John 14

In John 14, Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure. He offers comfort and assurance, promising them the gift of the Holy Spirit and a place with the Father. Jesus emphasizes His identity as the way, the truth, and the life, and He reassures them that their faith in Him will empower them to continue His works. The chapter is filled with promises, guidance, and an invitation to trust in God's plan, even in the face of uncertainty.

John 14:1-6 (NKJV)
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus reassures His disciples of His ongoing care and guidance as He prepares to leave them, urging them to trust in God and in Him. He promises to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house—a metaphor for their eternal home in heaven—and explains that they already know the way to where He is going because their relationship with Him has shown them the path to salvation. When Thomas questions how they can know the way, Jesus declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," emphasizing that no one can come to the Father except through Him. Jesus reveals that the way to the Father is not just about following instructions but about trusting in Him as the only source of salvation and following His example of surrender and obedience. Just as Jesus submitted fully to God’s will by going to the cross, believers must also surrender their lives to God—dying to self, trusting in Christ’s power, and living according to His truth. By believing in Jesus and walking in His footsteps, we experience the truth of God’s love and receive eternal life, making Him both the path to the Father and the model of how to live in faith and trust.

John 14:7-10 (NKJV)
7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works."

Jesus emphasizes the deep unity between Himself and the Father, explaining that to know Him is to know the Father. In verse 7, He tells His disciples that if they truly knew Him, they would also know the Father, and in fact, they have already "seen" the Father through Him. This does not mean they have seen God physically but rather that they have witnessed the Father’s character, love, mercy, and truth fully revealed in Jesus’ life. Jesus' actions—healing the sick, forgiving sins, and showing compassion—reflect the heart of the Father. When Philip asks to see the Father, Jesus gently rebukes him, reminding him that everything they have seen in His words and works is a perfect revelation of the Father. Jesus explains that He does not act or speak on His own but that the Father dwells in Him and works through Him. This shows that knowing Jesus is the key to understanding and knowing God, as His life perfectly reflects the divine nature and God's plan of salvation.

John 14:11-14 (NKJV)
11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

This passage speaks of believers performing "greater works" than Jesus—not in power, but in scope and reach—because He ascended to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to empower His followers to spread the gospel beyond the geographical limits of His earthly ministry. Examples include Peter at Pentecost, when thousands were converted in one day, and Paul's missionary journeys that brought the gospel to the Gentile world. In modern times, the use of technology, when prayerfully utilized, becomes an instrument in the hands of Spirit-led believers, amplifying the spread of Christ’s message globally. These works are not greater in quality but demonstrate the vast and growing impact of His mission, accomplished through the Spirit’s guidance and prayer in His name. In the very last days, during the greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit—the latter rain—an even greater harvest of souls will be achieved as the final call to salvation reaches the ends of the earth.

John 14:15-18 (NKJV)
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

This passage emphasizes the relationship between love, obedience, and the promise of the divine presence. Jesus assures His disciples that the Spirit of truth, the Comforter, is already dwelling with them as Jesus Himself (verse 17) and will soon be in them. In verse 18, He promises, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you," indicating His return in spiritual form. This promise is fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:33), when Jesus, exalted to the right hand of God, pours out the Holy Spirit upon His followers, enabling Him and the Father to dwell within them. Jesus reaffirms this in Matthew 28:20: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," indicating that the Comforter is Jesus Himself in Spirit form, not a separate person from Him. In this Spirit, the Father also dwells, as having the Son means having the Father (verse 23), uniting believers with God in a transformative and personal way.

John 14:19-24 (NKJV)
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
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 and said to 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 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Jesus reassures His disciples of His resurrection and promises eternal life to those who believe in Him. He explains that their love for Him is demonstrated through obedience to His commandments, which deepens their relationship with Him. Verse 21 highlights that Jesus will manifest His personal presence to those who love Him, through the Spirit—the Comforter. This manifestation is not the work of a separate being but represents the personal presence and power of the Father and the Son in the believer's life. Verse 23 reinforces this by declaring that the Father and the Son will come and make their home with those who keep Jesus’ word. Together, these verses reveal a profound union where God's presence transforms and empowers believers, reflecting His character and love.

John 14:25-31 (NKJV)
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present 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 things that I said to you.
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 heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”

Jesus continues comforting His disciples, assuring them of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in His name to teach and remind them of all He has said. This Spirit is not a separate being but represents the non-corporeal and personal presence and power of the Father and the Son actively working in believers. Jesus gives His peace, a divine assurance unlike the world’s, to calm their troubled hearts. He emphasizes His love and obedience to the Father, seen in His willingness to face the cross. This passage reveals that the Spirit is the means by which Jesus continues His work and presence among His followers, empowering them to trust and obey amidst trials, reflecting the perfect harmony and purpose of the Father and the Son.