TEACHING NOTES ‌ Introduction This session picks up the conversation that began in John 13:31, where Jesus is speaking to His disciples after the last supper. This is a troubling time for the disciples because they have just received bad news. Judas is on his way to betray Jesus, the disciples have been told that Jesus is leaving, and Peter has been told that he will deny Jesus three times. Therefore, in the next part of the conversation Jesus will try to encourage His troubled disciples. ‌ John 14:1–3 ESV 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ‌ Let not your hearts be troubled = The Greek word for “troubled” here is tarasso, which means to be in great distress. In John 13:21, Jesus was “troubled in his spirit” over Judas. Then Jesus tells the disciples that He is about to leave. Obviously, this leads the disciples to be troubled. Now Jesus tells them not to let their hearts be troubled. Jesus is calling them to lead their deceitful hearts with faith. ‌ OT Connection: Jesus’ statement here is similar to passages where God told His people not to be afraid (Deut. 1:21, 29; 20:1-3; Joshua 1:9). The Israelites were going into the Promised Land with out Moses and would face much opposition. Moses died before the mission began. In the same way, Jesus is going to die and afterward He sends the disciples into the Roman Empire and would also face much opposition. Both the Old and New Testaments are about the people of God spreading the kingdom of God throughout the land. ‌ Believe also in me = The Greek verb here is pisteuete, which is the present tense and active voice form of having “faith” or “faithfulness.” Jesus is saying that if the disciples are faithful to God, they must also be faithful to God’s Son. Likewise, in Ex. 14:31 the Israelites saw God’s works and responded by believing in Yahweh and in His servant Moses. ‌ In my Father’s house are many rooms = Older English translations say, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” In Old English, “mansion” did not mean the same as is does in modern English. The Greek phrase for “many rooms” here is pollai monai, which means “dwelling places.” Jesus is not saying that believers will be filthy rich and living in a huge mansion. Jesus is saying that His Father’s house has plenty of space to live. Also, Jesus is using the same language as passages from the Books of Enoch, which the disciples were very familiar with (1 Enoch 39:4-5; 41:2; 71:16; 2 Enoch 61:2-3). ‌ I go to prepare a place for you = The Greek word for “prepare” here is hetoimazo, which means “to make ready.” This is the same word used to describe the mission of John the Baptist—to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Matt. 3:3; quoting Isa. 40:3). Jesus is leaving to prepare a new creation for His disciples (Rev. 21:1). This new creation is actually a “renewed” creation. Scripture tells us that Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God while His enemies are being put under His feet (1 Cor. 15:24-26; Heb. 2:6-9). God is slowly putting down His enemies and when He is finished, creation will be renewed into a place without evil. ‌ I will come again = Jesus is encouraging the disciples that though He is leaving, He will return and reunited with His people. This will occur at the end, when Jesus returns and the dead are resurrected (Rev. 20:11-15). Those who are still alive will be “caught up together to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:13-18). At that point, we will be with Christ in the new creation forever. ‌ Where I am you may be also = The beauty of this promise cannot be overstated. Jesus actually prays for this in John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” Jesus is praying for what the Father has always wanted. The entire Bible is the story of our Creator who wants to live with His people. Jesus came to give God what He always wanted. ‌ John 14:4–6 ESV 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ‌ You know the way = While Thomas thinks that he doesn’t know the way, Jesus is clear that they do the way to where He is going. Why? Because they know Jesus. ‌ I AM the way, the truth, the life = Each of these terms are preceded by an article in Greek (ἡ = the), meaning that Jesus is claiming to be the only source of these three nouns. Also, each term leads to the next. In other words, Jesus is the way that leads to truth that leads to life. This was not a new idea, because Jesus is combining passages from the Old Testament: ‌ Isa. 40:3 “A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (see John 1:23) ‌ Psalm 119:30 says, “I have chosen the way of faithfulness” which was translated in the Greek Septuagint as, “I chose the way of truth.” ‌ Psalm 16:11 “You make known [truth] to me the path [way] of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” ‌ Proverbs 15:24 “The path [way] of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.” The Greek Septuagint reads, “The thoughts of the wise are the way of life, that he might turn away and be saved from Hades.” ‌ The book of Acts tells us that the early church was called “the Way” both by believers and unbelievers (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). ‌ No one comes to the Father except through me = This is an exclusive statement. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus. A culture that claims to value inclusivity is often offended by this claim. However, if Jesus really is the only way to truth and life, we must not worry about people being offended. If the truth offends us, the problem is with us not with the truth. ‌ The Problem with Inclusivity: In the West, our modern culture places high value on inclusivity, although it is often very inconsistent and illogical. A popular belief in our culture is that “all religions are essentially the same and lead to God.” While this sounds inclusive and less offensive in the West, people outside of our culture are highly offended by that claim. All major religions of the world are extremely different and are all exclusive. Each major religion claims to be the only way to God. Only modern people in the West claim that all religions are the same. ‌ John 14:7–8 ESV 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ‌ You know my Father also = Again, Jesus is telling the disciples that they already know something that they don’t know that they know. They know Jesus, but they don’t realize that they also know the Father and have seen the Father. ‌ Show us the Father, it is enough for us = The Greek word for “show” here is deiknymi, which means to make known, reveal, or explain. Another translation could be, “make the Father known to us and it will satisfy us.” Philip is probably not asking to literally see the Father. The Jews knew that seeing God was too dangerous (see Ex. 33:18-20). Philip is asking Jesus to make the Father known to them. ‌ John 14:9 ESV 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ‌ You still do not know me, Philip? = Philip knows Jesus but has missed that Jesus is more than a man from Nazareth who God is using. The Greek word for “know” here is ginosko, which means “to recognize” or “to understand.” ‌ Whoever has seen me has seen the Father = This connects back to John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the one and only God, who is in the Father’s lap, that one fully made known...” Jesus came to show us the Father in that He shows us what the Father is like. ‌ John 14:10–11 ESV 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. ‌ I am in the Father, the Father is in me = Jesus is clearly claiming that He is God in the flesh. If the Father is in Jesus, then seeing Jesus is seeing the Father. ‌ I do not speak on my own authority = Jesus is saying that He is not merely another rabbi teaching neat sermons. His words are the Father’s words. Jesus speaks for the Father. This why John calls Jesus “the Word” who was “with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). ‌ The Father who dwells in me does his works = Jesus modeled what it means to be a child of God. The Father works through us. ‌ Believe on account of the works = Jesus knows that at least some of the disciples still have doubts. Jesus tells them to focus their doubts on the works that Jesus has done and will continue to do. The “works” are the evidence that Jesus is exactly who He claims to be. In the same way, when we have doubts we should think about all that God has done for us. ‌ John 14:12 ESV 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ‌ Truly, truly = Grk. amen, amen - it is true, it is true. Anytime Jesus says, “Truly, truly” we should listen closely and meditate on what He is saying. ‌ Whoever believes will do the works I do = Here, we see another explanation of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Real disciples of Jesus will be doing the kind of things that Jesus did. We will look, act, live, and love like Jesus. “Whoever believes in me” goes beyond the first-century disciples and includes those who would believe later. For example, the apostle Paul did not follow Jesus until after the resurrection, but Paul went on to teach, prophesy, and perform miracles. ‌ Greater works than these will he do = Some debate this line as to whether Jesus means that disciples will do greater in quantity or greater in quality. The Greek seems to be saying that disciples will do these works in greater quantity. They will not do anything greater than what Jesus did, but they will do more of what Jesus did. These disciples would go on to teach and do miracles all over the world for decades. In that way, they taught more people and did more miracles than Jesus did during His three years of earthly ministry. ‌ Because I am going to the Father = Jesus is saying that His leaving is necessary so they can do His works and even more. This is further explained in John 14:15-31 when Jesus teaches on the necessity of the Holy Spirit in the life of disciples. ‌ John 14:13–14 ESV 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. ‌ Ask anything in my name, I will do it = We should be very careful with this statement. If this statement is literally true, with no exceptions, it should warn us to be careful what we ask for. The Bible teaches that God will often give us what we want, but that’s not always a good thing. We should also remember that Jesus is literally talking to a specific group of disciples in the first century. If this verse is literally true, then Jesus was literally not talking to us but to those disciples. ‌ That the Father may be glorified in the Son = Here we see what Jesus is really talking about. To ask “whatever” or “anything” is in reference to the glory of the Father in the Son. In other words, Jesus is saying, “Whatever you ask in my name for the glory of the Father, this I will do.” It seems that Jesus is not saying that literally anything we ask will be done, but anything that glorifies God will be done. ‌ Note: This passage is often misused by “word-of-faith” or “name it and claim it” theology, which falsely teaches that if we have enough faith God will give us whatever we want. That false teaching is usually combined with “seed-faith” theology, which teaches that giving money to the teacher guarantees a “harvest” of answered prayers. This is also called the “prosperity gospel” which is actually no gospel at all. ‌ Conclusion ‌Our hope is not in this creation nor heaven, but in a new creation prepared by Jesus Himself. ‌Jesus is the only way to the Father and the source of truth and life. ‌True disciples of Jesus do the works that Jesus did. ‌ Homework: Read John 14:15-31.