Gospel of John - Chapter 14

KEY VERSES:

(1) “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
(6) …“I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
(9) … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
(10) … I am in the Father and the Father is in me?…
(16)…he will give you another Advocate … the Holy Spirit…

Everett F. Harrison - The Gospel According to John.: “Chapter 14 deals largely with specific encouragements to counterbalance the departure of Jesus, the defection of Judas and the predicted failure of Peter. These are: the ultimate provision of the Father’s house; the return of Christ for his own; the prospect of doing greater works; unlimited prayer possibility; the gift of the Holy Spirit; and the provision of Christ’s peace.”

Outline of John Chapters 14-16 (middletownbiblechurch.org):

Going Away But Coming Again (John 14:1-4).
The Way to God (John 14:5-14).
How To Love God (John 14:15-24).
The Coming Comforter (John 14:25-31).
The Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-11).
The Greatest Love Of All (John 15:12-17).
The Believer and the World (John 15:18-27).
Coming Persecution (John 16:1-4).
Jesus Goes But the Comforter Comes (John 16:5-15).
Farewell Words (John 16:16-33).

John 13:36-38 : Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter - before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
(1) “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

Your:

While the word “your” is plural in the original, Jesus is especially speaking to Peter who was just told that he would deny Jesus three times. But, no doubt the biggest shock to all of them was Jesus telling them: “I'm going away”.

Troubled:

Also in verse 27. Greek - tarasso: describes an ocean caught in the teeth of a storm.
The disciples had reason to be troubled. Jesus had just told them that one of them was a traitor, that all of them would deny Him and that He would leave them that night.
Wil Pounds: “It is most unfortunate that there is a chapter break between 13:38 and 14:1. Jesus is answering Peter's question in 13:36-37 that refers back to Jesus’ words about His departure in verse 33. The disciples are “troubled” about what Jesus has been revealing to them about His death and resurrection (13:33) … These are the words of the Good Shepherd comforting the hearts of His troubled sheep … The night before His crucifixion, Jesus slowly stripped away the veneer of a utopia. He completely destroyed their fantasies. In its place, He gave them a greater revelation of Himself … Jesus never suggested that if we followed Him we would never again experience trouble, disappointment or trials. A little later that night He said just the opposite -‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33.) Jesus did not promise them their troubles were going away. He told them He would be with them in the midst of their troubles. He would be their stabilizing force and strength. He did not tell them some foolish make-believe philosophy that their pain, suffering, evil and sin didn’t exist. Thinking beautiful thoughts won’t make these things go away … The hurt of those disciples that night was no different from the hurts you experience today. Jesus was telling those disciples to give Him those ‘troubles’ that were boiling over and flooding their hearts.”
Morgan: “They were losing Him. After three and a half-years in His close company, traveling here and there; watching Him, listening to Him; now He was going; they are going to be left. That was their trouble … He told them He was going to suffer. He told them He was going to die. He told them He was going to resurrection. They never seem to have grasped the fact of the resurrection.”
Ray Stedman: “We can understand why they would be greatly troubled. They were aware of the mounting peril to Jesus, and that the priests and the rulers of the Jews were out to put him to death. Also, they were no doubt ashamed of their own behavior at the Last Supper, arguing about who was the greatest till the Lord rebuked them by washing their feet, much to their shame and embarrassment. Then they were uneasy when he declared that one of them was going to betray him. They were confused and puzzled by the sudden exodus of Judas from their midst. Most of all, they were afraid of losing Jesus. They were troubled by his words that he was about to take his departure, that they would look for him but would see him no more. Anxious foreboding filled their minds. The cold clutch of fear gripped their hearts.”
William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible: “In a very short time life for the disciples was going to fall in. Their world was going to collapse in chaos around them. At such a time, there was only one thing to do -- stubbornly to hold on to trust in God. As the Psalmist had had it: "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalms 27:13). "But my eyes are toward thee, O Lord God; in thee I seek refuge" (Psalms 141:8). There comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and to accept where we cannot understand. If, in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

Trust in God, and … in me:

A. W. Pink: “‘You believe in God,’ who is invisible; you believe in His love, though you have never seen His form; you are conscious of His care, though you have never touched the Hand that guides and protects you. ‘Believe, also in Me;’ … In like manner you must have full confidence in My existence, my love, and care, even though I am no longer present to sight. This comfort remains for us; this is the faith in which we are now to live: ‘Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory’ (1 Peter 1:8).”
A. W. Pink: “But it should be remembered that the Lord was speaking not only to the Eleven, but to us as well. . . ‘Believe in God,’ O Christian. Let not your heart be troubled, for thy Father is possessed of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. He knows what is best for thee, and He makes all things work together for thy good. He is on the Throne, ruling amid the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. . . ‘If God be for us who can be against us?’ Believe in God. Believe in His absolute sovereignty, His infinite wisdom, His unchanging faithfulness, His wondrous love. “ Believe also in Me.” I am the One who died for thy sins and rose again for thy justification: I am the One who ever lives to make intercession for thee. I am the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. I am the One who shall come again to receive you to Myself, and you shall be forever with Me. Yes, ‘Believe also in me!’”
Albert Barnes: “Probably it should be read in the imperative - ‘Believe on God, and believe on me.‘ ”
Wendelin Phillips: “Trust isn’t an easy thing to come by but it’s one of the most important parts of our relationship with God. When times are tough and things aren’t going our way, that’s when we find it the most difficult to trust God. We doubt that God is going to come through for us, we lack faith in His promises, and we worry ourselves with endless thoughts about our future. The problem is that this is the exact opposite of how God wants us to react to the difficult circumstances in our lives. God wants us to trust Him when we’re having doubts and are unsure about what to do. He wants us to believe in His promises when we think that things are going to get worse.”
Wendelin Phillips: 3 Steps to Trusting God More in Your Life:

Surrender yourself and all of your troubles to God. You can move from worry to worship by realizing that God is in control of every circumstance in your life.
Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Your thoughts are extremely powerful and they can affect things like your mood, your attitude, and yes, even your actions. So when you find yourself thinking negative thoughts that are bringing you down, start thinking about positive scriptures that will lift you up.
Ask God to give you patience. It’s a fact that God will come through for you at just the right moment. He’ll never fail you. You’ll need to stay in prayer during this time because your faith will be tested. During your trial, ask God to give you patience and to help you trust that He knows what’s best for you.

Robert L. Deffinbaugh said he would paraphrase our Lord’s words in verse 1 in this way:
- “Don’t be distressed that I am going away, and that you cannot come with me right now. You believe in God, don’t you? Can you see Him? Does He have a physical body that you can see and touch? No. I am going away, and you will not be able to see Me as you have for these past three years. I challenge you, therefore, to believe in Me in the same way that you believe in God the Father, as your unseen Lord. I will be just as real in My absence as I have ever been while dwelling among you.
Robert Hommel: “Jesus is not saying to have faith in His works, nor have faith in Him because He represents the Father; He simply equates faith in Him with faith in His Father. In the context of salvation, this equation can only mean that Jesus is making Himself equal with His Father as the ultimate Savior and Redeemer of God’s children - a role exclusively held by YHWH in the OT revelation.”
Dr. Bob Utley: “The grammatically balanced structure of this verse shows that Jesus is claiming equality with God. Also remember that these were Jews who were committed to monotheism and yet recognized the implications of Jesus' statement. It is one thing to believe in a Supreme Being and it is quite another to be a Christian. This phrase focuses not on a doctrinal creed, but on the person of Jesus Christ.”
Joshua 1:9: This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 13:4-6: Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Mark 5:36: But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
Philippians 4:6-7: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

(2) There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

More than enough room in my Father’s home:
- Or, “There are many rooms in my Father’s house.”
- Adam Clarke Commentary: “Our Lord alludes here to the temple, which was called the house of God, in the precincts of which there were a great number of chambers,”
Robert L. Deffinbaugh: “This, in my opinion, is what our Lord is presently preparing - a holy temple, a congregation of believers in whom, and among whom, He will dwell for all eternity. When the disciples comprehend what Jesus is saying here, they will look on His “absence” in an entirely different light. It is better for them that He leave them, for a time, so that they may dwell with Him for all eternity.”
- Ephesians 2:19-22: So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Prepare a place for you:
- Much like what happens when a Jewish man and woman are betrothed. The groom goes away to build a home for his bride. When the Father examines the home, and says it is ready, the groom comes back to the edge of the city, blows a trumpet on the side of the mountain and the bride goes out to the groom.
- A. M. Hunter (The Gospel according to John): “The day before, Jesus had sent two of his disciples to secure a “large room upstairs” for the Last Supper (Mark 14:12f). They did not know the way but had to follow the owner. Arriving, they found everything “prepared.” It looks as if Jesus here made the disciples’ journey of the day before a parable of eternity, in which the upper room foreshadows the home of God with its many habitations.”
- Dr. Constable’s Expository: “Jesus would not go to heaven to create a place for believers there. Rather, everything that He would do, from His death to His return to heaven, would constitute preparation for believers to join Him there ultimately. The idea that Jesus is presently constructing dwelling places for believers in heaven, and has been doing so for 2,000 years, is not what Jesus meant here. Jesus’ going (i.e., to the Cross), itself, prepared the place.”
- Matt Slick (CARM.org): “Jesus is not telling us that heaven has compartments or that we will have little places in which to live. In the ancient culture, a father's house was where the extended family lived. Rooms were often added on as the family grew through birth and marriage. What Jesus was doing was using the present day illustration of a loving, tight, family community. So, Christ is saying that He is preparing a place for us in heaven where we will dwell with God in close communion with Him and that there is room in heaven for all whom God calls to salvation.”
- Dr. Bob Utley: “This does not mean to imply that heaven, in a physical sense, was not prepared before this, but that Jesus' life, teachings, and death allows sinful mankind to approach and dwell with a holy God. Jesus goes before believers as their guide and forerunner.”
  - Hebrews 6:20: Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
- Hebrews 11:16: But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

(3) When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

When everything is ready:

Once the father approved the home his son is preparing for his bride.

Come and get you:

The marriage supper of the Lamb!
Ray Stedman: “Upon death, every believer is received into glory by Jesus. As Stephen was being stoned to death he said, “I see the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of the throne of God,” (Acts 7:55-56). (Some have suggested that Jesus had risen to welcome him home.) I believe this indicates that these two events (the second coming of Jesus back into time to carry out his announced prophetic program, and the coming of the Lord personally for each believer upon death), are really one and the same. Other passages suggest this. It is very likely that when we step out of time, we step into eternity, and in eternity there is no waiting for anything. What you are spiritually ready for is what occurs. The event for which the Spirit of God is now getting us ready, throughout this earthly journey, is the coming of the Lord for his own. When we breathe our last, every true believer finds himself at this great world-shaking event when all believers are caught up together, and enter into glory at once.”
Acts 1:11: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
Hebrews 9:28: so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

(4) And you know the way to where I am going.”

The way:
- The early church was called “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 24:14,22).
Where I am going:

John 13:33, 36: Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. … Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”

(5) “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

We don’t know:

Ray Stedman: “Thomas’ problem was not that he did not know the Father; it was that he had not realized that he knew the Father.”

(6) Jesus told him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

I AM:
- This is the sixth of Jesus’ “I AM ” claims.
- The Seven “I AM” Statements:
- Galyn Wiemers: “Christianity is not based on Jesus’ teachings but on Jesus, who he is, the person of Christ, the Son of God. Salvation is not in the teachings of Jesus but in Jesus himself. ”
- Gotquestions.org: “In the Greek language, “I am” is a very intense way of referring to oneself. It would be comparable to saying, “I myself, and only I, am.” Several other times in the Gospels we find Jesus using these words. In Matthew 22:32 Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6, where God uses the same intensive form to say, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” The Jews clearly understood Jesus to be calling Himself God because they took up stones to stone Him for committing blasphemy in equating Himself with God. In Matthew 28:20, as Jesus gave the Great Commission, He gave it emphasis by saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” When the soldiers came seeking Jesus in the garden the night before His crucifixion, He told them, “I am he,” and His words were so powerful that the soldiers fell to the ground (John 18:4-6). These words reflect the very name of God in Hebrew, Yahweh, which means “to be” or “the self-existing one.” It is the name of power and authority, and Jesus claimed it as His own.”
- Ray Pritchard: “If words mean anything, this is an utterly exclusive claim by our Lord. Without him, and apart from him, there is no way to the Father in heaven. If you decide Jesus is not for you, God doesn’t have a Plan B. Note how personal this is. We are not saved by religion or by the church, but by Jesus himself. Jesus didn’t say, “I know the way” but rather, “I am the way.” Jesus never gives us a formula to follow. Instead he calls people to follow him personally because he himself is the way that leads to the truth that leads to life with the Father in heaven. Add to that the words of Peter in Acts 4:12. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Then you have the words of Paul in I Corinthians 3:11. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” These three verses seem to be absolutely definitive. No other way. No other name. No other foundation. Finally, consider I Timothy 2:5. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." The whole gospel boils down to this truth. Because our sins have separated us from God, we need a “mediator” to bring us back to God. Because the “sin gap” is eternally wide, we need someone from heaven who is himself eternal to bridge the gap for us. Jesus is the only one who could bridge that gap. By his death, he paid for our sins and bridged the gap that separates us from God. By his resurrection, he proved he is the Son of God. No other mediator is necessary. No other mediator is possible. Only Jesus, the perfect Son of God, could offer himself for our sins. He did what no other religious leader could ever do. In the words of R. C. Sproul: ‘Moses could mediate on the law, Mohammed could brandish a sword, Buddha could give personal counsel, Confucius could offer wise sayings. But none of these men was qualified to offer an atonement for the sins of the world’ (Reason to Believe, page 44).Only Jesus could offer himself as the divine sacrifice for our sin so that we could be saved. “This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10 NLT).”
I am the way, the truth, and the life:

Could be translated, “I am the true and living way.”
David Guzik: “Jesus didn’t say that He would show us a way; He said that He is the way. He didn’t promise to teach us a truth; He said that He is the truth. Jesus didn’t offer us the secrets to life; He said that He is the life.”
Otniel Verseş: “He is the way, the only way of access to God. Moreover, Jesus does not only show us the way, he IS the way. Secondly, the truth is not represented by Jesus by what he said and his teachings; the truth IS Jesus. While the “way” offers man direction, “the truth” - as seen in 8:32 - gives him freedom. Jesus though is more than that; he IS life itself (we have already seen this in Matthew’s statement recorded in chapter 11, verse 25). These three words reaffirm the uniqueness of Jesus, who identifies himself with God. Therefore, there are three aspects which prove who Jesus was.”
Thomas à Kemphis (The Imitation of Christ): “Follow thou Me. I am the way and the truth and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way; the infallible truth; the never ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, life uncreated. If thou remain in my way thou shalt know the truth, and the truth shall make thee free, and thou shalt lay hold on eternal life.”
Gotquestions.org: “In these words, Jesus was declaring Himself the great “I Am,” the only path to heaven, the only true measure of righteousness, and the source of both physical and spiritual life. He was staking His claim as the very God of Creation, the Lord who blessed Abraham, and the Holy One who inhabits eternity. He did this so the disciples would be able to face the dark days ahead and carry on the mission of declaring the gospel to the world. Of course, we know from Scripture that they still didn’t understand, and it took several visits from their risen Lord to shake them out of their disbelief. Once they understood the truth of His words, they became changed people, and the world has never been the same.”
Frank Gaebelien- The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: “He did not counter Thomas’ skepticism with an argument or a quotation drawn from his memory. He responded with an authoritative assertion as the master of life. He is the way to the Father because only he has an intimate knowledge of God unmarred by sin. He is the truth because he has the perfect power of making life one coherent experience irrespective of its ups and downs. He is the life because he was not subject to death but made it subject to him. He did not live with death as the ultimate end of his life; he died to demonstrate the power and continuity of his life. Because he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is the only means of reaching the Father. Jesus was not exhibiting a narrow arrogance. Rather, he was making the only possible deduction from the fact that he, the unique Son, was the sole means of access to the Father. Jesus’ claim parallels the author’s pronouncement: “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known” (John 1:18). Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form and he is the only authorized representative of humanity to God.”
Archibald Thomas Robertson - Word Pictures in the New Testament: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life … Either of these statements is profound enough to stagger any one, but here all three together overwhelm Thomas. Jesus had called himself “the life” to Martha (11:25) and “the door” to the Pharisees (10:7) and “the light of the world” (8:12). He spoke “the way of God in truth” (Mark 12:14). He is the way to God and the only way (verse 6), the personification of truth, the centre of life. Except by me … There is no use for the Christian to wince at these words of Jesus. If he is really the Incarnate Son of God (1:1, 14, 18), they are necessarily true.”

The way:

Gotquestions.org: “Jesus used the definite article to distinguish Himself as “the only way.” A way is a path or route, and the disciples had expressed their confusion about where He was going and how they could follow. As He had told them from the beginning, Jesus was again telling them (and us) “follow me.” There is no other path to heaven, no other way to the Father. Peter reiterated this same truth years later to the rulers in Jerusalem, saying about Jesus, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The exclusive nature of the only path to salvation is expressed in the words “I am the way.””
Robert Hommel: “Jesus’ answer to Thomas - rightly called the core statement of the Gospel - is striking because not only does Jesus point to the way to the Father, Jesus asserts that He is the way to the Father. And, indeed, the only way.”
Hebrews 10:20: By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

The truth:
- Wil Pounds: “Jesus is the personification of Truth. It is Truth in which is summed up all that is eternal and absolute. He is the embodiment of Truth. Only Jesus could say, I am the Truth.”
- Gotquestions.org: “Again Jesus used the definite article to emphasize Himself as “the only truth.” Psalm 119:142 says, “Your law is the truth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded His listeners of several points of the Law, then said, “But I say unto you …” (Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44), thereby equating Himself with the Law of God as the authoritative standard of righteousness. In fact, Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). Jesus, as the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1) is the source of all truth.”
The life:
- Gotquestions.org: “Jesus had just been telling His disciples about His impending death, and now He was claiming to be the source of all life. In John 10:17-18, Jesus declared that He was going to lay down His life for His sheep, and then take it back again. He spoke of His authority over life and death as being granted to Him by the Father. In John 14:19, He gave the promise that “because I live, you also will live.” The deliverance He was about to provide was not a political or social deliverance (which most of the Jews were seeking), but a true deliverance from a life of bondage to sin and death to a life of freedom in eternity.”
- Morris: “Way, truth, and life, all have relevance, the triple expression emphasizing the many sidedness of the saving work… Way stresses the fact that mere physical existence matters little. The only life worthy of the name is that which Jesus brings, for He is life itself.”
- John 1:4: The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
- John 11:25: Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
- 1 John 5:11-12: And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
No one … except through me:

David Guzik: “Jesus made this remarkable statement, claiming that He was the only way to God. In this He set aside the temple and its rituals, as well as other religions. It was a claim to have an exclusive way, truth, and life - the only pathway to God the Father, the true God in heaven.”
Jesus was emphasizing that He was and is the only way to God. This is the theological essence of John’s Gospel!
Acts 4:12: There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

(7-8) If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Known … know … know:
- Some manuscripts read, “If you have really known me, you will know who my Father is.”
Show us the Father:

Apparently, Philip wanted a vision of God (a Theophany) somewhat like Moses in Exodus 33 or he totally misunderstood Jesus’ words. Jesus answers by affirming that when Philip had seen and known Him, he had seen and known God.

(9) Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father:

Wil Pounds: “The force of this statement was: Have you never yet understood who I am? He was the visible Image of the invisible God. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 1:19; 2:9) … He is the full realization of the self-revelation of God.”
Dr. Constable’s Expository: “Philip and the other disciples had not yet completely realized who Jesus was. They did not understand what John revealed in the prologue of this Gospel, namely, that the Son is the exact representation of the Father (cf. 1:18). God is exactly like Jesus.”
John Tenney: “No material image or likeness can adequately depict God. Only a person can give knowledge of him since personality cannot be represented by an impersonal object.”
Morris: “It is difficult interpret it without seeing the Father and the Son as in some sense one. These are words which no mere man has a right to use.”
Clarke; “Could any creature say these words? Do they not evidently imply that Christ declared himself to his disciples to be the everlasting God?” (Clarke)
John 12:44-45: Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.
Colossians 1:15: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
Colossians 2:9: For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Hebrews 1:3: The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

(10) Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.

I am in the Father and the Father is in me:

He is saying, “Because I and the Father are One.”
John Karmelich: “Jesus is emphasizing the relationship of “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”. Two aspects of the Trinity. Separate in being, but part of one God. (The 3rd part of the trinity, we are getting to later in this chapter.) (The best visualization I’ve heard of explaining the “Trinity” is think of a test-tube filled only with water, ice and steam. Three distinct entities, but “still one”.)”
This is expanded in Verse 20 to include you and me!
John 10:30: The Father and I are one.”
John 10:38: But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
John 14:20: When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

(11-12) Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

Same works … greater works:

Boice: “The word ‘works’ does not actually occur. There is no word at that point, so our best translation would be ‘and greater things.’ The point is that Christians will do something greater even than the works of Jesus.”
Morris: “What Jesus means we may see in the narratives of the Acts. There are a few miracles of healing, but the emphasis is on the mighty works of conversion. On the day of Pentecost alone, more believers were added to the little band of believers than throughout Christ’s entire earthly life. There we see a literal fulfillment of ‘greater works than these shall he do.’”
Dr. Constable’s Expository: “During Jesus’ earthly ministry, relatively few people believed on Him, but after His ascension many more did. The miracle of regeneration multiplied after Jesus ascended to heaven and the Father sent the Holy Spirit. Three thousand people became believers in Jesus on the day of Pentecost alone (Acts 2:41). The church thoroughly permeated the Roman Empire during the apostolic age, whereas Jesus’ personal ministry did not extend beyond Palestine. The whole Book of Acts is proof that what Jesus predicted here happened. The mighty works of conversion are more in view here than a few miracles of healing.”

(13) You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.

Ask me:
- This verse is the only verse in John’s Gospel where Jesus directs prayer to Himself.
In my name:

David Guzik: “ My name is not a magic incantation of prayer; it speaks of both an endorsement (like a bank check) and a limitation (requests must be in accordance with the character of the name). We come to God in Jesus’ name, not in our own.”
Barclay: “The test of any prayer is: Can I make it in the name of Jesus? No man, for instance, could pray for personal revenge, for personal ambition, for some unworthy and unchristian object in the name of Jesus.”
Ray Pritchard: “What it means to pray “In Jesus’ Name”?
- A. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are confessing your faith that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
- B. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are acknowledging that his name is the supreme name in the universe.
- C. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are admitting there is no power to answer your prayers in any other name, including your own.
- D. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are submitting your will to his will because he knows what is best.
- E. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are asking that God’s reputation be enhanced through the answer to your prayer.
- F. When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are asking that everything you ask for be consistent with God’s character, God’s will, and God’s Word.”
Barclay: To pray in Jesus’ name does not involve a magic formula, said at the end of our prayers, but praying in the will and character of Jesus. This is a good example of the need to consult parallel passages before making dogmatic statement son biblical subjects. One must balance “whatever we ask” with

“in My name” (John 14:13-14; 15:7,16; 16:23)
“keep on asking” (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8)
“two agreeing” (Matthew 18:19)
“believing” (Matthew 21:22)
“without doubt” (Mark 11:22-24; James 1:6-7)
“not selfishly” (James 4:2-3)
“keep His commands” (1 John 3:22)
“according to God’s will” (Matthew 6:10; 1 John 5:14-15)

Frank Gaebelien - The Expositor's Bible Commentary: “The power of the disciples originated in prayer. Jesus could hardly have made more emphatic the declaration that whatever they should ask in his name, he would do. The phrase “in my name,” however, is not a talisman for the command of supernatural energy. He did not wish it to be used as a magical charm like an Aladdin’s lamp. It was both a guarantee, like the endorsement on a check, and a limitation on the petition; for he would grant only such petitions as could be presented consistently with his character and purpose. In prayer, we call on him to work out his purpose, not simply to gratify our whims. The answer is promised so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. The disciples’ obedience to him will be the test of their love”.

So that:
- The key words is in Verse 13: is “so that”. If we make requests of God that bring glory to His name, He will grant them. Remember that God’s timing is not always our timing. God may want to grant your request, but not right now. What we want to be asking God is “What is His will for our lives?”
Ask … I will do it:

1 John 5:14-15: And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

(14-15) Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! “If you love me, obey my commandments.

Obey:

Other manuscripts read, “you will obey“; still others read, “you should obey”.
Spurgeon: “Obedience must have love for its mother, nurse and food. The essence of obedience lies in the hearty love which prompts the deed rather than in the deed itself.”

(16) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

Another:

The Greek word for “another” (allos), specifically means another of the same kind; i.e., someone like Jesus Himself who will take His place and do His work. The Spirit of Christ is the Third Person of the Trinity, having the same essence of deity as Jesus and as perfectly one with Him as He is with the Father. The other Greek word for “another” is heteros which is “another of a different kind.”

Advocate:

Or, “Comforter”, or “Encourager” or “Counselor”.
The Greek word for “Advocate”, “Paraclete”, is frequently used by Greek writers to denote an advocate in a court; one who intercedes; a monitor, a teacher, an assistant, a helper.
The Greek word Paraclete literally means, “one who is called to one’s side” to give aid and comfort.
Muslims mistakenly believe that Mohammed is the fulfillment of Jesus' promise that He would send another counselor.
John 7:37-39: On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
John 15:26-27: “But I will send you the Advocate - the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
John 16:7-11: But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
1 John 2:1: My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

Never leave you:

Andrew Wommack: “The Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament, but the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the New Testament believer has some major differences. One of these differences is that once the believer receives the Holy Spirit, He remains forever. During the Old Testament days, the Holy Spirit came and went in (1 Peter 1:11) and among people. David expressed fear about God taking His Holy Spirit from him (Psalms 51:11). This is in sharp contrast with promises of the New Testament (this verse, Romans 8:35-39, Ephesians 1:13-14, and Hebrews 13:5).”

(17) He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

He:
- Notice the Spirit is called “He” because the Spirit is a person.
Leads into all truth:
- John 16:13: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
- 1 John 2:27: But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true - it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
World cannot receiver him:

1 Corinthians 2:14: But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Will be in you:

Romans 5:5: And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 8:9: But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
Galatians 3:2: Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

(18) No, I will not abandon you as orphans - I will come to you.

I will come to you:

Jesus did exactly what He said in the verse. Jesus appeared to them for 40 days after His Resurrection, and a short time later the Holy Spirit came.
John 16:22: So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
Acts 1:3: During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

(19) Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.

Soon:

Jesus knew his death was near.

You will see me:

Barcley: “Verse 20 shows that this refers to the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. This is the statement which Judas picks up on in John 14:22 to ask Jesus another question. The disciples were still expecting Him to set up an earthly Messianic Kingdom (i.e., Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45) and were greatly confused when He said, “the world will not see Me.” Jesus’ answer to Judas’ (not Iscariot) question in John 14:23 and 24 was that He will manifest Himself in the life of individual Christians and thereby the world will see Him through them!”

(20-22) When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

Judas

The same as Thaddeus and Lebbeus (cf. Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18)., the brother of James, and author of what is called the epistle of Jude.

Only to us:

Judas (Thaddeus) wants Jesus to reveal Himself to the world as Messiah and bring the kingdom now.

(23-25) Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and WE will come and make OUR home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. (26) But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative - that is, the Holy Spirit -HE will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

He will teach you:

John 16:12-13: “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

(27) “I am leaving you with a gift -peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Peace

Peace is the antidote to fear and trouble.
Isaiah 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
John 16:33: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Troubled:

Same as in verse 1.

(28) Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am.

The Father, who is greater than I am:

Guzik: “The Father is greater than the Son in position, especially in regard to the incarnation. Yet the Father is not greater than the Son in essence or being; They are both equally God.”
Dr. Robert S. Rayburn: “ “The Father is greater than I” must be held in tension with “I and the Father are One” which we heard in chapter 10. It is a statement that concerns the Lord Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, as the man Jesus. For him to go to his Father was joy itself and true love, on the part of his disciples, would recognize this and rejoice with him. For the Father is greater than the incarnate Son and so for the Son to return to the Father is for him to return to the glory he had with his Father before he came into the world.”
Matt Slick (CARM.org):
“Jesus said that the Father was greater than He not because Jesus is not God but because Jesus was also a man, and as a man, He was in a lower position. He was “… made for a little while lower than the angels …” (Hebrews 2:9). Also in Philippians 2:5-8, it says that Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men…”
“Jesus has two natures. Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was merely acknowledging the fact that He was also a man. Jesus is both God and man. As a man, He was in a lesser position than the Father. He had added to Himself human nature (Colossians 2:9). He became a man to die for people.
A comparison can be found in the marriage relationship. Biblically, a husband is greater in position and authority than his wife, but, he is no different in nature, and he is no better than she. They share the same nature--being human, and they work together by love.
“So, Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was simply acknowledging that He was also a man, and as a man, He was subject to the laws of God so that He might redeem those who were under the law, namely, sinners (Galatians 4:4-5
Arius, who lived in the 4th Century, and others who have held views similar to his since then have taken this verse as proof that Jesus is not divine. The majority of teachers in the church rejected this notion, and indeed it is not compatible with other material in this very Gospel. It has been clear from the first verse that the Son is one with God and yet distinct from God.
Matt Slick (CARM.org): “The Jehovah’s Witnesses will typically use John 14:28 as proof that Jesus Christ is not God in flesh. Their logic is that since Jesus said the father was greater than he, then it is not possible that Jesus is God in flesh. They stop there. But the problem is that they ignore verses where Jesus is called God (John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8), where Jesus claims the divine title of “I AM” for himself (John 8:58), etc. Furthermore, they fail to understand that the Bible teaches that Jesus has two natures, that he was made for little while lower than the angels, and made under the law. Jesus was in a lower position (being made lower than the angels and under the law) by becoming a man. As such, he would say to the father was greater than he. But note, Jesus did not say that the father is different or better. Jesus is only speaking of position--not nature. This is the primary problem with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They try to make the Bible fit with what their theology tells them, and they ignore those verses that disagree with them.”
Matt Slick (CARM.org): “God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as Father. They are not three gods and not three beings. They are three distinct persons; yet, they are all the one God. Each has a will, can speak, can love, etc., and these are demonstrations of personhood. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are coeternal, coequal and copowerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God. Jesus, the Son, is one person with two natures: Divine and Human. This is called the Hypostatic Union. The Holy Spirit is also divine in nature and is self aware, the third person of the Trinity. There is, though, an apparent separation of some functions among the members of the Godhead. For example, the Father chooses who will be saved (Ephesians 1:4); the Son redeems them (Ephesians 1:7); and the Holy Spirit seals them, (Ephesians 1:13).”
Robert Hommel: “Perhaps more than any other, this verse has been quoted by non-Trinitarians as proof that Jesus could not be true God. In the view of those denying the Trinity, if the Father is “greater” than Jesus, Jesus must be teaching that He is ontologically inferior to the Father. A careful consideration of this verse in context, however, reveals that such a view in untenable. … The word translated “greater” (meizon) does not mean greater in the sense of a higher type of being, but rather greater in the sense of position or authority. This is the meaning cited by modern Greek lexicons, and is exampled by dozens of Biblical and extra-Biblical sources. Jesus repeats the phrase, “A servant is not greater than his Master,” twice in this same discourse (John 13:16; 15:20). The same Greek word (meizon) occurs in each of these verses. No one would suggest that a servant is a lesser being than his Master. A Master is “greater” than a servant because he occupies a position of greater status, dignity and authority. If we let these other examples guide us, Jesus is saying that the Father is “greater” because the Father’s position in Heaven is one of greater dignity and authority than the Son occupies on earth. This meaning, then, makes clear why the disciples should rejoice. The Son is returning to the right hand of the Father, to the glory He had with the Father before His existence on earth (John 17:5). He had voluntarily humbled Himself in coming to earth (Philippians 2:6), taking the form of a servant (doulos, the same word Jesus uses in John 13:16 and 15:20). Now Jesus was returning to the Father to regain His former glory, where He could accomplish all the wonderful things promised to the disciples in His final discourse. If the disciples had considered the import of Jesus’ words, they would have realized the exaltation that awaited the Son, and would have rejoiced. Thus, there is little contextual or lexical support for the idea that Jesus is teaching His ontological inferiority to the Father in this verse. He is speaking in the highest terms of the positional greatness of the Father - a position to which Jesus is soon to return, there to be an even greater blessing to the disciples and an assurance of their own paths to Heaven.”
John 10:30: The Father and I are one.”
1 Corinthians 15:27: For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”(Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)
Philippians 2:7-8: Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Colossians 2:9: For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Hebrews 2:9: What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.

(29-30) I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me,

The ruler of this world approaches:

Guzik: “Jesus knew that Satan was coming for Him. At that moment, Judas Iscariot was arranging the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The loving, others-centered calm of Jesus in such circumstances is remarkable.”
Matthew 4:9: Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory .I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
John 16:11: Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

(31) but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

Let’s be going:

These words imply a movement from the table to depart. Probably the rest of the discourse, and the prayer, chapter 17, were delivered when now all were standing ready to depart. There would be some little pause, in which the preparations for departure would be made. But the place is clearly the same.
Robert L. Deffinbaugh: “Jesus does not wish to stay too long in any one place. Is Judas leading the Jewish authorities to this Upper Room at this very moment? It could be. Jesus may therefore have directed His disciples to leave that place, so that they can continue their conversation elsewhere - somewhere Judas cannot find them until it is His “time.” Once again, Jesus is in full control of the situation. He will not be arrested or put to death until it is “His time.””
John 18:1: After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.