John 14

John 14 Verses 1-6

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” The disciples were troubled by the words the Lord had spoken “whither I go thou canst not come.” The Lord stated plainly that the disciples believe in God. This is also true of the most of God’s people. They believe in God. The solution to the disciples present trouble was to believe also in Jesus. By this they needed to believe in what he told them. A failure to accept what the Lord told them was what was causing their hearts to be troubled.

Sometimes people make assumptions that do not fit the plain language of a text. One of these assumptions is that Christ is currently in glory preparing mansions for the elect to dwell in when the time comes for the resurrection. However, the Lord used the verb “are” meaning that the mansions already exist. Another assumption that people make is to assume that the Father’s house is always talking about the glory world of heaven. However, 1 Tim. 3:15 reads: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Here, the house of God in this gospel age is said to be the church of the living God. With this precious truth we can make the following conclusion: there are many mansions in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. Moreover, logic would lead us to the conclusion that the mansions under consideration are the local churches. There are many local churches of the Lord Jesus Christ which contain great treasures of truth and spiritual blessings for Christ’s disciples.

Next, the Lord said that “I go to prepare a place for you.” The question we should ask ourselves in this passage: “Is this a physical place or a position?” Notice next what the Lord said: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” Notice that the Lord did not say, “where I will be” but rather said, “where I am.” If this place is a physical location then the time the Lord said it he was physically on earth. The disciples also were physically on earth. Thus, we can rule out that the place the Lord went to prepare was a physical location. That leaves us with the place under consideration being a position. At the time the Lord spoke these words; in what position was the Lord that the disciples were not in? The answer is that the Lord was in the position of righteousness before God. The disciples did not occupy that position as they were sinners condemned by their sins. The place the Lord was going was to prepare a place or position of righteousness for them that they would occupy the same position of righteousness before God that the Lord had before God. 2 Cor. 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” By going to the cross and suffering God’s wrathful judgment for us because of our sins, Christ satisfied God’s justice and imputed his righteousness to us and now we stand in the position of righteousness before God, just as he stands in the position of righteousness before God.

“And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” By this dialogue between Jesus and Thomas, we are made to understand that the only way that we can come into a righteous standing with the Father is by the Lord and his work on the cross, because he is the way, the truth, and the life.

John 14 Verses 7-14

John 14:7 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” That the Father and the Son are identical in attributes, characteristics and qualities and that Jesus manifest those while he walked on earth is shown by the following scriptures:

1. 1 Tim. 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

2. Col. 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

3. 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

4. John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”

5. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.”

“The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.” The words that Christ spoke and the works that Christ did manifest that the Father was in him and that Christ was in the Father.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” When the Lord gave commandment unto the apostles before his ascension, he also gave them miraculous power as set forth in Mark 16:17,18: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” The works the apostles did were not greater in magnitude to the works the Lord did, but they were greater in number. It would appear to me that the Lord in using the pronoun “He” that he was talking about the Holy Spirit working in the apostles to do the works. Thus, the Holy Spirit working through the apostles did more great works in number than Christ did while he walked on earth.

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” The context of this verse would suggest to us that the Lord was speaking of the miraculous sign gifts that he gave unto the apostles. Thus, whatsoever they would ask concerning the sign gifts he promised to do it.