John 14:22-31 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 14:22-31. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 14:22-24 (NIV)
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
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.
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.
On verses 22-24: One of Jesus’ disciples called Judas (not to be confused with Jesus’ betrayer Judas Iscariot) asks Jesus a question: “Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” (v22) Jesus’ response is interesting. Instead of answering Judas’ question directly, Jesus talks about how obedience is the true indicator of one’s love for Jesus and that if anyone loves Jesus, the Father and Jesus will come to that person and make their home with that person (v23). In other words, Jesus’ answer to Judas’ question seems to go like this: I do intend to show myself to the world, but I intend to do it through you, my disciples. When you obey Me, the Father and I will be with you and people will see us through you.
What can we learn from this?
1. God’s plan has always been to use people to show Himself to the world.
2. Obedience is the most basic indicator of a person’s love for Jesus (v23-24).
John 14:25-26 (NIV)
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
On verses 25-26: Here Jesus teaches us more about the Holy Spirit:
– It is the Father who sends the Holy Spirit to us (v26).
– The Father sends the Holy Spirit to us in Jesus’ name, meaning that the sending of the Holy Spirit is done on the authority of, in the power of, and on behalf of Jesus. Here we see all 3 Persons of the Trinity in action: the Father does the sending, the Holy Spirit is one being sent, and Jesus’ name is the channel by which the Father sends the Holy Spirit to us.
– Another role of the Holy Spirit is to “teach you all things” (v26), giving us insight into different matters, as well as to “remind you of everything…[Jesus] has said”. The Holy Spirit is both the teacher of truth and the one who points us back to the truth Jesus has spoken.
John 14:27 (NIV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
On verse 27: As Jesus continues to talk about his soon coming departure, Jesus reassures his disciples, telling them not to be afraid or troubled. He emphasizes the peace that he gives to them and how unique that peace is compared to the peace that the world offers. The peace that the world offers is like a temporary escape from your trouble. Take that drug, go on that vacation, enjoy that pleasure, and you’ll escape your trouble for just a moment. But when the high fades, the vacation ends and the credits roll, you’re back in the same trouble you were in before. That’s the peace that the world gives.
The peace that Jesus gives, however, is different. Rather than just taking you away from your trouble, the peace Jesus offers takes you through your trouble, giving you courage, wisdom and strength to face what you are facing. No wonder Jesus says, “I do not give to you as the world gives” (v27).
John 14:28 (NIV)
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
On verse 28: Jesus tells the disciples that they should rejoice that Jesus is going to the Father. Of course it was natural for the disciples to be sad that Jesus was leaving. Jesus steers their focus in a different direction: rather than mourning their loss of Jesus, rejoice that Jesus gets to go back to His Father. Likewise, when we lose someone, it is natural for us to grieve and miss that person. At the same time, however, if that person is in Christ, and we truly love that person, we would also glad for them that they get to be in heaven with God for eternity and enjoy blessing that is beyond anything we could experience on earth.
Also, be careful not to take Jesus’ words “the Father is greater than I” as meaning that Jesus is not God. Rather, these words are better taken to show Jesus’ humility and submission to the Father’s will.
John 14:29 (NIV)
29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
On verse 29: Jesus says something similar in John 13:19: “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.” Jesus’ prophesies coming true would help to prove that Jesus is who He claims to be. Jesus never speaks empty words. You can count on every promise Jesus makes.
John 14:30-31 (NIV)
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.
On verses 30-31: A dark day was coming soon when Jesus would die. In this way the prince of peace, Jesus, was leaving, while “the prince of this world” – i.e. Satan – was coming. But Jesus assures his disciples that Satan has no hold on Jesus. In other words, the reason why Jesus would be killed would not be because Satan was more powerful than Jesus, but because Jesus would voluntarily lay down his life for us in obedience to the Father’s command. As Jesus said earlier in John 10:17-18, “I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Jesus, thank You for giving us a peace that the world cannot give. Thank You for submitting to the Father’s will, even to the point of laying down Your own life for us. Like You, help me to submit to the Father’s will and do what You have commanded me to do. Holy Spirit, please fill me today and lead me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
