In John 14:15, we find the fundamentals of Christian living. We have given ourselves to Christ; no longer do we seek for ourselves, all for Him. We need to seek out the will of God and put that straight into practice, rejecting the ideas and opinions of man that are in contradiction to the Word. Genuine love for Jesus must lead to willing obedience to His commands; the love of God demands obedience, John 14:15.
The Greek for ‘another Counsellor’, John 14:16, is ‘allon Paraklator’ and is derived from ‘allos Parakletos’. The words refer specifically to another, ‘allon’, councillor, advocate, comforter or helper, with councillor being the favourite modern choice, is translated from ‘Paraklator’.
The inference is that we will get another of the same sort as Jesus; we know that this was referring to the coming of the same sort as Jesus. We know that this was referring to the coming Holy Spirit, so we can safely gather that Jesus and the Spirit are the same; we have the Spirit of Jesus with us now.
The words, ‘Spirit of truth’, John 14:17, tell us He is a divine source who speaks through the apostles. The context indicates that this refers to the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, ‘He dwells with you and will be in you’, John 14:17. But the principle holds good in other ways; Jesus’ resurrection guarantees present spiritual life and future glory to every believer, 1 Peter 1:3-4.
Jesus continues in John 14:18, saying that He will not leave us alone, as we will have this counsellor, but not Jesus in the flesh. The words, ‘I will not leave you as orphans’, John 14:18, ‘orphanous’, forlorn, fatherless, orphans, is the same word in James 1:27. They wouldn’t be left as orphans, but He would come to them in the Person of the Holy Spirit.
The words, ‘before long’, John 14:19, means soon He would die and the world would see Him no more but they would see Him in resurrection appearances, Acts 1:3. Notice He says, ‘because I live, ‘present tense’ you will live also, ‘future tense’, John 14:19.
In John 14:20, we find the words, ‘on that day,’ which means in the new dispensation, beginning with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples will recognise and joyfully acknowledge the closeness of the relationship between the father and the Son. They will then also understand that this union is, in turn, the pattern for the relationship between Christ and His followers.
There’s a great spirit of unity between God the Father, the Son and the Spirit which is developed, in the words, ‘You are in me as I am in you,’ John 14:20. Love of the Father is proven by obedience to the Son and will result in love and a relationship being returned, John 14:21 / Exodus 33:13 / Exodus 33:18.
Jesus now talks with Judas, John 14:22. This is obviously not Judas Iscariot, who had previously left the group, going into the night, John 13:30. John here refers to Judas son of James, Luke 6:16 / Acts 1:13.
In both Matthew 10:3, and Mark 10:18, he is referred to as Thaddaeus, while Luke and John as well as Luke’s account of the activity of the early church referred to him as Judas, Thaddaeus was his surname.
In John 14:22, we find a very good question, one which could have serious implications for us if Judas’ understanding had been correct. It seems as if Judas wants Jesus to perform some act so great that all would see it.
Obviously, He has performed many miracles greater than the world had ever seen before and still some people would not believe Him, so even exposing Himself physically to the world had not helped.
He continues to expose himself spiritually each day through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Even after Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles still clung to a materialistic view of His kingdom, Acts 1:6. Perhaps Judas thought of Jesus revealing Himself by some great miracle. A popular view was that the Messiah would suddenly drop from the sky!
Now it seems that the Lord has changed His plan; He is the Messiah, and He surely wants everybody to believe in Him. The point of His manifestation would be to prove that He is what He claims to be, but now He talks about revealing Himself only to the apostles.
It seems almost as if Jesus doesn’t answer the question that Judas asks, but carries on in a very similar vein as He previously was, but on closer inspection, it can be seen that these two verses make up the answer.
He assures Judas that the Father will make a dwelling within each believer’s heart, John 14:23. In that way, God will be revealed in each person who accepts the truth. A very close relationship is indicated, and a good knowledge of one for the other is hinted at.
That relationship is available to all, and all can get a knowledge of the potential relationship by lifting up God’s word and reading it. The way Jesus will manifest, disclose, and reveal Himself to the apostles is entirely spiritual.
It will be a manifestation to the one who ‘loves’, John 14:24, which means, keeps on loving Jesus and who consequently will ‘keep’ His word. With him, both Father and Son will, in the person of the Spirit, make their ‘home’, Romans 8:9, ‘monen,’ which is the same word used in John 14:2. As God dwelt with His people in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:8, Deity dwells with the obedient disciple, 1 Corinthians 3:16.
Please note that John 14:25-31 is promised for the apostles only, not for us today. In John 14:25-26, we see a specific promise to the apostles, not to all the disciples. All necessary for the citizens of the kingdom, all power in heaven and earth, Matthew 28:19-20.
The Holy Spirit will teach the apostles all things and will remind the apostles of everything Jesus has said to them, John 14:26. Many people today claim these gifts, yet are all supposed to be guided by the Spirit. Why different? If the inspirational ability were here today, then all would be the same?
The word ‘peace’, John 14:27, means a right relationship with God, an inward serenity that is the result of reconciliation to God, as opposed to disquiet, upset, or apprehension. The word ‘leave’, John 14:27, is a word used for a legacy. His peace is not as the world gives.
The apostles weren’t to be afraid or troubled, John 14:27 / John 14:1. The word ‘afraid’ is a word used medically to describe palpitations of the heart. Jesus is saying, ‘Peace is My parting gift to you, My own peace, such as the world cannot give. Set your troubled hearts at rest and banish your fears.’
He had told them often that He must go away and return, John 14:2-3 / John 14:12 / John 14:18-19 / John 14:21 / John 14:23. This should have made them rejoice, but it didn’t because their thoughts were on themselves, not on Him, John 14:28. Jesus says, ‘The Father is greater than I’, John 14:28.
Many Christians acknowledge that Jesus is God, but wrestle with the question, if Jesus was God, why did He say, ‘the Father is greater than Him’? This question isn’t a new question, but it’s a question which is often thrown at Christians by other religious groups in an attempt to disprove the deity of Christ.
Many people make the mistake of forgetting that Jesus was also human. Throughout His life, we see glimpses of both natures.
Jesus was fully God but also fully man, John 1:1-3 / John 1:14. When He came to earth as man, He voluntarily chose to restrict some of His divine attributes, Philippians 2:6-8.
Paul tells us that Jesus ‘emptied Himself and humbled Himself.’ He emptied Himself so that He could serve, ‘He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.’
When the Bible says, ‘that he emptied himself’, it doesn’t mean He became less than God; when He was on earth, it means He became more than God, in the sense that He was God, but now He was also a man.
He didn’t get rid of deity; He emptied deity into humanity. He could never stop being God because God is His nature. This is something the Jews certainly did understand, John 8:58-59 / John 18:4-8.
We must also remember that He voluntarily ‘humbled Himself’, Philippians 2:8, in other words, Jesus lived a life which was in complete submission to the Father, and so set us the supreme example of what sacrifice is all about.
When we read of Jesus doing things that only God can do, and knowing things that only God can know, it’s because, at those moments, the Father was telling Him what to say, and showing Him what to do.
He submitted to the Father but still remained One with the Father, Matthew 26:39 / Matthew 26:42 / John 5:30 / John 6:38 / John 8:28-29 / John 10:30 / John 12:49 / John 14:28 / John 14:31.
So, what did Jesus mean when He said, ‘The Father is greater than I’? He’s saying that His Father was greater in the sense that His Father was in Heaven, while Jesus was made a little lower than the angels while He was in the flesh, Hebrews 1:5 / Hebrews 2:9.
His Father was greater in the sense that Jesus became man, John 1:1-3 / John 1:14, and humbled Himself when He became a man, Philippians 2:8. His Father was greater in the sense that His Father was responsible for making decisions, while Jesus submitted to His Father’s will, Philippians 2:7-8 / Hebrews 2:9 / Hebrews 2:14.
We must remember that when Jesus was a man, He still had authority. Jesus spoke as one with authority, Matthew 7:29, and had the authority to forgive sins, Matthew 9:6. A Roman centurion displayed his great faith by rightly believing in Jesus’ authority to command at a great distance for his servant to be healed, Matthew 8:5-13.
The wind and the waves obeyed Jesus’ commands, Matthew 8:27, which was actually a sign of His deity. The demons feared His authority as the Son of God, Matthew 8:29. Jesus even affirmed in several places that He was the one to whom all would answer as judge on the last day, John 5:22 / Acts 10:42 / Acts 17:31.
The Scriptures teach that Christ was given all authority in heaven and earth after His resurrection, Matthew 28:19-20. The Scripture also teach that one day, when Christ returns, He will surrender His authoritative role to the Father, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
We must note, however, that His surrendering of the kingdom authority doesn’t mean He forfeits His deity or His divine glory, John 17:4-5. He will still be our brother, Romans 8:17 / Hebrews 2:9-12, and we will still reign with Him, Revelation 3:21 / Revelation 22:5. He will still be God our Lord and our Saviour, John 20:28 / Titus 2:13.
Maybe a couple of illustrations will help answer the question. The Bible teaches that a husband is greater in position and authority than his wife, Genesis 3:16 / Ephesians 5:23 / 1 Peter 3:5-6, but the husband is no different in nature and no better than his wife, Genesis 1:27 / Genesis 2:24 / Ephesians 2:10 / Galatians 3:28. They share the same nature, that is, they are both human beings, and they work together by love.
The Prime Minister has a greater position than I do and greater responsibility than I do and has greater authority than I do, Matthew 22:21 / 1 Peter 2:13 / Romans 13:1-7, but he is no different in nature than I am, he is no better than I am, Isaiah 53:6 / Romans 3:23. We share the same nature, that is, we’re both human.
In the same manner, the Father had a greater position and greater authority than Jesus, while Jesus was a man, but the Father is no different in nature than Jesus; He was no better than Jesus.
They share the same nature, that is, they are both deity. God the Father was greater in authority, responsibility, and position, but not in nature. Jesus was still deity but human too.
When Jesus said, ‘The Father is greater than I’, He was not denying that He was God; He was simply acknowledging the fact that He was also a man. Jesus is both God and man; He’s the God-man. As a man, He was in a lesser position than the Father.
He was subject to the laws of God so that He might redeem those who were under law, Galatians 4:4-5. He had added to Himself humanity, Colossians 2:9, and He became a man to die for people, John 3:16 / 1 Timothy 1:15.
Some people will go to any length and grasp at any straw to try and prove that Christ wasn’t God. The words ‘The Father is greater than I’ are used to support false doctrine, e.g. that Jesus wasn’t deity. This interpretation would flatly contradict the teaching of John’s Gospel, John 1:1-2 / John 1:14. It also contradicts Jesus’ own assertions, John 8:59 / John 10:30.
It likewise contradicts other New Testament teaching, Colossians 2:9 / Colossians 1:19 / Titus 2:13. In His humanity, Jesus accepted limitations and was subject to His Father, John 14:29 / John 13:19 / John 16:4 / John 2:22.
Jesus tells them that He was going but would return beforehand, so that when it does happen, the disciples will believe, John 14:29. In John 14:30-31, we see the phrase, the ‘ruler ‘archon’ of this world ‘kosmos’’, Satan.
Jesus knew that Judas, soldiers and members of the Sanhedrin were coming to arrest Him, John 18:1-14 / Matthew 26:47-56 / Mark 14:43-52 / Luke 22:47-23:56, but He says that ‘the evil genius of this world is coming,’ John 14:30. Judas and the mob were agents of Satan.
Jesus says, ‘he has no power over Me’ or ‘nothing in common with Me’ or ‘no hold on Me’, ‘no claim on Me’, John 14:30. Satan has a legitimate claim on every sinner, for ‘the wages of sin is death’, Romans 6:23. But Jesus was sinless, 1 Peter 2:22-24, so His death couldn’t be demanded by the evil one.
Jesus died voluntarily, John 10:17-18. He says, Satan will come so that the world will learn that Jesus loves the Father and He does as the Father commanded Him, John 14:31. He went forth willingly to die.
Notice the words, ‘come now, let us leave,’ John 14:31. Some argue at length that this doesn’t necessarily indicate that Jesus and the apostles did immediately leave.
They suggest that He remained in the Upper Room and spoke all that is recorded in John 15-17, then He left. John 18:1 records their actual leaving. If the words, ‘come now; let us leave,’ were immediately followed by their departure, it is possible that they went first to the temple.
The words spoken in John 15:1-11 were spoken as they went there, or on arrival, and the rest of John 15, also John 16, were spoken as they walked out of the city and toward Gethsemane.
The great prayer of John 17 may have been offered on the slopes of the Mount of Olives immediately before they crossed the Kidron valley and entered the Garden of Gethsemane.