John 14

Jesus' promised return
His Father, and the Holy Spirit
Text Comments
.1 ¶ 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.
   1 - Let not your hearts be troubled Jesus knew that His followers would grieve after He went away. Here His speaks with loving concern. When we lose a loved one to death, we may take comfort in these words of our Lord.
   1 - Believe The faithful ones had a strong confidence in the Father. Here and in the chapters to follow Jesus connects that to confidence in Him.
   2 - Mansions Houses within a house? Jesus is speaking, to some degree, in metaphors. Certainly we will have individual homes.
   2 - If it were not so The disciples knew the Old Testament promises. The faithful were assured a place within the walls of the Lord's house. is5601-8. That promise was still valid.
   2 - I go The house of His Father mentioned here was not the Jewish temple or the corrupt city of Jerusalem. He was going away to it. In teaching the disciples to pray, he had said, "Our Father who is in heaven."(Luke 11:2) . Remember that the present promise was made after Jesus had left the temple desolate. He had called it His father's house but now it was theirs mt2338. At the end of the thousand years the prepared place will come to earth re2102 although we will live in it during that period. 
   3 - I will come again Beautiful promise. A careful reading of this verse leaves no place for the idea of souls going to heaven before the grand return of the Lord. re0107bas.
   3 - Receive you He comes to get us. We are "caught up" to meet Him in the air 1th0417 not in heaven and not on earth.
   He will come visibly and literally in a cloud just the way He left us ac0109.
.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.		 Deep and beautiful concepts.

   5 - How can we know the way? Although Thomas should have known the answer, we can be glad that Jesus explained the profound simplicity of the way of Salvation.
.8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew 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, Shew 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.
   8 - Show us the Father You can see that Jesus came to reveal the Father. Philip may have been thinking of the revelation to Moses ex3318ff but he had already witnessed the divine character in clarity.
.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.		    14 - If you ask "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." So if we ask for a ton of gold will it appear for us? The text says anything. It also says "in my name." We remember that a name is more than just a word. It represents the person. It is character. So anything we ask that is in harmony with the goodness and justice of God, He will do. If we ask for forgiveness we can plead our case by the fact that Jesus died for us. The Father loves us, too, but it is Jesus who died for our sins and it is He who arranges our pardon before the Father. All other good gifts that we need we may ask for in the same spirit. Sometimes we do not receive our request because it is not for God's glory — not according to the name of Christ. Sometimes God allows His children to suffer to help others realize evil. John clarifies in his first epistle. 1jo0514.
.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;
.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.		    15 - Keep my commandments What commandments? Of course, whatever He asks, but there's more: Notice that He identified Himself as the I AM of the Exodus jn0858. Then look at the first verse of Exodus 20. ex2001. Also He spoke for the Father so His commandments were those of the Father jn1249, v10
   16 - Another Jesus was the disciples' comforter — their support contact 1jo0201. The Spirit is just as real although it's the Father with whom we communicate. See also v26.
   17 - Even the Spirit of truth Reception of the Holy Spirit assumes keeping the commandments v15. We see popular ministers on television who promote receiving the Spirit. They talk a lot about healing and about God's power to give us whatever we might need (as we give money) but nothing seems to be said about obedience. This is not the true gospel.
.18 ¶ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
.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.
 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.
 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.		   19 - Ye in me and I in you It is through the Holy Spirit that He is in us and we in Him. Compare jn1504.
  20 - At that day ac0201. Of course we weren't living then. The Holy Spirit comes to us, not by sending us into a trance of hysteria but by quietly helping us understand spiritual things, by helping us know Jesus Christ, by bringing Christ close to us as we pray, by giving understanding of the Scriptures, and by the quiet little voice guiding our steps. 1ki1912.
.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. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.		    26 - The Comforter "Comforter" translates the Greek word parakletos which literally means "one called to one's side." Notice the comparison in Jesus' statement. He was present with the disciples. After He went to heaven the Father sent the Holy Spirit – the one sent to be by our side.
  27 - Peace We can have peace in the storm knowing that the Lord is in control of our lives. ro0501, ph0406f, jn1633.
.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.   Greater than I This seems to imply that Christ was inferior which is not the case ph0209, 1co1527. In the incarnation (taking on the form of human flesh), His role was and is in some ways like ours. Thus in His humanity He would look to the Father from our perspective. See ph0207, he0209. We must remember that we will never understand the exact nature of God for He will ever be greater than us. Of course we can enjoy knowing what has been revealed.
.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.		   30 - Prince of this world Satan claims this world as his kingdom, but he is only the prince. Christ, too is a prince da0925. At the end of the preadvent judgment, we will see that He, not Satan, becomes king in a special way da0714. This concept may take a little study.
   30 - Nothing Praise God! Jesus was faithful and just. That means He can forgive and cleanse us 1jo0109.
  31 - Let us go hence In modern English, "Let us go from here." See mt2630. Some believe that Jesus' instruction in the next chapters was also in the upper room but there is reason to assume that John's account was not chronological. They sang a hymn (of the Passover) and went out mt2630.
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