Jesus’ Promise of Greater Works, His Manifestation, and the Gift of Peace
John 14:12–31 (NKJV)
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Christ Answers Judas
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
Message
Last week, we studied John 14:1-11. Let us briefly review it. In John 14:7, Jesus taught His disciples that knowing or seeing Jesus is knowing or seeing His Father. However, Philip asked Jesus to show the Father (John 14:8). God, the Father is spirit (John 4:24) and invisible, and lives in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 1:16a). God became visible, approachable, and tangible in Jesus (John 1:18b, 1 John 1:1). Philip had enough opportunity to know and experience Jesus (John 14:9a). This is how Philip became knowing and experiencing God the Father. He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9b, 7). Philip should have recognised the following fact: Jesus was in the Father and the Father in Jesus (John 14:10a). This fact was witnessed by the works of God Jesus performed. The works of God include the words Jesus spoke as well as the numerous miracles Jesus performed. Regarding His words, He spoke not on His own authority but the Father who dwelled in Him did the works (John 14:10b). Finally Jesus said John 14:11 (NKJV).
14 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
What Jesus spoke and performed are the works of God and they help our faith. The works of God is one (John 5:36) of the five witnesses of Jesus (John 8:14, John 5:31-38).
Today let us continue studying the remaining verses in John 14.
I. The Believers Will Do Greater Works Because Jesus Goes To His Father (12-18)
See v12.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
He who believes in Jesus will also do the works Jesus did, and greater works than those He did (12a). So, the works of God will continue bearing witness for Jesus through the words His believers speak and the miracles they perform.
Why does v12a happen “because I go to My Father.” (12b)? The short answer is in John 14:28.
28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
The long answer is in v13-18. See v13-18.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
After Jesus goes to His Father
- His followers on the earth will do the works of God.
- Jesus will do whatever they ask in His name (13a, 14).
- He will ask the Father to give His believers the Holy Spirit (another advocate, the Spirit of truth) to help them (16-17).
- The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will teach them all things and remind them of everything Jesus has said to them (John 14:26).
- Jesus will come to them (18, John 14:28).
Let us study more about 4. in Section II.
II. Jesus will Manifest Himself to Those Who Love Him (19-24)
See v19-24.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
Believers, who love Jesus, will obey His commandments (21a, 23a), be loved by His Father and Him, and experience Him (20-21) and they (the Father and Jesus) will live in the believer (23b). On the contrary, he, who does not love Jesus, does not keep His words (24a) which have the divine authority of God (24b).
III. Jesus Leaves His Peace With His Disciples (25-28)
See v25-28.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
Jesus said again, “Let not your heart be troubled” (27b), which He said in John 14:14a earlier. And He blessed them with His peace (27a).
Peace (27a), the peace of God, is included in the special blessing with which the priests should bless the people of God (Numbers 6:22-26 NLT). See Numbers 6:26 NLT.
26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
IV. Jesus Told The Future That Would Come To Pass To Help Them Believe (29-31)
See v29
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
Jesus told the future events before they would happen (29a). Whether a future event foretold by a prophet comes to pass or not is how to distinguish whether the Lord has spoken it or the prophet has spoken it presumptuously (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NLT). Solomon, the King of Wisdom declared that no one knows the future (Ecclesiastes 8:7 NIV). Only the true God could foretell the future event and do it as He predicted and no foreign god could ever do this (Isaiah 43:12 NLT). God said, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:10 NLT).
See v30.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
Simply reading this verse in NLT (New Living Translation) may help us to understand it more easily. See John 14:30 NLT.
30 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me,
See v31.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
For this verse, let us read it simply in NLT. See John 14:31 NLT.
31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.
