Jesus Comforts His Disciples - John 14

Read John 14.

After washing the disciples’ feet (John 13), Jesus tells his disciples that he will leave soon, but that he will come back again. He reminds us of his promises of eternal life and the Holy Spirit.

Reread John 14:1-7

In these verses, Jesus comforts and reassures us that he will be back and that we are not alone. In verse two, he tells us that he is going to his Father’s house—a place where we will go to eventually as well. Jesus reminds us of his promise of eternal life. How do we get to God’s house? In verse six, Jesus tells us that he is “the way, the truth, and the life”. The one and only way for us to be with God is through Jesus. Jesus was the sacrificial lamb to atone for our sins in order for us to become pure and holy so that we can be in the presence of God. So we know what it means by “he is the way” now, but what does “the truth and the life” mean?

Jesus is truth itself. In John 1:14, it says, “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (NIV). The teachings and commands of Jesus are the truth. Jesus is real and what he says is the truth.

Through Jesus, we are reborn—we obtain new life. But that’s not the end of it. A baseball diamond is sometimes used as a metaphor for the stages of Christianity. Base one is knowing and accepting Christ as a savior, base two is growing in Christ, base three is serving Christ, and base four is sharing the good news. Often times people hit bases one and two, but find it hard to move further on. Because we are reborn, we need to show that through our beliefs, thoughts, and actions: we need to flip our world upside down and start living a new lifestyle for God.

Take some time to evaluate your walk with God. Which base are you on? Are you living a new lifestyle for God?

Reread John 14:8-14

Jesus tells us of the closeness in the relationship between Father and Son in verse eleven. No one has seen the Father, but the Son has shown the Father to the world because the Father is in the Son (v. 9 says, “…Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”).

Often times when people come across verse fourteen and get the wrong perception. Look back at verse 13 and reread it carefully. What does it say?

Jesus tells us that whatever we ask in his name (in Jesus’ name, Amen), he will do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. This doesn’t necessarily mean that God won’t grant some of our prayers such as doing well on a test (obviously you still need to study!!), but don’t be surprised if God gives no for an answer. Next time you pray for something, ask yourself if what you want will glorify God. Is it necessary? How will does it glorify God?

Reread John 14:15-31

In this passage, Jesus promises the disciples the coming of the Holy Spirit. For us, this means that if we are believers, the Holy Spirit will dwell in us forever (v. 16-17, 21). So why is the Holy Spirit so important? In verse 26, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is sent to teach us all thing and to bring remembrance of all that he has said to us. In verse 23, Jesus says, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (NIV). Jesus loves God dearly, and he showed his love of God by obeying his teachings. Just as Jesus obeyed his Father in all that he did (coming to earth and dying on the cross for us), we should do so as well to demonstrate our love for God.

So where does the Holy Spirit come in? The Holy Spirit is a helper, an aide to guide us on our walk with Christ so that we won’t be mislead or get lost and wander off on different roads. It keeps us in check so we are able to obey Him.

Reread John 14

Spend some time to take in the chapter as a whole and reflect. Is your spiritual life stuck in a rut? Have you been living a life for God? Are you asking for things that will glorify God? What have you done this past week that might have been displeasing to God? Pray that God will help you obey and glorify Him in your everyday life.