John 14, The comfort of presence

John 14:1-7 (NIV) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."


5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"


6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."


• What is the current atmosphere or situation like (based on what has already transpired)?
• Tense, foot washing was uncomfortable -- especially if linked to an argument about who was greatest
• Seeing Jesus visible shaken as he tells them that one of the would betray them
• Solemnity of the occasion. Jesus knows a very difficult and painful death awaits him, and the disciples are possibly picking that up
• Jesus' rebuke of Peter with the knowledge that before the night is over, Peter is going to disown Jesus three times. I might be thinking, "what is happening tonight?"
• Jesus knows what the next few days hold for his disciples, so what does he do?
• He seeks to calm them
• He tells them not to let their hearts be troubled (meaning troubling things are coming)
• Troubling things are a part of life. There is no scripture that says we will escape trouble
• He tells them to trust in God and to trust in him
• Implies God (the Father) and Jesus (the Son) are equivalent (in a sense)
• Trust in God is such a simple answer that it has become trite in our day. How can we recapture the meaning?
• God knows our situation
• God is in control
• God will bring God out of everything, not matter how bad or evil (Rom 11:28 promise, but only for his children)
• He is going to prepare a place
• Meaning he will come back
• Meaning he will take the disciples with him (but they cannot go now)
• Argues against a post-tribulation rapture
• Jesus says to them "you know the way to the place where I am going"
• Thomas' response suggests that maybe Jesus was wrong
• Jesus said that "you know the way," which is him (Jesus). He didn't say that you know the place since it is obvious Thomas does not
• Jesus repeats the "way" and says that the place is where the Father exists. This would be heaven
• Verse 6 is one of the crucial verses in all of Christianity and there are others that reaffirm it. Many people do not like this verse, why?
• Because it refutes the philosophy "many ways lead to God"
• There is only one way to God based on Jesus' statement, who is also God
• Peter reaffirms this point when he is standing before the Sanhedrin
• Acts 4:12 (NIV) 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 Jesus makes his identity (apparently) clear to the disciples. If you know me, then you know the Father. If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father
• This is why Jesus is so troubling to the world because if what he says is true (if he really was a good teacher and not a liar) then his identity as God makes all of his statements absolute in the strongest sense
• And, then there is only one way into heaven


John 14:8-21 (NIV) Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."


9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.


15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."


• Philip's question, while humorous, does reveal the disciple's mindset. What is that?
• Philip and others, still did not recognize who Jesus was
• Philip had an earthly mindset. He didn't understand the importance of the spiritual dimension
• Jesus reply shows us what?
• He and the Father are one
• Prayer, in Jesus' name is effective because will be with the Father
• Is praying in Jesus' name a blank check?
• In context, what is being said is "Praying in Jesus' name means coming to the Father in prayer as Jesus' representative. Jesus introduced the idea of representing Him in verse 12. When we pray in Jesus' name, we claim to be acting for Him. … It is impossible to pray in Jesus' name and to ask something contrary to God's will. These two acts are mutually contradictory." (Constable, 2013)
• Also, Jesus gives us an explanation of the purpose -- it must always be for God's glory
• Jesus adds still another person to the discussion. Who is it and what is his purpose?
• The third member of the trinity, the Holy Spirit (here called the Counselor and the Spirit of truth)
• It is a person the world cannot accept
• It is a person the world cannot see or know
• It is a person who will never leave you
• Love for God is expressed in obedience to his commands. What is the promise?
• If we are obedient God will manifest to us (reveal even more of himself)
• APPLICATION: the way to know God more deeply is to obey his commands


John 14:22-31 (NIV) Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"


23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.


25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.


28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.


"Come now; let us leave.


• What is the confusion that Judas (also called Thaddeus) has?
• Judas did not recognize that Jesus would reveal himself to them in post-resurrection appearances. He could understand what Jesus was teaching because the events had not happened yet
• This can also be true in our lives. God can reveal something ahead of some event that we don't quite understand because the event has not happened yet
• Jesus seems to ignore Judas and continues the discussion on obedience, why?
• He does answer the question, but apparently Judas interrupts a thought that he has not finished
• The proof of our love for God is our obedience to Jesus' teaching
• The result of our obedience is that God makes his abode in us
• So two abodes are discussed
• The abode that Jesus is preparing for us in heaven
• The abode that God makes in our heart when we put our faith in God
• Also, the Counselor will be sent by the Father in Jesus name
• He will also make his abode in us
• He will remind us of what Jesus taught
• He will give us peace
• Now Jesus returns to Judas question in verse 28. How does he answer?
• It is partially answered by 23-27 in that the revealing of Jesus comes to the obedient
• The prince of this world has authority in this world, so it would not help to reveal himself to the world. Jesus can only truly reveal himself to those who want to obey his teaching
• Also, you won't completely understand everything until after it has happened
• APPLICATION: Jesus emphasized the importance of obedience in loving God and the in knowing God in a greater way. What are of our life are we struggling with obedience to God?