Jesus has previously demanded obedience from the disciples to show their love for Him (14:15, 21, 23), and now says the same thing about Himself in respect to His love for the Father. Even though this was a characteristic of his entire life (4:34), He is undoubtedly referring specifically to the cross. Note that Jesus never asks us to do something that He wouldn’t do Himself.

John 14:15  “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John 14:21  Whoever 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 14:23  Jesus 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.

John 4:34  “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Even though the devil was coming and would accomplish his goal of killing Christ, the world would see and know that this was a voluntary action on the part of Jesus because He was submitting to the will of God for the sake of all mankind.

Some think that Jesus then left the room, and that the next three chapters of John’s Gospel contain matters spoken on the way to Gethsemane, but it is more likely that the words of these chapters were spoken in the upper room after they had risen from the table and prepared to depart, and that (John 18:1) is where they leave the upper room and go across the Kidron.

John 18:1  When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.

That which was going to cause Jesus to quit speaking was the coming of Satan. When was this going to happen? It must have been in the garden with the coming of Judas and the soldiers. Notice that Satan was extremely active in the crucifixion of Christ.

“He has no hold on me” = why not? What gives Satan his hold on men? Sin. Jesus was without sin (2 Cor 5:21, Heb 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22), and there was therefore no handhold or crevice within Jesus for Satan to grab onto. The Amplified Bible translates this part of the verse as “And he has no claim on Me – he has nothing in common with Me, there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, he has no power over Me.”

2 Corinthians 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

1 Peter 2:22  “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

What about you? Can you say the same thing, i.e. that Satan has no hold over you? If you cannot, then what is the hold that he does have over you? What can you do about it?

Ephesians 4:27  and do not give the devil a foothold.

This is similar to what Jesus told them earlier this evening (13:19). It is not just a statement, but a prophecy. When the Holy Spirit does come to teach and remind them, and they receive the peace of Christ, they will believe. This last word means more than just believing the words He has said; they will more fully trust him when these things happen.

John 13:19  “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.

Just exactly what is it that they will believe? They will believe the things that are about to happen and they will believe the spiritual significance of those things. They will believe the death of Christ and His burial in a tomb. They will believe His subsequent resurrection and ascension into heaven where He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God the Father. They will believe that His death meant that we can die to sin and its penalty if we only accept what He did for us. They will believe that His resurrection meant that we can be resurrected to a new life in Christ and we can live in peace with God under the new covenant that Christ cut for us. And they will believe that His ascension into heaven means that He is interceding for us at every moment and that we, too, will go to be there with Him forever. That is what they are going to believe. Charles Wesley said it this way in the hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”: “ours the Cross, the grave, the skies.” Those things are given to us to believe and to possess for our own. Thank You, Jesus!

“the Father is greater than I” = must be meant in the light of (John 10:30) that Jesus and the Father are one. Jesus is not referring to any difference in nature or essence between Himself and the Father, but of present position (Php 2:6-8). Also note that the Father “sent” Jesus (14:24). He who sends must be greater than he who is sent, much like a boss sending an employee on an errand. The boss is greater in a sense, but is not a higher form of human being. The Father is greater than Jesus, but they are both God. Godet remarks that this “passage breathes, in Him who thus speaks, the most lively feeling of His participation in divinity. God alone can compare Himself with God.”

John 10:30  I and the Father are one.”

Philippians 2:6-8  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

John 14:24  He 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.

Jesus is speaking of His imminent departure to be with His Father and to be reinstated to His former position of exaltation. This is a good thing for Jesus, and should bring joy to those who love Him and desire the best for Him. How does this thought relate to the passing away of Christian friends and relatives?

This is the first time peace has been mentioned in the book of John, but it is a natural result of the presence of the Holy Spirit within the believer, of which Jesus has just spoken.

Peace is what Christ is leaving His disciples. When greeting or departing, the common usage in the east was the term “shalom” which means peace (20:19,21,26; 2 John 1:3; 3 John 1:14), but here and in (John 16:33) Jesus is not using it as a formula of greeting or farewell. He uses it in the sense of spiritual peace which only He can give (Col 3:15, 2 Thes 3:16). This was one of the reasons He came (Luke 2:14) and one of His titles is Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

John 20:19  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

John 20:21  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

John 20:26  A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

2 John 1:3  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

3 John 1:14  I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

John 16:33  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Colossians 3:15  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

2 Thessalonians 3:16  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Luke 2:14  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”

Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

“Peace” to the world means the absence of trouble or conflict. When the world uses it in a greeting, it expresses a hope. Barclay says that, “The peace which the world offers us is the peace of escape, the peace which comes from the avoidance of trouble and from the refusal to face things. The peace which Jesus offers us is the peace of conquest. No experience of life can ever take it from us and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less. It is independent of outward circumstances.”

McGarvey goes on to say, “The breadth of the legacy also to be noted: 1. The quality of it; it was not the absolute unshaken peace of God, but the peace which Jesus himself possessed while upon the earth—peace with all things save the devil and his powers. 2. The nature of it; it was not peace from without, but from within. It was not such as promised to pacify and quell the persecutors, but a promise of inner calm amidst the storm. 3. The manner of it; it was no stinted, measured store such as the world bestows, but a full, free gift from the overflowing bounty of God.”

The peace of Jesus is peace with God (Rom 5:1), peace with our fellow man (Eph 2:14-15), peace with ourselves (Rom 8:1-2, Heb 9:14), and peace with our circumstances. The peace He gives enables us to not “let” our hearts be troubled and to not be afraid. It is a peace that says, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) If we throw ourselves against the prison bars in an effort to escape, all we will accomplish is to bruise and beat our bodies into a bloody pulp. It is only by resisting the bars that we get injured. If we don’t care that we are in prison, then we won’t hurt ourselves. The way we can do this is by turning everything over to God and trusting Him for the results, even if they don’t turn out the way we would like (Php 4:6-7). Jesus gives us His peace so we don’t have to let our hearts be troubled and we don’t have to be afraid anymore.

Romans 5:1  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 2:14-15  For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,  by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,

Romans 8:1-2  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Hebrews 9:14  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Here the Holy Spirit is identified with the Paraclete. He is given His full title as in (Mark 3:29; Matt 12:32; Luke 12:10). This title does not draw attention to His power or greatness, but to His holiness. “Holy” (hagios) means separated. When used of men, it indicates a separation in two directions: separated from sin and to God. When used of the Spirit of God, it indicates His character and nature. Why is it so important for us that the Spirit is holy?

Mark 3:29  But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”

Matthew 12:32  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Luke 12:10  And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

the Holy Spirit (14:16; Acts 2:33), but so will the Son (John 15:26; 16:7; Luke 24:49), and Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (John 20:22). The Spirit’s mission comes from both the Son and the Father, since their missions for the Spirit are one and the same.

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever—

Acts 2:33  Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

John 15:26  “When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:7  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Luke 24:49  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

John 20:22  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

“in my name” = could mean that Jesus Himself will ask the Father to send the Spirit, or it could mean that the Spirit will be sent to stand in the place of Jesus and continue His work.

“he” (KJV) is omitted in NIV but is present in the Greek. It is not grammatically necessary and Westcott thinks that “The emphatic masculine pronoun brings out the personality of the Advocate.” This pronoun shows that the Holy Spirit is not a thing, but a Person.

This verse is also one that speaks of the triune nature of God. Here all three persons of the Godhead are spoken of as completely distinct from each other. God the Father is going to send the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, the Son, Who has already spoken things to the disciples. Three separate entities of God doing three separate things.

The Holy Spirit knows “the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2:10) and will teach them “all things” which probably means “everything they need to know”. We have seen in the book of John how clueless the disciples have been about the meaning of the teachings and miracles of Jesus. They are in deep need of the teaching and reminding of the Holy Spirit. Notice that He is also going to give them new revelations from God such as in (Acts 10:9-20). Does the Holy Spirit give us new revelations today? See (1 John 2:20, 27). How do we know if any so-called “new revelations” come from God? By seeing if they line up with God’s written Word (1 Thes 5:19-21, 1 John 4:1-3).

1 Corinthians 2:10  but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

Acts 10:9-20  About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.  He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.  He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.  It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.  Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”  The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”  This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.  While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.  They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.  While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you.  So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

1 John 2:20  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

1 John 2:27  As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21  Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;  do not treat prophecies with contempt.  Test everything. Hold on to the good.

1 John 4:1-3  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into an ever-increasingly deeper knowledge of God and walk with Him. He takes what Christ showed and spoke and reveals the meanings in His acts and words. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, but Jesus is the lesson book. The only work He does is building upon the life of Christ while He was on this planet. Thus it is necessary for us to speak of Christ while witnessing to others.

This scripture was fulfilled and is being fulfilled. The entire New Testament is proof that the words of Jesus given here did indeed come about, for the writers of the New Testament could never have written what they did without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

This brings up a question. If the Holy Spirit is bringing us into all knowledge of Christ, then why are there so many denominations with so many differing theologies, and why is it so difficult for any Christians to seem to agree on anything about God? It is our fault, of course. We have let prejudice, personal desires, personal opinions, and the fear of what others think to keep us from waiting on God and hearing what His Holy Spirit has to say to us. If God wanted to change some of your thinking today, would you let Him?

“All this” will be referring to this discourse and not the whole of what Jesus taught.

This is the negative expression of the preceding verse, indicating its obvious importance by the repetition.

It is impossible to follow Jesus without loving Him. Again, it is impossible to obey the teachings of Jesus without loving Him. Love is a neccesary ingredient. Men may do their best to be good, but inside they will still fail, for their motivations must of neccessity be wrong. The only “right” motivation in doing good deeds is love for God.

Note also that the negative of the previous verse would also apply to those who do not love Jesus: the Father and the Son would not come to him and would not make their home with him. The one who does not love Jesus cannot receive the revelation of God and cannot have fellowship with God. He can be used by God (can you think of any examples?), but to truly understand God, we must love Jesus, because this results in obedience and he who walks in the way of God inevitably walks with God.

Jesus again notes that the words He speaks come directly from the Father. “There can be no higher authority.” (Morris)

The tense of the verb “loves” is present active subjunctive and could be translated “If anyone keeps on loving me”. It is a continuous action verb and is the key to the spiritual manifestation of Jesus to the believer.

The answer of Jesus to the question of Judas is love. This may not seem on the surface to be an answer to Judas’ question, but in fact it is in two ways. First, Jesus is telling Judas the requirements for Him to show Himself to someone. We must love him, and that love for Him will reveal itself through our obedience.

Second, Jesus will indeed manifest Himself to the world, in a manner of speaking, but it will be through the believer. Morgan paraphrases this verse as, “You ask me, Jude, why I have abandoned the world? I have not abandoned the world. My Father and I are coming to dwell in you, and in all who shall, like you, love Me.”

McGarvey observes that Jesus responded this way because “It was better that Judas should busy his heart and will about the means of blessing rather than his head about the mysterious and incomprehensible manner of it.” (TFG)

“home” (NIV) = “abode” (KJV) = mone = a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode. This word only occurs twice in the NT, here and v (14:2) where it is translated as “rooms” (NIV) and “mansions” (KJV). (The translation “mansions” is a transliteration of the Latin “mansiones” which means “lodging places” and is found in the Vulgate Bible.) Jesus is speaking of a permanent dwelling, and not a temporary one. This is similar to the thought expressed in (1 John 4:12, 16). It is true that God is everywhere present and that Jesus will be with all believers forever, but this is speaking of a higher order of God’s Presence. This is the state of the believer where he actually experiences the presence of God within himself.

John 14:2  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.

1 John 4:12  No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:16  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

Love is the necessary reason for our obedience to Christ. Any other motive would be selfish and thus sin. Also, His commands are so against our nature that we could not keep them if we were not loving Him so much that we deeply desired to please Him by obeying Him. For example, our natures rebel at turning the other cheek, or loving our enemies, or thinking of others more highly than we think of ourselves. As Maclaren notes, reluctant obedience is not obedience and self-centered obedience is not obedience. True obedience — the kind of obedience that God calls obedience — is only motivated by love for Jesus. The only way we can please God and become righteous is by loving Christ, and obedience will naturally follow. It is never the other way around.

Maclaren believes that “Every act of obedience to any moral truth is rewarded by additional insight.” As we walk in truth we see the truth more clearly, or, as he says, “As we climb the hill we get a wider view.” This is similar to the principle that to everyone who has, more is given (Luke 19:26).

Luke 19:26  “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

Interestingly, our loving obedience to Jesus causes changes in two directions. It causes God to love us even more than He already does and for Him and Jesus to come and indwell us personally. At the same time, we receive greater insight into Him and His word and we are changed inwardly by the whole process. Too many Christians find it easier to place faith in the things Jesus did in the past and not in the things He is doing right now in them. What is He doing in you?

Judas Iscariot had already left (13:30), but John wants to make it perfectly clear that this Judas (which was a common name like James, of which there were also two) was not the infamous traitor. He is probably the one alluded to as Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus in (Mark 3:17-18; Matt 10:3) and the brother (KJV), or son (NIV), of James (Luke 6:15-16; Acts 1:13) (literally “Judas of James”).

John 13:30  As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Mark 3:17-18  James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);  Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot

Matthew 10:3  Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

Luke 6:15-16  Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,  Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Acts 1:13  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

This is the fourth interruption of this most serious talk of Jesus. The first was by Peter, (13:36); the second by Thomas, (14:5); the third by Philip, (14:8); and this fourth interruption was by Judas, (14:22). This visibly illustrates how close they were to Jesus. They were perfectly at ease with Him and saw no problem in interrupting Him when they had something that puzzled them. They were more than just His disciples; they were His friends (15:14-15). Do you have the same relationship with Him? Are you as at ease with Jesus as Judas was?

John 15:14-15  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Judas and the other disciples were perplexed by the words of Jesus. Again, He does not fit their concept of what the Messiah should be like. They expect the Messiah to show His glory before all mankind. The way Judas asks his question seems to indicate that he thinks that something has happened to change the plans that Jesus had.