecy is used to validate the truth, only God knows the end from the beginning and offers insight by including a description (or other details) of important events prior to the events occurring so people can know there is a God and that He delights in keeping His promises.
14:30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
Jesus tells His disciples that His teaching will soon be coming to an end as the ruler of this world (Satan) is coming,[14] even though he has no claim on Him. By stating that Satan has no claim on Him, Jesus indirectly is telling us that the following events are all God-ordained, not something that randomly occurred or was planned by Satan. Jesus is participating because His Father commanded Him to, which gives evidence that He loves His Father. Jesus then tells them it was time to leave the upper room. However, the lessons of the “Upper Room Discourse” continue as they walk to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Considerations
Another major theme in all of John’s writings is the subject of truth. The Greek word ‘alētheia’[15] meaning truth, and reality, as evidenced in relation to facts, can also refer to sincerity. This noun can be found 109 times in the New Testament. In his gospel account John used the word 25 times and 20 times in his three epistles. The adjective ‘alēthēs’,[16] meaning real, actual, not counterfeit, appears 14 times in his gospel. The noun only appears for a total of seven times in the other gospel accounts combined and the adjective only twice. John seems to be obsessed with the truth. Why? Since he regularly revisits the need for people to believe and know they are saved (see John 19:35; 21:24), as an eyewitness John makes it clear that the facts of the gospel message are true. John wrote with a strong passion to present the facts about Jesus’ ministry so that his readers could see who Jesus was, read about His plan of salvation, and make the decision to accept Jesus’ free gift.
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[1] See Considerations under Luke 9:32-36 "Comparing the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God to Heaven."
[2] See the Introduction to the Olivet Discourse at the beginning of Matthew chapter 24. See also Considerations under Matthew 24:45-51 "Rapture Revisited."
[3] See Considerations under Matthew 18:56 "What is a Worldview?"
[4] Strong’s Greek 1785.
[5] Strong’s Greek 243.
[6] Strong’s Greek 3875.
[7] See Considerations under Luke 1:24-25 "Filled With the Holy Spirit."
[8] Strong’s Greek 3844.
[9] Strong’s Greek 3737.
[10] See verse three, see also commentary under John 14:1-7.
[11] Strong’s Greek 1718.
[12] Strong’s Greek 1515.
[13] Walvoord, J. F. (2008). Jesus Christ Our Lord (pp. 153–154). Galaxie Software.
[14] See Considerations under Matthew 4:11 "Introducing Satan" and “No Denials.”
[15] Strong’s Greek 225.
[16] Strong’s Greek 227.