June 17, 2007

Chapter 14, verses 18-24- Jesus continues to move to give comfort to His disciples in view of His approaching absence.  “I will not leave you orphans”-

use of orphanos for one bereft of parents or desolate.  “I will come to you”-here, unlike vs.3, Jesus likely refers to His coming through the agency of God,

the Holy Spirit.  In vs.19, He adds “you will see me, because I live, you will live also”- this looks to the occasion of His resurrection and appearance to His disciples, seen in ch.20-22.  Due to His resurrection from the dead (Rom.6:4-5,

I Cor.15:20-23, 45, 47-49), we shall also be resurrected (Col.3:4, I Thess.4).

  Vs.20 declares at the day of His resurrection- “at that day you will know..”

these disciples will be assured of the intimacy between He and the Father.

  But the intimacy expands to include “you in me and I in you”—this will be seen in both (1) position in Christ (Eph.1:3) of the Pauline epistles and

(2) a deeper and more intimate walk in Christ based on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  That the believer is “in” Christ is a new truth, not previously discussed by Jesus.  This truth will await the conversion, illumination and inspiration of the apostle Paul, who will write extensively on being “in Christ”.

  In vs.21, Jesus returns to the matter of love- “he who has ….keeps…is he who loves me”.  This is a restatement of vs.15.  Now Jesus adds, “he who loves Me, will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest

Myself to Him”.  That believers who love Jesus, in turn,  are loved  by the Father is a marvelous truth! See 17:23.  It suggests that just as there has been an intimacy between the Son and the Father, so also there will be an intimacy between the Son and the disciples, who love Him.  The phrase “manifest myself to Him” indicates a growing awareness and personalintimacy between Christ and His disciples.

  Jesus is now approached by Judas (not Iscariot) with a question.  This disciple

is likely Simon, the Canaanite (Matt.10:4) or the Zealot (Luke 6:15).  Others think it is Lebbaeus called Thaddeus (Matt.10:4).  His question is “Lord, how will you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?”  Apparently, he misses the meaning entirely by thinking that “manifest” is to be seen literally

with ones eyes!  The answer by Jesus in vs.23 returns to the subject of personal intimacy of love and how both the Father and Son will “make our home with him”.  The use of “if” [3^rd class conditional] does present conditions for what follows; that is, the full manifestation of the presence of the Father & Son in the believer.  However, the phrase “make our home with him” is much like Eph. 3:17.  The conditional aspects relate the degree to which “make our home”  becomes a  reality.   One may be a believer and  be indwelt, but yet miss the full aspect of “make our home” by personal carnality and disobedience.

  In vs. 24, Jesus then gives the negative of vs.23- “he who does not love Me does not keep my words”---note it does not say “he who does not keep my words does not love me”.

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  Jesus puts the emphasis on the act of love for Him.  Verification of love may be found in keeping His words (vs. 21 & 23) and lack of love will prevent keeping his words (vs.24).  We may infer that those who fail to keep His words do not love Him—but that is not stated here.

  This will be the last time in John’s gospel that Jesus will discuss the believer’s love for  Christ.  He will mention our abiding in His love (15:9) and love for one another (15:12 & 17), but not our love for Him.  It will only resurface in the private conversation of Jesus with Peter in ch.21:15-17.

   Jesus is now ready to discuss the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who will come

once He is absent.  Further, in ch.15, Jesus utilizes a powerful object lesson

in order to develop a better understanding of the intimacy that He desires between Himself and His disciples.