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Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[1] ; trust
also in me. 2In 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. 3And 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. 4You
know the way to the place where I am going."
John 13:36-14:4
Explanation: Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial and Speaks
of His Own Departure (13:36-14:4)
Having heard all the profound things that Jesus has just said, Peter
zeros in on that which is clearest and most disturbing, Jesus' coming
departure. He asks Jesus, Where are you going (v. 36), presumably
so he will be able to follow him. Jesus will answer Peter's question,
but first he focuses on a point he has already made, namely, Peter's
inability to follow him. This inability is due in part to Peter's
own unreadiness, as his coming denial exhibits. But Peter is also
unable because the way has not yet been opened through the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus encourages Peter by saying that this inability is temporary
and that he will follow later. This promise will be fulfilled after
Peter's death, but it will also be fulfilled after the resurrection
of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit (for example, 12:26; 14:23;
17:24), as will be developed in the next section.
Peter continues to protest, wanting to know why he cannot follow
now (v. 37). As he did at the footwashing, Peter again evidences
his love for Jesus along with his lack of humility in accepting
Jesus' word. His response comes more from his own self will than
from true discipleship that acts in accordance with the will of
the Father. Thus, it is an imperfect love. Possibly, he is even
clinging to Jesus, trying to prevent him from departing in accordance
with the Father's will (Ridderbos 1997:478).
He claims he would lay down his life for Jesus (v. 37). But he does
not know his own heart, for Jesus says, before the rooster crows,
you will disown me three times! (v. 38). If Peter were to lay down
his life for Jesus that night, it would be his own selfish act of
martyrdom rather than an act of obedience to the Father. But in
fact he is not really able to lay down his life for Jesus at this
point. Despite his own estimate of his devotion, his love is still
too selfish and he does not yet have the guidance of the Spirit.
The Lord will bring him to a new stage of maturation after the resurrection,
though even then there is evidence that yet further maturation is
needed (see comments on 21:15-19).
The poor showing of Peter, Judas and the other disciples at this
point can be an encouragement to us in our immaturity. The Lord
is incredibly patient. Indeed, he is love, a will to all goodness
in our own lives. But God alone is good, and we are not the ones
to define goodness. So we should find in Judas's and Peter's experience
a warning to be loyal to Jesus as he is rather than as we would
like him to be. Only he can guide and correct our mistaken notions,
as we see him doing in this Gospel repeatedly. We should be asking
him to do so in our lives, receiving the guidance he has given to
the church through the Spirit.
Jesus has been speaking directly to Peter, but now he broadens his
focus to include the other disciples. Do not let your (plural) hearts
be troubled (14:1). He has just revealed to Peter that his heart
is not nearly as loyal as he thinks. Peter has it on the best authority
that there is plenty that could justify his disturbed state! The
prediction of Peter's denial would have shaken all of them. Peter
did not always have the right answers, but his fierce loyalty to
Jesus was very clear. If he is going to deny Jesus, what hope was
there for the rest of them? Jesus' talk about departure and denial
gave them much to be disturbed about.
Such disturbance, however, does not take into account all the relevant
facts of the situation. First, while Jesus has made it clear that
they cannot trust in their own loyalty to him, this is not a cause
of despair but an invitation to true security. They can only find
real hope and confidence by focusing on God rather than on themselves.
So Jesus tells them to trust in God; trust also in me (v. 1). The
form of the word trust (pisteuete, present tense) often has the
nuance of continuing on in an activity or state, as it does here.
They have had such faith, and now they are to continue in that faith.
Although trust could be a simple statement of fact (see NIV note),
the context suggests that Jesus is commanding them to trust. They
are to stop letting their hearts be disturbed and hold firm their
trust in God and in Jesus.
By claiming it is right to trust in himself as well as in God, Jesus
continues to act and speak as one who is divine as well as human.
In one sense, to believe in the Son is to believe in the Father
(12:44; cf. Brown 1970:625).
This puts Jesus in a unique and exclusive position
(cf. 14:6).
The command to stop being disturbed requires that the disciples
change their feelings. They are to do so not by focusing on their
feelings, which would simply trap them in self-preoccupation, but
by focusing on objective reality, namely, the Father and the Son.
The disciples are to continue to hold on to their confidence in
the Father and the Son despite all the feelings that will come as
they see Jesus killed and as they are confronted with their own
weakness. Despite all the evidence to the contrary in what is about
to happen, God remains the loving, just, sovereign Father that Jesus
has revealed, and Jesus remains his Son, beloved by God, and the
disciples themselves remain loved by the Father. Their confidence
is in God as revealed by Jesus, not in their circumstances nor in
themselves. Only by being thus grounded in God do they have a stable
center to focus on and to calm their hearts. By living from God's
reality rather than their own feelings and the appearances of this
world, they are engaging in the battle that Jesus himself is waging.
Jesus' death is central to his victory over the world (16:33) and
its ruler (12:31). By their faith the disciples also conquer the
world (1 Jn 5:4). Thus, "Jesus' demand that they have faith
in him is more than a request for a vote of confidence" (Brown
1970:624)!
Jesus has already provided them with an example of what he here
commands. When his heart was "troubled" (a form of tarasso,
the word used here in v. 1) he focused on the Father and the accomplishment
of his will (12:27). Such remains the only source of peace and security.
Given the presence of fear and worry in epidemic proportions among
people, including Christians, the lesson Jesus is teaching his disciples
at this point is greatly needed today as well. Only a trust in the
revelation of the beauty, goodness and power of the Father and the
Son will bring healing. It is perfect love that drives out fear
(1 Jn 4:18).
Second, if their troubled state fails to take God into account,
it also does not reckon with the purpose of Jesus' departure: 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. 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 (vv. 2-3). Peter's question
is now answered--Jesus is going to his Father's house. He is going
there for their sake, in order that their relationship with him
may continue. This revelation speaks directly to their concerns.
If they can take hold of it in trust, their hearts will indeed no
longer be troubled.
The language used here--Father's (God's) house and rooms (monai)--is
used in many Jewish sources when speaking of heaven (for example,
1 Enoch 39:4-5; 2 Enoch 61:2; 2 Esdras 7:80, 101; Philo On Dreams
1.256; cf. Schnackenburg 1982:60-61). Jesus' main point is that
he is going to God and will return for them; Jesus is talking about
heaven and his second coming (cf. Brown 1970:626; Ridderbos 1997:490-92).
This is one of the few places in this Gospel where Jesus speaks
of the future hope (cf. especially 5:28-29).
The word room (mone) is related to the verb to stay (or to "remain,"
"abide"; meno), which is used forty times in this Gospel.
It can be used of either a permanent dwelling place or a temporary
stopping place (cf. Liddell, Scott and Jones 1940:1143). "Mansion,"
the older translation, has led to very unfortunate misunderstandings.
At the time of William Tyndale and the King James Version "mansion"
also, like mone, meant a dwelling place or stopping place. It could
also be used of the physical dwelling place or of the manor house
of a lord, but these seem to be secondary to the earlier uses as
in the Greek. Now, however, we understand a mansion as being limited
to a physical dwelling and having specific socioeconomic implications.
This has contributed to very materialistic views of heaven, which
are quite foreign to John's language. It is indeed an objective
"place" but not in the material sense many have in mind.
Perhaps the most helpful language we have at present to speak of
such a reality is to refer to it as another "dimension."
The exact relation between the present physical universe and the
new heavens and new earth is unclear, but the idea that someone
could reach heaven in a spaceship misunderstands the language of
Scripture.
The phrase my Father's house (v. 2) was used earlier to refer to
the temple in Jerusalem and Jesus' own body (2:16, 19-22). Therefore,
the dwelling place of God is now to be identified with Jesus. Also
of significance is the earlier saying, "The slave does not
continue [or "dwell," ou menei] in the house [oikia, the
same word used in 14:2] forever; the son continues [or "dwells,"
menei] forever" (8:35 RSV). "This special house or household
where the son has a permanent dwelling place suggests a union with
the Father reserved for Jesus the Son and for all those who are
begotten as God's children by the Spirit that Jesus gives"
(Brown 1970:627). The word mone itself suggests "the permanence,
indestructibility and continuation of this union" (Hauck 1967b:580).
So the dwelling places would refer to "possibilities for permanent
union (mone/menein) with the Father in and through Jesus" (Brown
1970:627, following Schaefer 1933). The idea is "not mansions
in the sky, but spiritual positions in Christ" (Gundry 1967:70;
cf. Brown 1970:627). "His body is his Father's house; and wherever
the glorified Jesus is, there is the Father" (Brown 1970:627).
Therefore, he prepares a place for them by his death, resurrection
and ascension, for these enable them to be united to him and, in
him, with the Father; his going to the Father is itself part of
the preparation of a place for them. Heaven is experienced even
now through the believer's union with the Father and the Son and
the Spirit. However, this present union with God that occurs as
the Father, Son and Spirit abide in the believer only comes to its
complete fulfillment at the second coming, when the believer is
taken by Jesus to be where he is (v. 3). While the ultimate goal
is the Father, this passage (and in fact the whole Gospel) is centered
on Christ--it is his Father's house, and Jesus says he will come
again to take them to be with me (v. 3; more literally, "I
will take you to myself," pros emauton).
In saying there are many rooms (v. 2) Jesus lets the disciples know
it is not only he who has a place in the Father's house, nor just
Peter (cf. 13:36), for there is room for all of them and many more
(cf. 17:20). He emphasizes the certainty of this fact by saying
if it were not so, I would have told you (v. 2). He here speaks
of the thoroughness of his revelation, for, as he will say shortly,
"everything that I learned from my Father I have made known
to you" (15:15). He has not been stringing them along with
his revelation of God's love, only to pull the carpet out from under
them at the last minute. What is about to take place may look like
this is what Jesus has done, but it is not. It is all part of the
plan. Their greatest desire will be fulfilled, for they will be
where Jesus is (v. 3).
After speaking of himself as the agent of their future access to
the presence of God, he throws out a statement that steers them
toward the next stage of his revelation: You know the way to the
place where I am going (v. 4).
This could be taken as a question: "Do you know
the way to the place where I am going?" Whether or not he is
asking a question, Jesus seems to be alluding to his earlier teaching
about being the gate through whom the sheep "will come in and
go out, and find pasture" (10:9; cf. Talbert 1992:204). If
he is alluding to this, the disciples miss it. Indeed, all of Jesus'
teaching in these chapters is mystifying to the disciples (cf. 16:25).
But he is walking them through it so the Spirit will be able to
unpack it for them later (14:26). This statement (or question) triggers
the next question by a disciple, which leads Jesus to further develop
the thoughts he has already expressed in very condensed fashion.
Jesus the Way to the Father
5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going,
so how can we know the way?"
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew
me, you would know[2] my Father as well. From now on, you do know
him and have seen him."
John 14:5-7
Explanation: Jesus Declares Himself to Be the Way to the
Father (14:5-7)
Jesus has spoken of going to his Father's house and has said the
disciples know the way there (14:1-4). Thomas, speaking for all
the disciples, responds, Lord, we don't know where you are going,
so how can we know the way? (v. 5). Here is the response of a true
disciple. He asks rather than demands, which conveys a sense of
humility (cf. Chrysostom In John 73.2). He is also honest, admitting
his ignorance. Without such humility and honesty real discipleship
is impossible. Thomas seems to understand Jesus' reference to his
Father's house on a "this world" level, not unlike the
way others in this Gospel, such as the woman of Samaria (chap. 4),
have misunderstood. Thomas says, in effect, If we don't know the
address, how are we supposed to know the route? Such a misunderstanding
may seem amazing to those familiar with this Gospel, but all of
us continue to have patches of such dullness, no matter how far
we have traveled with God.
Jesus condemned the Jewish opponents' ignorance of his destination
(for example, 8:19-27), but because these disciples have been loyal
to Jesus even in their ignorance, Jesus' response is encouraging.
He does not upbraid Thomas but rather proceeds to offer further
enlightenment. Always in John the clue to Jesus' cryptic sayings
is his own identity and his relation to the Father, and this case
is no exception: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me (v. 6). Here we have "a
culminating point in Johannine theology" (Schnackenburg 1982:65).
All of John's thought could be expounded from this one verse.
This "I am" saying, like the others, is grounded in Jesus'
divine identity and expresses something of his saving action. The
three terms way, truth and life are simply linked together with
"and" in the Greek (kai). But the central term is way
because that was the subject of the question (vv. 4-5) and the second
half of the verse speaks of coming to the Father through Jesus.
Throughout the Gospel we hear of Jesus' coming from the Father,
revealing God, bringing new life and then returning to the Father.
But now the focus is on Jesus' role as the one who leads people
to the Father. The Father is seen as distant; one must undertake
a journey to reach him. Perhaps, then, the text should be translated
"No one goes to the Father . . ." For it seems the primary
focus is still on heaven and the future, though we will see a shift
beginning to take place.
The other two terms explain how Jesus is the way; "Jesus is
the way inasmuch as He is the truth and the life" (Michaelis
1967:81). Truth and life correspond to Jesus' roles in this Gospel
as revealer and life-giver. God alone is truth and life, and when
our rebellion separated us from God, we plunged into ignorance and
death. It follows that the way to the Father requires both revelation,
because of our ignorance, and life, due to our death. This idea
is clear in the Old Testament, and it was addressed by the giving
of the Torah and the activity of law-givers, prophets and sages.
But this verse brings out how Jesus' fulfillment of the roles of
revealer and life-giver is unique.
Jesus' unity with the Father means he is not just
a law-giver, prophet or sage who conveys God's truth, but, like
God, he is the truth. Similarly, he is not simply one through whom
God rescues his people. Rather, he was the agent of the creation
of all life (1:3-4), and the Father has given to him to have life
in himself, like God himself (5:26). Here Jesus, like God himself,
is truth and life, and yet he remains distinct from God and is the
way to God. As a fourteenth-century writer put it, "He Himself
is the way, and in addition He is the lodging on the way and its
destination" (Cabasilas 1974:48).
The second half of the verse clearly speaks of Jesus as the only
way to the Father. This fact simply flows from who he is and what
he has accomplished through his incarnation and upcoming death,
resurrection and ascension. This verse scandalizes many people today
since it seems to consign to hell large numbers of people who have
never heard of Jesus, let alone those who have heard but have not
come to believe in him. There are a variety of views on this topic
among Christians. Some views deny the uniqueness of Jesus and have
a too optimistic view of human nature, while others have a too restricted
idea of God's ways of dealing with this world, which he loves. Only
through Christ can we "apprehend God as the Father, and so
approach the Father. . . . It does not follow that every one who
is guided by Christ is directly conscious of His guidance"
(Westcott 1908:2:170-71). This verse does not address the ways in
which Jesus brings people to the Father, but what it does say is
that no one who ends up sharing God's life will do so apart from
Jesus, the unique Son of God who is, not just who conveys, truth
and life.
Jesus' next statement shifts from speaking of coming (or going)
to God to knowing God, thereby beginning the shift from speaking
of the future and heaven to speaking of God's presence here and
now: From now on, you do know him and have seen him (v. 7). This
translation refers to future knowledge, but the words translated
from now on (ap' arti) can also mean "now already" or
"assuredly." Such a statement of their present knowledge
of the Father would be more in keeping with how the conversation
progresses in the next section, for Jesus' affirmation that they
have seen the Father introduces a new term to the discussion, which
triggers the next question and the next stage of his teaching.
8-21
8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough
for us."
9Jesus 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'? 10Don'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. 11Believe 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. 12I 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. 13And
I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring
glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and
I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will
ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with
you forever-- 17the 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[3] in you. 18I will not leave you
as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not
see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will
live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and
you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever 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."
John 14:8-21
Explanation: Jesus Speaks of Both His Relation to the
Father and His Disciples' Relation to the Father (14:8-21)
In response to Jesus' assertion that they know the Father and have
seen him (v. 7), Philip says, Lord, show us the Father and that
will be enough for us (v. 8). It will be enough for us--one would
hope so! Here is the great desire of people throughout the ages--the
vision of God. In saying it will be enough for us perhaps Philip
simply means such a vision would take care of their troubled hearts
(v. 1). In any case, Philip's request focuses on what has been central
to Jesus all the way through, namely, the Father. Philip has the
right focus, though he has much to learn concerning his master.
What in particular does Philip have in mind? His request echoes
that of Moses when he said to God, "Show me your glory,"
which the Septuagint translates, "Show me yourself" (Ex
33:18). The Old Testament has accounts of people who have seen God,
yet also warns that such a vision would bring death (see comment
on 1:18). Philip seems to have in mind an experience such as Moses
or Isaiah had. He has a very exalted view of Jesus since he thinks
Jesus can enable such an experience. But his view is not nearly
exalted enough, as Jesus makes clear.
Philip has not really known Jesus (v. 9) because at the center of
Jesus' identity is his relation to the Father, a relation of such
intimacy that Jesus can say anyone who has seen me has seen the
Father (v. 9). Again we have the language of agency, reflecting
the idea that one's representative is "like to himself"
(m. Berakot 5:5; see note on 5:21). But the way Jesus describes
this relationship goes far beyond the notion of an agent, for he
speaks of a mutual indwelling: I am in the Father, and . . . the
Father is in me (v. 10). He does not simply represent the Father,
he presents him. Such complete union means that Jesus' words and
deeds have their source in the Father (v. 10; cf. 5:36; 8:28; 10:38).
Jesus may be the Father's agent, but the Father is also the agent
at work through Jesus. Jesus does not say, however, that he is the
Father. Throughout the gospel Jesus maintains a careful distinction
between his oneness with God and his distinctness from him (see
comments on 1:1 and 10:30).
Thus, elements of all three of the forms of sight mentioned above
(see comment on 1:18) are included in Jesus' response to Philip.
The incarnation points to the value of these first two types of
sight, the physical and the intellectual, but in themselves they
do not go deep enough. Physical sight is involved in observing Jesus,
but this form of seeing is the least significant element, since
even the opponents had that. Intellectual insight is important,
because Philip is supposed to draw out the implications of what
he has seen and heard in Jesus. But again this is not enough, for
even the opponents have seen the implications but have rejected
them (for example, chap. 9).
The third type of sight is needed, that which comes
through faith. Jesus asks Philip whether he believes that the Father
and the Son dwell within one another (v. 10). Then he addresses
all the disciples, saying, Believe [pisteuete, plural] 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 (v. 11). They
should trust his claim or, if need be, go to the evidence of the
deeds he has done. These deeds have manifested "his glory,
the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of
grace and truth" (1:14). "The faith at issue is the faith
that man really encounters God in his encounter with Jesus, that
Jesus and the Father are one" (Bultmann 1971:609). Until they
grasp this aspect of Jesus' identity they cannot really understand
anything else about him.
With Jesus about to depart, he speaks of greater things, which the
disciples themselves are to accomplish (v. 12). Those who will do
greater things are not just the disciples to whom Jesus is speaking
but anyone who has faith in me. Each believer will do what I have
been doing (v. 12), or more literally, "will do the works (ta
erga) that I do." Some people find it odd to join together
faith and works. Scripture is clear that salvation comes from God's
grace, which we appropriate by faith. Our works do not produce life
in us, but faith itself includes works because faith is not just
a response of the intellect or the feelings but of the whole person,
especially of the will. Salvation itself is a matter of sharing
in God's own life, and that life is very active. As Paul will say,
"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself [or
"working" energoumene] through love" (Gal 5:6).
What are these greater things of which Jesus speaks? Some think
he is referring to spectacular miracles, but what would top the
raising of Lazarus? Others think it refers to the missionary activity
of the disciples, their bringing more converts to faith. Such activity
is an important focus for the disciples, but the meaning here is
more specific.
These greater things are possible because I am going
to the Father (v. 12). That is, Jesus' greatest work has yet to
occur: his death, resurrection and ascension. After he is glorified,
the Spirit will be given (7:39), and believers can then receive
the full benefits of the salvation Jesus has accomplished through
the union that comes through the Spirit. The disciples' works are
greater in that they are "the conveying to people of the spiritual
realities of which the works of Jesus are `signs'" (Beasley-Murray
1987:254). So greater things refer to our having a deeper understanding
of God and sharing in his own life through actual union with him,
which is now possible as a result of Jesus' completed work (cf.
14:20). It is not just a matter of more disciples; it is a matter
of a qualitatively new reality in which the disciples share.
Even though Jesus is departing, these greater things are not accomplished
by the disciples apart from Jesus (cf. Bultmann 1971:611), but rather
through prayer to him (vv. 13-14). Even though he will be gone,
they can still ask him. Such a claim may mean merely that Jesus
will be a heavenly mediator, but given the clear teaching throughout
the Gospel that affirms Jesus' deity we should see much more involved
here. Like the Father, he is an appropriate one to whom to pray.
Jesus assures them that I will do whatever you ask in my name (v.
13), a theme that will be repeated throughout the farewell discourse
(15:7, 16; 16:23-24, 26; cf. 1 Jn 3:22; 5:14-15). Praying "in
Jesus' name" does not refer to some magic formula added to
the end of a prayer. It means to pray in keeping with his character
and concerns and, indeed, in union with him. The disciples, through
their union with Christ, are taken up into his agenda. This agenda,
as throughout his ministry, is to bring glory to the Father (v.
13). This verse has been understood by some Christians to be a blanket
promise that Jesus will give them whatever they want. Such idolatry
of the self is the very opposite of eternal life. "Whatsoever
we ask that is adverse to the interests of salvation, we do not
ask in the name of the Savior" (Augustine In John 73.3). Rather,
the promise is made to those who will pray in Jesus' name and for
the glory of the Father. As such it is a great promise for the advance
of God's purposes in oneself, in the church and in the world.
That which is called for on the part of the disciple is love: If
you love me, you will obey what I command (v. 15), or, more literally,
"you will keep my commands" (tas entolas tas emas teresete).
Again Jesus describes himself in a role commonly, though not exclusively,
associated with God, the giver of commands. This statement is not
so much a promise that the one who loves him will keep his commands
as it is a definition of love itself. Jesus is referring not only
to his ethical instructions, which are very few in this Gospel,
but to the whole of his teaching (vv. 23-24), including his way
of life. Accordingly, John will instruct his disciples later, saying,
"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did"
(1 Jn 2:6; cf. 1 Cor 4:17). Now the hallmark of Jesus' "ways,"
his "walk," was complete dependence on and obedience to
the Father, only doing and speaking what he received from the Father.
Such a life is itself an expression of love, since love, for John,
is the laying down of one's life (1 Jn 3:16). Thus Jesus himself
has modeled the life of love he describes here in terms of obedience
(cf. 8:29; 14:31). Love, like faith, is the engagement of the whole
person, especially the person's will.
Faith and love unite disciples to God and take them up into God's
work, but these "greater things" will require God's own
resources. So Jesus promises that I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Counselor to be with you forever (v. 16).
Here is the first of several references in the farewell discourse
to the Paraclete (parakletos), translated in the NIV as Counselor
(14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-11, 13-15). This word is a verbal adjective
meaning "called alongside," related to the verb parakaleo,
"call to one, summon." Outside the New Testament it is
used in legal contexts to mean "a legal assistant, advocate"
(Liddell, Scott and Jones 1940:1313; Behm 1967:800-803). Johannes
Behm, among others, tries to argue that this is the meaning in John
as well (1967:811-14) but has to conclude "subsidiary senses
were interwoven into the primary sense of `advocate,' so that no
single word can provide an adequate rendering" (1967:814).
Actually, even the sense of advocate, as either a defense attorney
or a spokesman, is not present in John (Brown 1970:1136). Rather,
in John the functions of the Paraclete are mainly "teaching,
revealing and interpreting Jesus to the disciples" (Turner
1992:349). While the Paraclete's activity of testifying to Jesus
(15:26) and convicting the world (16:7-11) are like legal activities,
they are not specifically activities of a defense attorney but rather
of a prosecuting attorney, toward the world, and a witness, toward
the disciples. Thus, "the title and the tasks ascribed to the
Paraclete seem to be out of step" (Burge 1987:7), and there
is no comprehensive title that does justice to "the variety
of traits given to the Paraclete" (Burge 1987:9). It is best
to use the transliteration "Paraclete" and examine the
Gospel itself to see how John uses the term.
John speaks of the Paraclete in relation to the Father, the Son,
the disciples and the world. The Father is the source of the Paraclete
(14:16, 26; 15:26), and Jesus is the one who sends the Paraclete
by asking the Father to send him (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Thus
both the Son and the Paraclete have the same source, the Father,
but the Son has a role in the historical sending of the Paraclete.
Both Jesus and the Paraclete play distinct but related roles in
the revelation of the Father and the giving of life. Indeed, Gary
Burge has counted sixteen similarities between Jesus and the Paraclete
(1987:141), which we will note as they appear in the text. For instance,
in our present text the Paraclete is called "another Paraclete"
(14:16), which implies that Jesus himself is the Paraclete.
In 1 John the term itself is actually used of Jesus:
"But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father
in our defense [the NIV's paraphrase of parakletos]--Jesus Christ,
the Righteous One" (2:1). In 1 John the role does seem to be
in a legal setting. Jesus, in his humanity as the Righteous One,
is our advocate before God when it comes to dealing with our sin.
But in the Gospel, Jesus says the Paraclete will take up the role
Jesus himself has already been fulfilling during his ministry. Perhaps
the most fundamental aspect of Jesus' ministry has been to mediate
the divine presence, so it is tempting to find the general idea
behind the usage of the word Paraclete, both in John's letter and
in the Gospel, to be "presence." Jesus is a human presence
("the Righteous One") in heaven, and he is the divine
presence on earth. The Paraclete (who is himself distinct from Jesus
and not simply Jesus' presence) is to continue that divine presence
among the disciples.
The various terms used to translate parakletos, such as Counselor,
Advocate and Comforter, get at different aspects of what he accomplishes
through his presence. The Paraclete is called "the Spirit of
truth" (14:16; 15:26; 16:13) and "the Holy Spirit"
(14:26), which may help explain why the world does not see or know
him (14:17), since the world is neither holy nor of the truth. His
dwelling is with the believers, for he is in them and is known by
them (14:17). By his presence with the disciples, not with the world,
and by his witness to Jesus who was rejected by the world, the Paraclete
judges the world through the believers (16:7-11). As the divine
presence among believers the Paraclete enables them to be God's
presence in the world. He is with them and in them glorifying Jesus
by revealing the truth about him to believers (14:16-17; 14:26;
16:13-15). In this way, the community, by the presence of the Paraclete,
bears witness to Jesus and thus continues Jesus' own mission of
judgment and life-giving. Most commentators think that the Paraclete
actually mediates the presence of Jesus to the community. This is
true (see comment on 16:25), though John does not say this directly
(see comment on 14:23-27).
Thus, we understand that much of John's theology is captured in
this term parakletos, especially when we realize it is used of both
Jesus and the Spirit. Jesus as the divine presence on earth and
the human presence in heaven speaks of the mystery of the incarnation,
of the divine-human being who is "presence" both before
God and humanity. Jesus and the Spirit together reveal the Father
within history--Jesus within his own person and the Spirit through
testimony to Jesus within and through the community of God, those
who have received Jesus and been given power to become children
of God (1:12) and have become witnesses to Jesus (15:26-27). The
Spirit is the divine presence within believers, bringing about the
transformation of human beings so they live the life of God in the
form that such divine life takes within and among us creatures,
though John does not use the term Paraclete when referring to this
role of the Spirit. Rather, the role of the Spirit as Paraclete
is similar to that of the Spirit of prophecy in the Old Testament,
that is, "the Spirit acting as the organ of communication between
God and a person" (Turner 1992:342; see also p. 351). He bears
witness to Jesus, thereby leading the disciples into all truth and
convicting the world for their rejection of Jesus. This theme of
bearing witness is part of the larger motif of a legal trial that
runs through the Gospel: Jesus reveals the Father, which brings
about the world's judgment, and the world in turn condemns Jesus.
Returning to our present passage (14:16), we see that the Paraclete,
like the Son, comes from the Father as a gift of the Father, for
Jesus says the Father will give them the Paraclete at the Son's
request. In contrast to Jesus, who is now departing, the Paraclete
will be with them forever. As we will soon learn, it is only Jesus'
visible presence that will be absent from them; Jesus himself will
remain in union with them. Thus both Jesus and the Paraclete will
be with the believers. Further connection with Jesus is evident
when he refers to the Paraclete as the Spirit of truth, since Jesus
is the truth, as he has just affirmed (14:6). The Paraclete's relation
to the world is like Jesus', since the world cannot accept him,
because it neither sees him nor knows him (v. 17), as has been the
case with Jesus.
Jesus contrasts the disciples to the world: But you know him, for
he lives (menei, "remains," "abides") with you
and will be in you (v. 17). This present tense, you know him, seems
strange, since Jesus has yet to request the Spirit (v. 16; 16:7)
and the disciples have not yet received the Spirit. Although Jesus
says this Paraclete will be in you, he already remains among them
(v. 17; par' hymin menei, translated in the NIV as lives with you).
The Spirit is not absent before the glorification. Indeed, he is
present "without limit" in Jesus (3:34; cf. Burge 1987:83-84)
and must be at work in the disciples in order for them to have the
faith and love that Jesus mentions (vv. 12, 15; cf. Augustine In
John 74.1-2). But the Paraclete has not yet been sent to the disciples
and received by them in the new way Jesus is opening up. Both Jesus
and this Paraclete have been present to the disciples already, even
though the coming level of intimacy with both will be so much deeper
that it is the difference between death and life (see comment on
20:22; cf. Gen 2:7).
Having promised that the Paraclete would be given to the disciples,
Jesus next speaks of his own return to them (v. 18). Some suggest
that orphans is "simply used in a figurative sense for `abandoned',"
with "perhaps a hint of the defenselessness of the orphan:
`I will not leave you unprotected'" (Seesemann 1967:488). But
more is involved, for Jesus is the only way to the Father (v. 6),
and apart from him we are in fact orphaned. Only his coming to us
overcomes this condition. But which coming does Jesus refer to?
The fact that the disciples will see him (v. 19) suggests his coming
spiritual presence with them is not in view, and the fact that the
world will not see him rules out the second coming. So, most likely,
he is speaking of his appearance after the resurrection (Beasley-Murray
1987:258), at which time he will impart the Spirit to them (20:22).
Not only will they not be abandoned, with Jesus' return after the
resurrection they will enter into the new kind of life he has been
revealing throughout his ministry (v. 19). The phrase before long,
literally, "yet a little while" (eti mikron), comes from
the Old Testament (for example, Ps 37:10 par. 36:10 LXX; Is 10:25;
26:20; 29:17; Jer 51:33 par. 28:33 LXX; Hos 1:4; Hag 2:6), where
it is used "to express optimistically the shortness of time
before God's salvation would come" (Brown 1970:607). When Jesus
uses the expression it is indeed only a little while, a matter of
a couple of days, until the salvation that is the beginning of the
fulfillment of all the hopes will come. This salvation is a matter
of life: Because I live, you also will live (v. 19). They will live
because they will be united to him by the Spirit and thus come to
share in the life of him who is resurrection and life. All of this
is made possible by Jesus' own death and resurrection.
These connections are brought out in the next verse: On that day
you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and
I am in you (v. 20). The day referred to is the day of resurrection
that inaugurates on earth a qualitatively new form of life, eternal
life. The phrase on that day, like the phrase before long, echoes
Old Testament hopes, for it is used 111 times in the Prophets to
refer to the day of God's great acts of judgment and salvation.
Here the salvation is expressed in terms of knowledge and union.
The intimacy that exists between the Father and the Son has been
the subject of Jesus' revelation. Jesus has called upon the disciples
to accept this truth about him in faith (vv. 10-11), and now he
promises that after the resurrection the disciples will come to
realize it (gnosesthe), they will know it. Like faith, this knowledge
is not just an intellectual grasping of a truth. It comes from a
participation in the divine reality itself, for it is said they
will share in that relationship because they will be in the Son
and he in them. Thus, what was just said of the Paraclete (v. 17)
is now said of the Son. The Son and the Paraclete will both indwell
the disciples, key themes that will be developed in the rest of
the farewell discourse.
This indwelling is what will enable them to accomplish the task
of doing "greater things" (v. 12). What has been true
of Jesus will now be true of them--not that they will become unique
sons and daughters of God as Jesus is the "One and Only"
(1:14, 18), but rather that they, continuing as creatures, will
share in the divine life by being taken up into the Son, just as
Jesus took up into himself humanity at his incarnation. For Jesus
"was much more than one individual among the many. He was the
true self of the human race, standing in that perfect union with
God to which others can attain only as they are incorporate in Him;
the mind, whose thought is truth absolute (14:6), which other men
think after Him; the true life of man, which other men live by sharing
it with Him (14:6, 20; 6:57)" (Dodd 1953:249).
Jesus then ties this teaching together by repeating his description
of the disciples of whom all of this will be true: Whoever has my
commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me (v. 21). This
union is not simply a matter of shared ideas or feelings but of
shared life. The love is reciprocal: He who loves me will be loved
by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (v.
21). This verse does not deny the love God has for all his creatures,
but rather speaks of the fulfillment of that love in a qualitatively
new way for those who are in the Son. Believers are those who "have
entered into the same reciprocity of love that unites the Father
and the Son" (Barrett 1978:465).
Jesus says that he himself will love such a disciple and will show
himself to him or her (v. 21). Thus, Jesus himself will remain in
personal contact with his disciples. He may be departing, but he
will remain in relationship with them although the relationship
will exist in a new form (see comment on 20:17). The showing he
mentions could refer to his resurrection appearances, but the shift
from the plural (v. 20, you) to the singular (v. 21, he who) suggests
more is intended (Ridderbos 1997:507). The reference to resurrection
presence slides over into a reference to the ongoing presence mediated
by the Spirit, as becomes clear from the further discussion raised
by this statement.
22-31
22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do
you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus 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. 24He 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. 26But 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. 27Peace 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. 29I have told you now
before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this
world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31but 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.
John 14:22-31
Explanation: Jesus Contrasts His Disciples' Relation to
God with the World's Relation to God (14:22-31)
Jesus has said he will show himself to the one who loves him (v.
21), so Judas (not Judas Iscariot) asks, But, Lord, why do you intend
to show yourself to us and not to the world? (v. 22). The term used
for show (emphanizo) is used in the Septuagint for the theophany
Moses received on Sinai (Ex 33:13, 18). Judas seems to be confused
because he is "looking for another theophany that will startle
the world" (Brown 1970:647), but Jesus is only speaking of
showing himself to his disciples.
As is often the case, Jesus does not seem to address the question
directly, yet in fact he goes to the heart of the issue. Judas has
spoken of the contrast between us and the world, and Jesus describes
the disciple as one who loves him (v. 23): If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching (v. 23; or "keep my word," ton logon
mou teresei). Jesus is referring not to simply holding onto his
teaching, but to actually acting in accordance with it, as he himself
has responded to the Father (v. 31). His teaching is not just interesting
thoughts about God and the world. Rather, he has revealed God and
opened the way to share God's own life. To obey his teaching is
to adopt God's pattern of life. But the condition for such obedience
is love for Jesus. The commands of Jesus are not a set of rules
like a traffic code; they are a description of a pattern of life
that reflects God's own life trans-posed into human circumstances.
Love for Jesus involves both an attachment to him and a oneness
with him and his interests, which naturally leads one to obey him
and walk as he walked (1 Jn 2:6). One obeys what one loves. Indeed,
our patterns of obedience reveal what we really love.
After describing the one to whom he will show himself, Jesus speaks
of the showing itself: My Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him (v. 23). Instead of describing
a spectacular theophany, Jesus speaks of dwelling with his disciples.
The word for home (mone) is the same used earlier of the "rooms"
in the Father's house (v. 2). The future intimacy in heaven will
begin already here on earth. The great prophetic hope of a time
when God would dwell with his people (Ezek 37:26-27; Zech 2:10)
has come to pass in the incarnation and the dwelling Jesus here
mentions.
In this passage, as throughout the Gospel, we have the dependency
of the Son upon the Father. The Father, in love, sent the Son, and
so those who receive the Son in love will receive this love of the
Father. For the word that they obey in love is not the Son's but
that of the Father himself (v. 24). Jesus' word is not the word
of a mere human teacher that can be debated and modified; it comes
from the Father and thus is and expresses ultimate reality. Those
who do not love and obey the Son reject the Father himself (v. 24;
cf. 1 Jn 2:23). The opponents are not able to hear Jesus' word from
the Father (8:43), but the disciples receive the Father's word through
the Son and take into their lives that which is of God, thus sharing
in his love. The Son does not come to the disciples on his own,
but, just as with the incarnation itself, this new mode of dwelling
with them will be initiated by the Father's love. The Son continues
to do what he sees the Father doing, and together he and the Father
come to the disciple. The divinity of the Son, his oneness with
the Father, again underlies what is being said (cf. Westcott 1908:2:181).
While in the future the Father and the Son will make their dwelling
with (para) the true disciple (v. 23), in the meantime Jesus is
still with (para) them, giving them further words to receive and
obey (v. 25). He realizes that there is no way they can understand
what he has just been explaining to them, so he comforts them with
the promise of an interpreter: 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 (v. 26). Here
is the second of the Paraclete passages (cf. v. 16). Jesus has just
referred to himself as one sent by the Father (v. 24), and now he
says the same of the Paraclete. This is the only place the Paraclete
is identified with the Holy Spirit, which indicates that the Paraclete
passages convey only part of the larger teaching about the Holy
Spirit, focusing mainly on the role of witness and instruction.
Earlier it was said the Paraclete is sent at Jesus' request (v.
16), and now it is said that he is sent in my name. This expression,
as we have seen elsewhere (see comment on v. 13), includes the idea
of union. As the disciple's prayer is to be in conformity with Jesus'
character and actually in union with Jesus' own intent (v. 13),
so the Paraclete himself is in union with Jesus and in conformity
with his character and mission. "Jesus bore God's name (17:11,
12) because he was the revelation of God to men; the Spirit is sent
in Jesus' name because he unfolds the meaning of Jesus for men"
(Brown 1970:653). Thus, the Paraclete will bear witness to Jesus
just as Jesus has borne witness to the Father, having come in his
Name (5:43; 10:25).
Specifically, the Paraclete will teach and remind. In John, to remember
something means both to recall it and understand it (see comment
on 2:22; Mussner 1967). Teaching and reminding probably should not
be seen as two separate activities but instead as two ways of speaking
of the same thing (the kai would be epexegetic; cf. Schnackenburg
1982:83), so verse 26 is perhaps better translated as "that
one will teach you everything, that is, he will remind you of everything
which I said to you." The all things that the Paraclete will
teach the disciples does not refer to knowledge of all sorts, such
as the height of Mount Everest or the general theory of relativity.
God is indeed the God of all creation, but the all things spoken
of here is the revelation of himself that has come in Jesus (see
comment on 16:14). The Spirit understands all about Jesus and will
clarify all that he has taught (cf. 1 Cor 2:11-12). This word "all"
(panta, translated all things and everything in the NIV) speaks
of the comprehensiveness of the Spirit's work; he will leave out
nothing of what Jesus has taught. Later we will learn that Jesus
himself has left out nothing of what he has learned from the Father
(15:15), and all that belongs to the Father is his (5:20; 16:15;
17:10). Thus, Jesus is the fullness of the revelation of the Father.
No further revelation is needed, nor would it be possible. What
is called for is an understanding of the revelation that has come
in Jesus, and this is what the Paraclete will provide.
The promise that the Father and the Son will dwell with believers
is in close proximity to the promise of the Spirit. This has led
many to understand the presence of the Father and Son as being mediated
by the Spirit (cf. Turner 1992:349-50), though others point out
that the text does not say as much (Beasley-Murray 1987:258, 260).
It is clear that the Father and the Son are personally present with
the believers and that the Spirit has a role clearly distinguished
from, though in union with, the Father and the Son. The Paraclete's
teaching role is focused on the historical Jesus, as indicated by
the reference to all things and everything (v. 26) and the use of
the past tense (eipon, translated I have said). This focus on the
Son is further emphasized by the inclusion of the emphatic personal
pronoun "I" (ego, in v. 26: everything I have said to
you) though the manuscripts vary at this point. Later passages will
also indicate that Jesus himself continues to instruct the disciples,
which suggests the Spirit mediates Jesus' presence (see comment
on 16:25).
The other distinctive is the gift of peace that Jesus gives them:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives (v. 27). Here is the fulfillment of the prophets'
promise of peace (for example, Is 9:6-7; 52:7; Ezek 37:26; cf. Beasley-Murray
1987:262). The peace Jesus is talking about is not the cessation
of hostilities from enemies, but rather the gift of calmness and
confidence that comes from union with God and faith in him and his
purposes. The world's idea of peace is something that comes through
destroying of enemies and consists of physical and emotional comfort.
The peace that Jesus gives is grounded in God and not in circumstances.
It is the peace that Jesus himself has exhibited in this Gospel
and is exhibiting in this farewell discourse, even while he knows
he is about to be killed. Soon he will speak of the continued trouble
his disciples will experience in the world (15:18--16:4), but they
will simply be living out what he himself has already been experiencing.
They will share his troubles, but they will also have his peace,
for they will share in his own relationship with the Father.
This promise of the gift of his own peace serves as the foundation
for the command he now gives: Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid (v. 27). He repeats exactly the command that
began this chapter (v. 1), adding now a reference to fear (mede
deiliato). This word family is always used of fear in a negative
sense, as the opposite of courage. Those with a settled disposition
of such fear evidence a lack of faith in God and a denial of his
presence, his goodness and his power. Those who experience such
fear, which includes virtually all of us to some degree, may take
comfort that as God's life grows within us and as our hearts are
healed, we enter into the inheritance of Jesus' peace, which replaces
our sinful fear. Jesus here calls us to receive his peace. The grounds
of this peace is the "perfect love" that "drives
out fear" (1 Jn 4:18). This love is ultimately a sharing of
the relationship between the Father and the Son, of which Jesus
now goes on to speak.
His announcement that he is departing to the Father should fill
them with joy instead of disturbance and fear (v. 28). The construction
in Greek of the phrase If you loved me indicates that Jesus' view
is that they have not done so. So their response shows that they
have not yet come to love him in the truest sense. They think they
love him, but in fact they are more focused on themselves than on
him (Westcott 1908:2:185). Fear in itself is focused on self and
circumstances rather than on God. Focus on God is central to all
Jesus does and says, as it is here: If you loved me, you would be
glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than
I (v. 28). Jesus' great love and focus is the Father; thus the prospect
of returning to him fills Jesus with joy. If the disciples shared
this focus and really loved Jesus, that is, willed the best for
him, they also would share this joy.
Jesus' statement that the Father is greater than I is very important
for understanding the relation between the Father and the Son. Arius,
who lived in the fourth century, and others who have held views
similar to his since then have taken this verse as proof that Jesus
is not divine. The teachers of 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 yet distinct from God (especially 1:1-18; 8:58; 10:30;
20:28). In fact, this distinctness is now further clarified by Jesus'
saying the Father is greater. From the time of the early church
this verse has been the focus of much thought (cf. Westcott 1908:2:191-96;
Pollard 1970). There have been two main ways to understand this
verse that do justice to the oneness of the Father and the Son.
First, some say that the verse's focus is on Jesus' historical mission.
The Father is greater in that he is the source and goal of Jesus'
mission (for example, Calvin 1959:89-90; Brown 1970:655; Schnackenburg
1982:85-86; Ridderbos 1997:512). Others hold another form of this
first view, which says the Father is greater than the Son in reference
to his incarnate state (for example, Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose,
Augustine; cf. Westcott 1908:2:195). Such focus on the incarnation
as such or on Jesus' historical mission are quite compatible with
"the belief in the unity of the divine Nature, and therefore
with the belief in the equality of the Godhead of the Son with the
Godhead of the Father" (Westcott 1908:2:191). Indeed, many
of the fathers of the church accepted more than one view. But some
also said that while the incarnate Son may be in view here, by itself
this interpretation is inadequate. After all, it is no big deal
to say that God is greater than a man (Basil Letter 8.5; Gregory
of Nazianzus Oration 30.7).
While the words "Father" and "Son" are obviously
taken from our human context, they refer, according to the second
main interpretation of this verse, to realities within the Godhead
itself. Fatherhood is not our projection onto God; rather it is
from him that our fatherhood derives (cf. Eph 3:14-15). His fatherhood
transcends our limited ideas and experience, but it is not less
than that which is reflected amongst us, and indeed it provides
a standard of true fatherhood. Now, to be a father one must have
an offspring. Jesus is eternally Son; he is not just Son at his
incarnation. Such was the faith of the ancient church, as expressed
in the Nicene Creed, which refers to Jesus Christ as "the only
Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light
from Light, very God from very God." So the Father is understood
as the source of Jesus not just in his incarnation and mission,
but in his eternal being as Son. "What else does the word Father
signify unless the being, cause and origin of that which is begotten
of him?" (Basil Against Eunomius 1.25; 3.1). The Father is
greater in that he is the origin (eternally) of the Son, but he
and the Son are equal in that they share the same nature (Gregory
of Nazianzus Oration 30.7). To say that the Father is greater than
the Son does not in the least mean that the Son does not share in
the deity, since "comparisons are made between things of the
same species" (Basil Letter 8.5). As D. A. Carson says, if
he were to say, "`Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second is
greater than I,' no one would take this to mean that she is more
of a human being than I" (1991:507). Thus, this passage gives
a further glimpse into the relations within the Godhead without
denying the oneness of the Father and the Son.
Given the focus in this Gospel on the relation between the Father
and the Son it seems likely that the passage addresses this deeper
issue. This does not mean that John himself was thinking in the
categories the later church used to express the relation between
the Father and the Son. But the fundamental mystery, the reality
itself, is here revealed. The fact that the deeper relation is in
view does not mean the reference to the incarnation is not also
appropriate. C. K. Barrett stresses the incarnation view, but he
actually captures nicely the two thoughts together in one sentence:
"The Father is fons divinitatis [fountain/source of divine
nature/Godhead] in which the being of the Son has its source; the
Father is God sending and commanding, the Son is God sent and obedient"
(1978:468).
The issues raised by this verse are matters of significant debate
today. The false teaching of Arius is still quite prevalent, and
thus the issue of Jesus' deity continues to be debated. But even
among those who accept his oneness with God there is dispute over
the nature of this relationship. Since the life of the church derives
from and is to reflect the pattern of the life of God the question
of hierarchy and equality within the Godhead has significant implications
for our view both of God and of the life to which he calls us. Unfortunately,
most of the debate seems to be between those promoting hierarchy
on the one side and equality on the other. Few are wrestling with
what seems to be the biblical picture of both hierarchy and equality.
Fallen human society can understand hierarchy and equality separately,
but to have them both at the same time is a concept found rarely
if ever in fallen humanity. But then Jesus is quite clear that his
kingdom is not of this world (18:36; cf. 8:23; 14:30). The patterns
of kingdom life proposed by both hierarchicalists and egalitarians
are altogether too much of this world. We need to take more seriously
the otherworldly revelation John is passing on to us. We need now
as much as ever the Paraclete to instruct us.
Jesus concludes this short section on peace by saying the very fact
that he is telling them all of this ahead of time is itself a part
of his message of assurance and peace (v. 29). Jesus knows what
is about to occur, so therefore these events, as devastating as
they will seem, should strengthen their faith in him rather than
undermine it (cf. 13:19; 16:4).
After emphasizing his present teaching (vv. 25, 29), Jesus concludes
by saying the time for talk is over--now come the final deeds (vv.
30-31). The reason he will not speak with them much longer is that
the prince of this world is coming (v. 30). This passage has dealt
mainly with the distinction between the disciples and the world,
and now at its conclusion we have the fundamental contrast between
Jesus and the world. Behind Jesus' human opponents is the one primary
opponent who has led the rebellion that transformed the world as
the created order, which was good, to the world in opposition to
the loving Father. According to the NIV Jesus says this prince .
. . has no hold on me. This verse may reflect a Hebrew expression
(`ayin lo `ali) that was used in a legal sense of having no claim
over a person (Beasley-Murray 1987:263). So Jesus would be making
again the point that no one takes his life from him; rather he lays
it down of his own accord (10:18). The expression has no hold on
me could also be translated "has nothing in me" (en emoi
ouk echei ouden). With this reading, the text would give us the
reason the prince has no hold or claim on Jesus--there is nothing
of his rebellion in Jesus; Jesus is not of this world (8:23).
The NIV takes Jesus' next expression as an imperative: but the world
must learn that I love the Father (v. 31). The construction here
(a hina clause) more often conveys purpose, and this reading would
be more in keeping with the flow of thought. There is nothing in
Jesus that gives the ruler of this world a hold or claim on him,
but Jesus is going to go through with the Passion in order that
the world may know that he loves the Father. This love for the Father
is then explained in the next clause (taking the kai as epexegetic;
cf. Brown 1970:656): ". . . that I love the Father, that is,
that I do just what the Father commanded me to do." The command,
of course, is to lay down his life, which itself is love (1 Jn 3:16).
This obedient love Jesus has for the Father is the ultimate contrast
between himself and the devil. As the disciples share in this love
by their own obedient love for Jesus they also will no longer be
of this world (17:14). In the Passion that is about to take place,
the prince of this world will be driven out, and the world will
be judged (12:31). But more is involved than just condemnation.
Another side of the Passion, as verse 31 reveals, is its witness
to Jesus. The cross itself will demonstrate what everything else
in his life has also testified, that he loves the Father and is
obedient to him. Here is a manifestation for the world, and it is
meant for the salvation of the world (12:32). The cross is both
God's judgment and his evangelism, and both are expressions of his
love. Witnessing to this revelation of the cross will be the job
of the disciples, enabled by the Paraclete, as the next two chapters
will explain. While Jesus will not manifest himself to the world
(v. 22), the disciples' union with the Father, the Son and the Paraclete
and their sharing in the divine life and peace and joy will be a
witness to the world. They will bear witness both verbally and in
their life to the love of God manifest in the cross.
Jesus concludes, Come now; let us leave (v. 31). These words are
puzzling, because Jesus and his disciples do not seem to leave until
later: "Having said these things, Jesus departed with his disciples"
(18:1; obscured in the NIV, which paraphrases eipon, "having
said," as "when he had finished praying"). Some commentators
take the end of chapter 14 quite literally and assume the next three
chapters were spoken en route, with 18:1 referring to the departure
from Jerusalem (Westcott 1908:2:187). Others suggest, as commonly
happens, that they stood to leave but lingered to talk further.
In this case the end of verse 31 would signal a new stage in the
teaching (Morris 1971:661). Others, such as C. H. Dodd, spiritualize
the leaving referred to in verse 31: "There is no physical
movement from the place. The movement is a movement of the spirit,
an interior act of will, but it is a real departure nevertheless"
(Dodd 1953:409). The majority of recent commentators believe this
is a clear seam in the fabric of the Gospel, which indicates that
chapters 15--17 were added to an earlier version of the Gospel.
They point to the fact that 13:31--14:31 forms a coherent
whole, whereas the material in chapters 15--17 shares the same style
and theology and for the most part covers the same ground. Some
would say, therefore, that these chapters formed an alternative
version of the farewell discourse. But the fact that new angles
are explored in this material (for example, through the theme of
abiding and through an increased emphasis on the conflict with the
world) suggests rather that this material was a supplement to the
material in 13:31--14:31 and not an alternative version. This material
could have been composed by later disciples, but one would expect
them to have done a better job of editing. More likely it came from
John, comprising further material that he was used to including
as he recounted the story of Jesus but that he had left out of his
draft of the Gospel. These chapters were added later either by him
or by his disciples. If they were added by John's disciples, then
the fact that they did not modify these last words of verse 31 to
make the transition smoother may point not to their incompetence
but to their reverence for their master's teaching. Thus, while
there is debate about the exact nature of this inclusion (cf. Beasley-Murray
1987:223-24; Carson 1991:476-80; Paschal 1992:231-32), some such
theory seems likely. Further work on ancient literary and oral forms
will probably add new insight to this puzzle.
