14:1-31 ~ Promises and orders to the *disciples

The darkness is growing. There is great fear among the *disciples. They know now that Jesus is going to leave them (13:33). But Jesus tells his *disciples not to worry. He tells them still to have *faith in God and to have *faith in him. They can even be happy about his going away. It will be the best thing for them (28: 16:7). There are many rooms in his Fathers house. There is more than enough space for them. Jesus would not tell them this if it were not true. He is going ahead to prepare a place for each of them. He will prepare the way to *heaven by dying on the *cross. Then he will return to *heaven to be with the Father. Jesus also promises to come back to earth. We know this coming back as his second coming. Then he will take us back to *heaven to be with him. Then we shall all be together with him. We shall enjoy him for ever. This is possible only through Jesus death, *resurrection and going back to *heaven (1-3). Jesus says that they know the way. They know the place where he is going. But Thomas does not understand. He says that they do not know where Jesus is going. How can they know the way (5)? Thomas is the *disciple who finds it difficult to believe. He needs to be sure of everything before he believes. The *disciples do not understand the *spiritual meaning of Jesus words. Jesus explains what he means. Way in the Bible means road. But he is not speaking about a road that you walk on. Jesus is the way. He is the road. The road to *heaven is Jesus himself. Jesus is the road that leads to life (Matthew 7:14). It is like asking someone the way to a town. It might be difficult for a person to explain the way you want to go. So that person would go with you and take you to the town. You can therefore say that person is the way. Jesus is also the truth. David says in the *Psalms, Teach me your way, *Lord, so that I may walk in your truth (*Psalm 86:11). If we teach people the truth, people need to see in us something of that truth. But what they see in us may not be a perfect example of truth. With Jesus, it is different. People could always see in him a perfect example of the truth that he taught. He himself is the truth. Truth is there in the person of Jesus Christ. He is truth. Jesus said, I am the life. David said in the *Psalms, You show me the path of life (*Psalm 16:11). Jesus came to give us the life of God. He wants us to have that kind of life. He came so that we might have that life and have it to the full (10:10). Jesus is life. Life is Jesus. The way, the truth and the life are not just ideas. Jesus himself is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus. Peter says the same thing (Acts 6:12). God has come to this world in the person of Jesus Christ. He sent Jesus to bring people who are lost back to himself. So the way back to God is through Jesus and through Jesus alone. If the *disciples really knew Jesus, they would know his Father too. But from now on, they will know God. They will know him because they have seen Jesus. God is the same as Jesus. The same Jesus who is about to die on the *cross is also God (6-7). Philip says, *Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us (8). Philip wants Jesus to show him how to go straight to God. Why can he not see God as the *prophets in the *Old Testament saw him? Moses saw God (Exodus 24:10). Isaiah saw God (Isaiah 6:1). Philip does not think it necessary to go through another person to see God. He has been with Jesus a long time. But he still does not understand that Jesus and the Father are always side by side. There is not one moment when they are not together. Jesus and God say the same things and do the same things. The *disciples still do not understand that only by seeing Jesus can they know God.

Jesus is kind to Philip. But he is also getting a little impatient with him. How can Philip be so silly? Do you not know me, Philip, even after I have been with you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Do you not believe this? Do you not yet understand who I am? If you have seen and understood who I am, you will know the Father. Everything the *disciples see in Jesus will be in the Father too. The words that he says are not just his own. Rather, it is the Father, living in him, who is doing his (Gods) work. The message that Jesus brings is Gods message. The love that Jesus shows to the sick and the poor is Gods love. In Jesus, we have a description of the God whom we cannot see (Colossians 1:15). To ask Jesus to show them the Father is a silly question. It is so silly; they should not even ask it. Still they could not understand. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. That means that Jesus and the Father are one person. They do not yet understand that God has made himself known in Jesus. The words and works of Jesus are the words and works of the Father who is in him (9-10). Two things will help the *disciples towards belief in Jesus. The first is his statement that he and the Father are one. The second is the *miracles he does. The *miracles will help them to believe in him (11). Jesus explains to his *disciples the result of having *faith in him. The great truth is that they will do the same things that he is doing. They will do even greater things. This is because he is going to the Father. He will do whatever they ask if they ask in his name. This is the way that the Son will bring honour to the Father (12-14). These greater things will be possible only after Jesus has returned to the Father. This will be after his death and *resurrection. Jesus lived only in one country, *Israel. He did all his wonderful acts there. The greater things would come after God sent his *Holy *Spirit. Then the *church would have the help of the *Holy *Spirit. They would do the things that Jesus did. Now they would do them all over the world. Greater things does not mean that they will do greater *miracles than Jesus did. They too will do *miracles. But the greater things will be that they will go to many more people. Many more will be born into the nation (*kingdom). This is the nation where Jesus is king. In the Book of Acts, we see Jesus *disciples doing these greater things. We see people in Christs *church doing these things. We see it all through history. We see it all over the world today. These are the greater things. The things that they ask must be in Jesus name. They must be the same things that he would do. The *disciples have been with Jesus for three years. They know who he is. They have seen him. When they see him, they know that they see God. So they must be careful about the things that they ask. They must be things that they see in the person of Jesus. They must be things they see in the character of Jesus. The *disciples love Jesus. Therefore, they must do what he asks them to do. He will ask the Father to send them another helper. He will send them the *Holy *Spirit. He (the *Holy *Spirit) is another helper. He is another Christ. He will help them and always be with them. He is the *Spirit of truth. He will be like Jesus who is the truth (6). He will show them what is true. The people of this world cannot receive the *Spirit. This is because they neither see him nor know him. They do not know God or his Son Jesus. But the *disciples know him. They know him because he lives with them and will be in them (15-17). In the Greek language, the word for *Holy *Spirit means someone who comes by your side to help you. He is one who comforts you. It is something like a lawyer. A lawyer is one whom you pay to help you in a court of law. The *Holy *Spirit is another helper. He will be a helper like Jesus. He will help the *disciples to remember Jesus words (26).

Jesus tells the *disciples that he will not leave them as *orphans. He will not leave them without someone to care for them. He will come back to them. Before long, the people of the world will not see him any more. But the *disciples will see him. Because he lives, they also will live. Then they will know that he is one with the Father. They will know too that they are one with him. They love him. Therefore, they will do what he tells them to do. Then his Father will love them. Through seeing Jesus, they will know what the Father is like (18-21). The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, asks Jesus to explain what he means. How can Jesus show them what he is like and not show the people of the world? Jesus replies to Judas question. The important thing is whether people do as he asks. People do not do as he says. Therefore, they will not see him. Anyone who loves him will obey him. Then his Father will love them. He will come to them and make his home in them. This is a wonderful thing. God the Father, Son and *Holy *Spirit will have a home in the believer. A person who does not love Jesus will not do as he asks. Therefore, Jesus will not come to that person. Jesus will not make his home with him. The teaching does not come from Jesus himself. It comes from his Father who sent him (22-24). Jesus tells his *disciples these things while he is still with them. But he will not always be with them. After he has gone away, the Father will send the *Holy *Spirit. He (the *Holy *Spirit) will take his place. The *Holy *Spirit will come to help them. The *Holy *Spirit will teach them everything. Jesus spoke many words while he was with them (25-26). The *Holy *Spirit will help the *disciples to remember these words. Writers later remembered the words of Jesus. They wrote them in the books of the *New Testament. The *Holy *Spirit helped them to remember Jesus teaching. It is important for us to know this when we read the Bible. It helps us to understand it. The *Holy *Spirit today brings to our minds the right words of the Bible. He helps us to remember the words when we need them. He will tell us what is right and what is wrong. We might be thinking of doing something wrong. The *Holy *Spirit will bring to our mind a verse of the Bible or a teaching of Jesus. Then we will not do wrong. Jesus gives the *disciples his own peace. It is a kind of peace that only he has. It is not like the peace that this world can give. Peace is not a life without trouble. People of the world want to get away from trouble and not to face it. That is how they understand peace. The way of Jesus is to meet trouble, to fight it and win against it. The fight against trouble may be hard. But Jesus has left us his peace to help us in the fight. What is his peace? How does it differ from the peace of the world? Jesus is always in unity with the Father. He always obeys the Father. He therefore has Gods peace inside him. He gave that peace to the *disciples. Again, as in verse 1, Jesus tells his *disciples not to worry or to fear (27). Jesus describes his peace as the peace that is mine. Paul says the same about this kind of peace. Paul says, God will bless you with peace that no one can really understand (Philippians 4:7). Jesus has already told the *disciples that he is going away. But he will come back to them. They are afraid and do not want him to go. He is going back to the Father. Jesus says that if they really love him, they will be happy about that. The way back will not be a happy one. It will be a way through death on a *cross. But there will be a happy meeting for Jesus with his Father (Hebrews 12:2). This is because the Father is greater than he (28). The Father is greater than the Son because the Son comes from the Father (1:14). But the Father has no more power than the Son. Neither is he more God than the Son. The Father has given Jesus a work to do. The *disciples do not understand that Jesus is about to finish that work. Jesus and the Father are one (10:30). Jesus is equal with God. Then he came to the earth. But he did not hold on to being equal with God. He became a servant (Philippians 2:6-7). You could almost say that for a time he stopped being God. So while he was here on the earth the Father was greater than he. He always did what the Father told him to do.

Jesus is telling the *disciples this before he leaves them. Then when he does leave them they will believe in him (29). He spoke almost the same words before (13:19). There is not much time left for Jesus to speak to his *disciples. The ruler of this world (*Satan) is coming. Jesus knows of the strong powers that are against him. But he knows too that the *devil cannot hold him. The *devil had no power over him. The *devil is the prince of this world. But Jesus does not belong to the *devils world. The *devil could not change the Fathers plan. Jesus would teach the world of his love for the Father. This was part of the plan. It was difficult for the *disciples to understand this. The Father was asking Jesus to show his love by dying on a *cross. Jesus tells the *disciples that it is time now to go with him to meet the enemy. Even now, the enemy is coming towards them. They leave the room and Jesus continues his teaching outside (30-31).