Jesus is telling us that He doesn't want us to worry. As we go through this fourteenth chapter, we will return to this verse several times. If you love the Lord Jesus Christ, and you believe on Him, then you don't have anything to worry about. Now He is going to tell us why.

John 14:2 "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."

Have you ever heard Christians say before, "I have a mansion in the sky"? That is not what "mansions" is talking about here, however it is even more beautiful then those thoughts of a large house in the sky. Let's take the word "mansions" as written in the Greek text. "Mansions" is "mone", # 3438 in the Strong's Greek dictionary, and pronounced, "mon-ay' ". It means a place to rest and abide where there is no trouble. This resting place is in Christ and the Father; That is the resting!

What is the subject of this chapter,? "Don't worry." Jesus is telling you don't worry at any time if you believe.

John 14:3 "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."

This is Jesus' promise to you and me today, just as much as it was to those eleven disciples sitting at the supper table with Him two thousand years ago. Jesus is telling us that we can count on Him, He is returning to earth to receive His own, and be with them here on earth during the Millennium age Kingdom.

John 14:4 "And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."

Why? Because for the last three years Jesus told them over and over about His journey to the cross, His death and His resurrection. This is the way to the place where the preparation is made for theirs and our return to Him. That way leads down the path to the cross, and at His death it leads into the tomb where after three days, Jesus rose from the dead to ascended to be with the father fifty days later.

Our resting place is in His Word, and under the shed blood of Jesus.

John 14:5 "Thomas saith unto Him, "Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?"

This had to have hurt Jesus a little bit, for Jesus had told them of God's redemptive plan for salvation, and His trip to the cross many times. Still Thomas is doubting. Remember that Jesus said many times, "I am the way; I am the Door: I am the good Shepherd that giveth His life for His sheep, and so on." Yet Thomas still is in doubt, so let's tell him again.

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."

My fellow Christian, tell everyone who will listen, that that is the only way to eternal life which Jesus Christ will give to you upon repentance. That is the way, the truth, the life and the only path. When you are in that way, then you are in the resting place that you can have here on earth even now. Those resting places are the many mansions that we can enjoy today, not in some distant future, on some far off planet.

There is no other way to God the Father but through your repentance for your sins in Jesus name. When you repent "in Jesus name," it means that you believe that Jesus was the very Son of God, begotten of the Father, and that He was born of the virgin Mary. It means you believe Jesus suffered under Pilot, died on the cross, and that Jesus Christ's shed blood on the cross was the only pure sacrifice that could make full payment for sins. Then afterthree days Jesus came out of the tomb resurrected, and ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of the Father, where He will be until His coming. When you say you "believe in Jesus Christ and repent in Jesus name", that is what you believe. If you can't accept that, then you just don't believe. The name of Jesus is the only credentials that you can have at the throne of God in heaven.

Jesus did that very thing and if you believe that, then you have accepted the only way, the truth and eternal life that only the Father can give, and your credentials are those that Jesus has given you.

John 14:7 "If ye had know Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him."

Jesus is saying to His disciples, after you have seen Me walking on this earth and come to know Me, you will have also known the Father. Why is this? Remember what Jesus said back in John 10:30; "I and My Father are one."

John 14:8 "Philip saith unto Him, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

These men are excited, they are about to see God.

John 41:9 "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, 'Shew us the Father' "

Jesus is reminding them of all the times that He had told them of this, yet their spiritual eyes still seemed to be closed.

Reader of this chapter: 

Are Your Spiritual Eyes Open?

John 14:10 "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."

You had better pay attention here to the introduction of the Holy Spirit of God. Notice what the Father's Spirit creates, and where the Holy Spirit abides. You're on dangerous ground when you start to think of three different Gods, for there are but one; YHVH, and the "I AM" has three different offices. One God with three offices.

Think of it this way. If you are a married man with children, you are one person holding three different offices. You are #1, a Father to your children , #2. a husband to your wife, #3. a son to your earthly father. That isn't to hard to understand in earthly terms.

If you understand what Jesus is saying here, you could start to enjoy that mansion Jesus has made for you at the cross, right here and now. That mansion again is the peace and rest where we abide, when we are in Christ. It is God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit that dwells in us to do His Works through us. It is the Spirit of God that opens our minds and hearts to His Word, and gives us peace as we follow His holy Word.

John 14:11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake."

Jesus is saying that if you can not accept that I am in the Father, and He is in Me, then just believe in Me for the sake of the miracles that you have seen me do. They saw Jesus bring Lazarus to life after being dead four days in the tomb, as well as witness the blind man being healed. They saw the cripple man healed at the pool at Salome, and tasted of the six pots of water that were turned to wine at the marriage at Cana. They tasted many times, as Jesus fed thousands of people on a basket lunch of a small boy. Jesus is telling His disciples if you cannot understand when I tell you I and My Father are one, then believe Me for the sack of what you have witnessed.

Miracle after miracle they saw the works that only our Heavenly Father could do, including His control of the winds, and the calming of the sea.

John 14:12 "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."

This is a promise that you can stand on your entire life, it is part of your mansion right here on earth. Jesus spoke to many thousands of People in those three years of his ministry. Now Jesus is telling His disciples that after He has ascended into heaven to be with the Father, they would speak to and do many times the work that He did while on this earth. In today's technology this is multiplied into the millions of people. If you are the servant of the Living God, and do His work, then He will perform miracles for you also, for His ministry in you.

We receive the blessings, because God gets the glory, and that glory comes by the saving of your soul and many more souls. It is the servants of God that do the planting of the seed, the Spirit of God germinates that seed into the plant that bares fruit, and it is God that receives the glory when even one soul comes to know Him from the seed that you planted. That is why God blesses you, and why we praise Him.

John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may beglorified in the Son."

Keep the subject in mind, when you do the asking. The subject is you and me doing our Father's works, "if you can't believe Me, then believe My works", the works of God. He is not talking about your little work, or my little work, He is talking about the works of God that bring glory to God through your ministry. It is not talking about speaking some word, and making God do something merely because you have spoken it [how selfish]. This is each of us using our talents large or small, and through those talents seeing souls come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

John 14:14 "If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it."

If you ask something in and from your heart you will be surprised just how many miracles can come to pass. Do you believe with all your heart and mind when you make a commitment? And from those prayers, are you willing to use those gifts in the glory of God's work? You must come to the understanding then that anything you have is a gift from God, and that includes your family, your friends, your job, and your wealth that He has allowed you to have and use for Him. Have you thanked Him for them? When you give God the glory for those gifts you will see how He will bless you. Many people just don't understand what it means when Jesus said, "in My name", for they don't understand that "I and the Father are one", and the Father gets all the Glory. Next time you make a request, search your heart to see who's glory you are trying to fill; yours or God's. There is a condition to loving God.

John 14:15 "If ye love Me, keep My commandments."

Again, this is the sign of a Christian. If you say that you love Him, you prove it by committing yourself to keeping His commandments, even the one Jesus says is the greatest; as given in Mark 12:30, 31.

Mark 12:29 "And Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:"

We just talked about the unity of God in His three offices.

Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:' this is the first commandment."

Of the ten commandments, all of the first five are included in this one verse, your love and devotion given only to the Lord God.

Mark 12:31 "And the second is like, namely this, `Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' There is none other commandment greater than these."

The second five commandments deal with you getting along with your neighbor and are all part of this verse. When you love thy neighbor, you are not out to tell lies and gossip about him, nor are you going to steal from him. You are not seducing his wife, nor planning any wickedness against him. So who is your neighbor? He may be next door, across town or across the nation; he is anyone you come in contact with. These are orders that our Savior is giving you, just before he went to the cross and through all the suffering He gladly bear for each of us.

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;"

Let's take a closer look at the Greek word for "abide". In the Strong's Greek dictionary, # 3306, it has the same prime word meaning for that word "mone" [mansions] that we saw in John 14:2. The "mansions" are where we rest in peace, and "abide" is the verb telling us how to do our resting. The "Comforter" is the Holy Spirit, and God's Holy Spirit will allow you to have your rest in those mansions, or resting places, when you "abide" or allow the Spirit to do the directing within your heart, soul and mind. When you give the controls over to Him, God's Spirit will never leave you.

You need to study His Word, for it is through God's Word that you are given direction. When you become a Christian, you do not need to wait on the life after death to enjoy those mansions, it is here and now, with the Spirit of the Living God dwelling within us.

John 14:17 "Even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because It seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

The word "dwelleth" and "abideth" that we saw in verse sixteen, are the same in the Greek.

John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

This is Jesus Christ talking to His disciples, and telling them that after He has gone to be with the Father, and the Comforter, or Holy Spirit has come to "abide" in, and "dwelleth with you", I will come to you. He is also talking to each of us today. When the Spirit of God comes to be within you, Christ is there also, as is the Father. "I and the Father are One". Is it different Gods that come to you, other than Christ? Of course not.

John 14:19 "Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also."

The world didn't see Christ when He was here, and then after Jesus ascended into heaven we see that the world now even denies Christ's existence. This though is a guarantee that we can count on, and stake our very hope and life on. "...because I live, ye shall live also."

Remember back in verse one, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me." When you believe in God, there is nothing to be troubled about.

John 14:20 "At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you."

Jesus is telling us that He, the Father, the Comforter, and you are all in this mansion and resting place together.

John 14:21 "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."

These commandment are the instructions that God told us to follow, and we learn of them by studying our Bible, which is His Word, then we keep them in our hearts. It is with our minds that we follow those commandments in obedience to Jesus' instructions given to all those that claim His name. For those who call themselves Christians, that is how we show our love for God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus is promising you that if you keep His commandments, and love and support your Christian brethren, as we saw in Jesus foot washing of His disciples, Then He will make Himself known to you.

Don't make the alibi that you can't follow the commandments to the letter, for that doesn't excuse you. Remember from the foot washing lesson, that Christ is able to clean you thoroughly upon repentance, and He knows that when you walk in this flesh world, you will get yourself a little dirty from time to time. That means you will sin from time to time, but Jesus wants to help you and pick you up when you do fall. That is what the brothers and sisters in the Lord are commanded to do, help those that fall, not stomp them into the ground and crush their spirit.

John 14:22 "Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, "Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"

John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, "If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him."

Jesus is saying, if you love Me, you will have the desire to love My Word also, and study it. When you commit to fulfilling God's Word, then He will bless you for seeking to understand His Word. When you study God's Word, then the Spirit of God, along with the Father and Christ will come in unto you. [We will come unto him,] In your coming to Christ and the Father; after you study the Word, and after you keep those Words of instructions from the Scriptures, then it is they that make Their "abode" [remember mansions-resting places] with you.

This is the only time that this Greek Word is used in the entire Bible, in verse two it is translated " mansions", and in verse twenty three the word is "abode". If you have the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit with you, and in you, why would you worry at all? They become our resting place, our Comfort, and our peace of mind. Our Father that is within us controls the devil, and the world, and every thing that happens. If you are a Christian, you already have that mansion, you don't have to wait for it to come, or look for it in some far off distant time and place. Your mansion and rest is here and now, and that rest is coming from heaven to earth in the Spirit of God.

John 14:24 "He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's Which sent Me."

Jesus is telling us here what the criteria is for determining whether you are His, or not. Jesus said that if you love Him you will keep His commandments or saying that are written in His Word, and if you do not, then you will not. How will you know what to believe or how to act unless you study His Word. Many today follow teachers that tell you that don't have to study the Word of God, but all that is important is that you believe, then they spin off man's traditions on you.

The Word that you hear is with understanding, and when you understand it, that understanding is from the Spirit that the Father and Jesus sent. God gave that Word, and the prophets and apostles wrote them down. The collection of those writings are called the Bible; The whole Bible and THAT INCLUDES THE OLD TESTAMENT, IN FACT THAT IS WHERE THE PROPHETS RESIDE!

John 14:25 "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you."

Jesus was the living Word while He lived on earth in the flesh, He spoke the Words that the Father gave the Prophets, and even as He did what He has done, He reminded those around that "It is written". Jesus combined the New Testament with the Old, for without both you simply cannot understand the entire plan of God.

John 14:26 "But the Comforter, Which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

This is a promise that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when they were all gathered in one place, and in one accord. Acts 2:4; "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance." The translators put the word "Ghost", but in the Greek text is reads "Spirit". A Ghost is something unknown, where as the Holy Spirit is every thing to the Christian, for He is our guide and protection.

Acts 2:5 "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven."

Acts 2:6 "Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language."

There were men from all the languages on earth gathered there in Jerusalem for the Pentecost feast, and every person heard the words that came from these followers of Christ, given in the utterance from the Holy Spirit in their own language, and in the Greek text, even their own dialect. There was no confusion when the Holy Spirit spoke. 
This is what "Speaking in Tongues" is all about.

This is the fulfillment of Jesus promise that He gave in John 14:26.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

The peace that we have within us when we turn our lives, hearts and minds over to Christ in repentance, comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. It is His Spirit that takes away the confusion of this world, and makes those crooked paths straight. When you study His Word and plant the Word of God in your heart [mind], then God's Spirit will call to remembrance those promises that Jesus has made to us, and the fears and mental blocks will just seem to pass away.

Jesus is telling us that there is no peace comparable in the world, then the deep satisfying peace that comes from Him. Remember back in verse one; "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me." That is where faith comes from, your belief and trust in Christ, which includes all the promises that He made to you and me that are written in His Word. That is why we must read His Word, so we can know of His promises and what He expects of us.

John 14:28" Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye love Me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for My Father is greater than I."

Jesus is stating this before His crucifixion, and telling them that if He goes away they can count on His return. What was Christ going to do when He goes to the Father? He is going to prepare a place [a resting place-mansion] for you.

John 14:29 "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe."

Jesus is saying to them that this is the reason for telling you [His disciples] before hand of My death on the cross, of the resurrection and My ascending to the father; when you see it all come to pass you would believe on Jesus Christ, and the rest of what I have taught.

John 14:30 "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me."

Jesus is saying that there is nothing in this world that you want, when you are in Christ, except Me. He also says that you are the only thing in this world that Satan, the prince of this world wants, when his spirit is on the earth, or when he comes as the Antichrist. He wants to take Gods children for the purpose of killing them under the same spiritual judgment he is under.

Satan will destroy Christians not with a pitchfork as many believe, but it is his sweet spiritual talk and deception. Satan will destroy many with his lies and wonders who will cause Christians to believe Satan is the true Christ. We must pray for and learn to discern the spirit within a person, that we will not be deceived by what they say. This is why we must be on guard against anyone that tells us that we need not know some Chapter or book in the Bible, for the whole Bible is important. When you pray for understanding, the Holy Spirit will give to you the understanding that is necessary for you to know. However we must do our part in studying and rightly dividing the Word of truth.

In rightly dividing God's Word, you must know the overall plan of God, and how to look up a word to its proper, or root meaning in the English, or it will be difficult to rightly divide any part of the Scripture. Keep the subject and object of that verse and chapter you are studying in focus.

John 14:31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence."

Jesus let it be known that what He does is for the purpose of showing the world that He loves the Father, and that it was the Father that gave the commandment that He was to go to the cross. Jesus finished His teaching here, and He arose with His disciples, and went out into the night.

American Wisdom Series Editor's Note: Now that we've completed this 2015 study of the  "BOOK OF JOHN chapter 14" we have placed a earlier 2002 John chapter 14 study to follow for your comparison. I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these 2 authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that took place may prove helpful in your understanding of the gospel of John

Pamphlet 1514
John chapter 14

He was the I AM come down from heaven, born from above, to tabernacle in the flesh, to pay the price on the cross as the Lamb of God, that His sons and daughters might believe in Him and be saved.

It is still the evening before the crucifixion. Judas has left The Last Supper with a bad attitude (which he got from the father of bad attitudes), after being handed the sop and realizing that Jesus knew he had "sold Him out". Jesus then turned His attention to glorifying God as the scriptures were being fulfilled word for word and verse by verse, exactly as they were written of Him long ago.

Then, after telling His disciples to love one another as He has loved them, He told them that He would be with them only a while longer and that He was going where they could not follow, at least for now. Well, the big old lovable fisherman, Peter, had a real hard time with this saying and said, "Why not? Why can't I follow you? I would lay down my life for you!" (Implying he wasn't afraid of anything or anyone). However, he's about to find out just how big a man he really is.

Jesus replied, "Would you lay down your life for my sake, Peter? Listen to me carefully, a cock shall not crow until you have denied Me thrice!" Peter probably shook his head in denial as if to say, "No way Lord", but he shall remember those very prophetic words right after the cock crows and he is suddenly stunned at the realization that he had in fact denied the Lord.

Jesus now seeks to "comfort" the disciples in preparation for what lies ahead, not just in that He is going to His Father's house (where they can't go right now), but that He will send the "Comforter" (vs. 16). So He turns to them, knowing what they are about to witness in the hours just ahead, and says:

John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

"Do not worry, do not be distressed. You put your trust and belief in God, and trust and believe in Me also."

We all need to remember these words during the "hour of temptation" just ahead of us, when God's elect will be delivered up, just as Jesus said they will be in Mat. 24 and Mark 13. Here are His words:

Mark 13:9
But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

In the next verse we will also be given the "don't worry" instruction. Don't be anxious or premeditate about what you are going to say when you are delivered up, because He will send the Comforter to handle it. If you would care to see an example of exactly how He does this, then read Acts chapter 2 how that everyone, no matter what language they speak, will clearly and precisely understand exactly what is spoken. When God speaks directly to men, it doesn't matter what language (tongue) they speak, for God can speak them all simultaneously and does not require some man to interpret what He says, PERIOD!

Mark 13:11
But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

So Jesus has told His disciples not to worry, but rather trust and believe in the Father and the Son. And when He goes to His Father's house, this is what He's going to do:

John 14:2
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.

Most people when they read this verse picture themselves on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" sitting in luxury in their huge mansion along side their swimming pool... oh you know!

But the word "mansions" is better translated as "abiding places" or "resting places". In fact it is translated "abode" in verse 23. So let's just say there is room for everyone in the Father's house.

And Jesus is about to go home to the Father and secure 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.

When will Jesus come again? Well, we will read in verses 16-18 that He will come again, even as the Comforter: John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." But we also know that Jesus is returning to the Mount of Olives at the 7th Trump, and not only will we gather to Him there but from then on "so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thes. 4:17)", i.e. we will be with Him where He is, as He just said in John 14:3 "that where I AM there ye may be also.

So God's elect we will be where He is throughout the entire Millennium as it is written in Ezek. 44 concerning the priests of the Zadok [elect]. It is also written concerning those who are His at His coming in Rev. 20:6 "... they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

How then does one get to abide with the Lord? Jesus has already told His disciples on numerous occasions, that He is the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Shepherd, etc. But He knows that they won't fully understand until after the resurrection.

John 14:4
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Doubting Thomas has no doubt that he doesn't know where Jesus is going! So he speaks up.

[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.

Note: We continue to see Jesus use the sacred name "I AM". It is the name He gave to Moses when Moses ask Him, "Who shall I say sent me?"

Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

"I AM" later came Himself, to dwell in the flesh, and they called His name Jesus.

Now concerning the "way", if the Word of God is true and Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then there is only one way to be saved and abide forever in God's house, and that Way is through Jesus Christ. You see, He is the ONLY ONE who can prepare a place for you, for without Him you cannot enter in.

Does that mean that all the other religions of world are wrong? Well, Jesus did say that He has sheep of another fold, and we are not to judge others regarding their salvation, so let's not be arrogant or condescending toward others. But as John has documented several times, if you don't have the Son you don't have the Father either. In fact, Jesus just said precisely that in verse 6 when He said "no man cometh unto the Father, but by Him".

It is written that when the 1000 year Millennium is over, everyone (except those who take part in the 1st resurrection) will be judged at that time, by the Word of God. And as Jesus said in verse 6, He is the life, so if by that time you don't have Him, you won't have life anymore! Your life shall perish. John 3:16 means exactly what it says. It does not say that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in the Buddah or the Mahaj or the Force, shall not perish. You must believe in the Son of God to receive eternal life. There is no other way for He is the Way.

The "flip side" of "if you don't have the Son you don't have the Father either", is that if you do have the Son then you also have the Father, for you cannot have either one without the other!

Herein lies a difficulty with the flesh mind, for this can only be understood on a spiritual level. The disciples were standing right there "seeing" Jesus also standing right there, the I AM dwelling in the flesh, which is something you and I will never see, nor does it matter.

Here is what He said to them:

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.

If they had known Him, if they really "knew" who He was, if they understood that He was the I AM, understood that the real Jesus, the I AM, was not the flesh body standing before them which was about to be crucified, then they would have "seen" that the Father was in Him.

Do you see? You know you cannot see the wind with flesh eyes, but you can see its "works" when it blows. Neither can you see the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, with flesh eyes but you can see its "works" when it moves through His children. Neither can you see God the Father with flesh eyes, for He is Spirit, but the disciples could see His works that He performed through Jesus. Do you remember what Christ said back in chapter 4 of this Gospel of John?

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

And there is only one God. But since our eyes are flesh we cannot "see" spirit, nor totally understand how it interacts with this dimension. How then can we understand that He is able to manifest Himself anyway He so chooses. You see, that is really what His name "I AM" means. He is whatever He is, or wishes to be. He has chosen to reveal Himself to us in three offices, the Father, the Savior (Son), and the Holy Spirit or Comforter.

Ok, then was Jesus God? Of course He was. He was the I AM come down from heaven, born from above, to tabernacle in the flesh, to pay the price on the cross as the Lamb of God, that His sons and daughters might believe in Him and be saved.

Let's return to John 14 where Jesus has just told His disciples that if they had known Him they would have known the Father also, and "seeing" the Son, they would also have "seen" the Father.

If you don't understand yet, don't feel too badly. The disciples are there with the best teacher who ever walked in the flesh and they are grappling with this "I and the Father are one" thing also! It is now Philip's turn to "take a stab" at this "look" "see" thing.

[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

The flesh still wants that word "seen" in "you have seen Him" to mean visually, as in you open your eyes and you look at Jesus standing here, the Father standing there and the Holy Spirit standing over there. Nope, it doesn't work that way. You must use the "eyes to see", that see spiritually, not physically.

Remember Jesus healed the blind man's eyes? Was that just to show that He could give physical sight to a blind man? No it was not, but it was so that we could see with our flesh eyes an example to help us understand what was happening spiritually! What was the result of the opening of his "eyes"? Did he take cruises and go "sight seeing" because he could now see? No, he was delivered before the Pharisees in the synagogue and easily "saw right through those hypocrites", which resulted in his excommunication from the church. Then Christ came to Him and asked if he believed on the Son of God. Do you remember the conversation? Here is what the once blind man said:

John 9:36
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

Just like Philip! Who is He, show Him to me! And yet the "I AM" is right there before him. You see, it takes more than flesh eyes to see the Lord. In fact, you cannot see the Lord with your flesh eyes.

[37] And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

Now his spiritual eyes were fully open.

[38] And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Don't make it such a hard thing to understand that the flesh can't see that which is spiritual? You know you can't see a thought or an idea. Actually, even words are spirit. Oh you can see them in print, but you don't have to. You can hear them which you could say means they are sound waves and therefore physical. But words have meanings and you cannot see a "meaning" under a microscope or detect it on an oscilloscope. You cannot weigh it, nor can you measure it with a ruler. You can only understand it. The Word of God is spiritual.
And so it is that the Written Word and the Living Word are one.
(the son of GOD, JESUS, and the WORDS in the BIBLE, are one)

Here is what Jesus says unto Philip who wants to see the Father with his flesh eyes:

John 14:9
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, Shew us the Father?

Have you "seen" the Father? You have if you've seen Jesus?

John 14:10
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.

You can "see" God in the works that He does, in the miracles that He performs, even unto this very day. You can "see" the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, when He manifests Himself in someone's life. Flesh eyes can see the works of God, though they cannot see the Spirit, the "Ruach" in Hebrew, which means the "Wind".

[11] Believe me that I AM in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Again, the works you can see with the flesh eye. Whether or not you can see Him in them is a spiritual matter requiring your other set of eyes.

[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.

Not those who say they believe on Him, but those who actually do.

John 14:13
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

There is a qualification here in that what you ask Christ to do must be so that it glorifies the Father. Asking for a new BMW doesn't qualify.

[14] If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

There are those evangelists who tell uneducated Christians that if they just have faith, then whatever they ask God for He will answer their prayers and give it to them. That is a lie!

Does God not then take care of His own? Yes He does, but those who know and follow Him ask that nevertheless, His will be done, for it is their will too that the Father be glorified.

We just heard Jesus tell His disciples (even you and me) that greater works than He had shown them, they/we would do, because He was going to the Father in heaven, to the very throne where all power and authority in both heaven and earth reside, to be seated at His right hand. And whatsoever we need to get those "greater works" done, those works that will glorify the Father, we are to ask of Him and He will see to it! And just who would be asking Him for all that wisdom and understanding and perhaps an open door? Those who really and truly love Him, of course! And they have a special quality about them, they keep His commandments, which is all of His Word.

John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.

[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

The word "Comforter" used here is the Greek word parakletos and means "Intercessor" or "Advocate", the same word John uses in his 1st Epistle.

1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

He is our advocate.

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

We'll find out exactly why the world cannot receive Him in a few verses hence.

[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus is about to depart the flesh and no longer be present with them (in the flesh). He is explaining that His departure doesn't mean that "He", the I AM, will no longer be with them to comfort them as He has been doing, and to give them power for the "greater works". Again, they will understand after the crucifixion and especially on Pentecost Day.

And for us, since those events have taken place and we have read His Word, we know that we are NEVER alone! We are NEVER without an advocate. Even though Satan the adversary walks about heaven as a roaring lion, accusing the brethren "twenty four / seven"* (Rev. 12:10), do we have to worry? No Way! He told us not to! He will be there at the right hand of the Father, as our Advocate, and if we need anything He'll handle it. Besides, have you read Luke 10:19? "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, (Satan and his crew) and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." He's in charge, completely!

* 24 / 7 is a new term, meaning day and night, i.e. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

The world won't see Him because all they have are flesh eyeballs. They will need spiritual sunglasses to see Him.  Do you understand that although Jesus is about to be crucified, He is not going to die? Just His flesh will die, but He is Life, remember?

[20] At that day ye shall know that I AM in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

"At that day" refers primarily to the 40th day when He would appear unto them but it is also the same "at that day" used of the Day of the Lord, which is His second advent.

Jesus would perform an amazing, astonishing, miracle on Pentecost Day, without His "physical presence" that they were used to, and they would KNOW that it was Him who "manifested" Himself in those Galileans who would speak in a language that went forth whereby everyone present clearly understood what was being said in their own dialect (Acts 2:7). It is a miracle that cannot be duplicated by babbling unintelligible syllables to impress others that you are something special.

Read on.

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

There is more to just "believing" than saying "I believe", isn't there? You first have to know the commandments in order to keep them, and this isn't just referring to the 10 Commandments, though they are included. But Jesus Christ, the Word of God, gave many commandments throughout the scriptures, in both the Old and the New Testaments. Do you know them? For example, He gave the commandment to "Learn the Parable of the Fig Tree" in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. Have you learned it? If not, you haven't kept His commandment, have you?

Click here to read about the Fig Tree parable.

Note: The word "manifest" means to cause to "see" or "know", i.e. to "reveal".

How well do you receive truth? The reason I asked is that we are about to learn a great truth. It begins with a question from Judas, the brother of James, concerning Jesus last comment:

John 14:22
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

This is an excellent question! It has two parts and will be answered in two verses! But first, let's read it again slowly and think about it: How is it... that Jesus Christ... can manifest [reveal] Himself... (1) to His disciples only... and (2) NOT unto the world? The answer is so simple that it is truly astounding!

Here is the answer to part one (1):

[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

If a you, a man (no gender implied. i.e. a human being) loves Jesus Christ, you will "Keep His Word". You will be "hungry" and not only desire to eat, but you will EAT of the true "Bread" which came down from Heaven, the Word of God (remember?). You will be thirsty and will DRINK from the "Living Water", His Word (remember?).  And the Father will LOVE YOU for it and Jesus Christ will BE REVEALED unto you so that you can SEE HIM and the FATHER both! And there you have the COMFORTER!

Keep His Word and the Father will love you. That really is comforting to know.

Now here is the answer to the second (2) part of the question concerning the world:

[24] He that loveth me notkeepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

Now understand the depth of this saying. Jesus didn't make it up! The Father WANTS US TO KNOW, and so Jesus just told us! If you DO NOT study the Word of God, then how can you keep it? You cannot! If you do not study the Word of God, then sorry, you DO NOT love Jesus Christ! Those are the Father's words. If you disagree or you are offended, take it up with Him! He's the one who told Jesus to tell us!

[25] These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

He wanted His disciples to hear these things directly from Him while He was still present with them.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We just covered in verses 22 and 23 that those who love Him keep His Word, all of it. Then in order for the Holy Spirit to teach you all things, you MUST show up for class!... unless you think He will teach you while you watch TV or sit around on the dock of the bay? Please don't let some foolish preacher tell you that you don't have to study to show yourself approved by God. We just read in verse 21 that the Messiah said the Father LOVES YOU when you keep His Word. But if you must listen to a preacher then listen to preacher Paul, a wise and knowledgeable teacher personally approved by Jesus.

2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Who you gonna believe, a preacher who says you don't have to know the Book of Revelation, or the Word of God?

Jesus now continues to comfort His disciples. (If they had any idea of what He was about to go through perhaps they would be trying to comfort Him.)

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

There is only one Prince of Peace who can give you rest and peace of mind. In fact, there is only one Prince of Peace who can bring about lasting "world peace", though the "peacemakers" attempt this even now.

Jesus Christ gives us an inner peace, a peace within our souls, and a happiness that cannot be obtained in the world, apart from Him. For there is nothing "under the sun" that can satisfy the soul. The entire Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, a man to whom God gave more wisdom than any other man who ever lived (other than Jesus of course), fully documents this.

John 14:28
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

[29] And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

And how their belief and faith will be boosted on the next Day of Pentecost.

John 14:30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

Time's up! The sand in the final hour glass is about to run out. Satan is on his way to bruise the heel of the Messiah (Gen. 3:15). And yet, as Jesus just said, Satan has absolutely NO POWER over Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whatsoever! Remember Satan couldn't even "budge" Him during the 40 day temptation in the wilderness, and no one could "take Him" until it was His hour.  However, as the next verse shows, Jesus will nevertheless proceed with the plan of God, as it was written, that He should be the Passover Lamb, crucified as the atonement for all who would believe in Him. And we thank our Father from the bottom of our hearts that Jesus did go through with it, else we would have no WAY back home to the Father's place where He is about to go and make preparations for us.

John 14:31
But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Can you believe this scripture? If you have ever stopped to pause and meditate on a profound scripture, now is the time. You see, though His disciples were somewhat clueless at this point, Jesus knew exactly what was about to happen to Him; the trial, the abuse, the brutal bloody scourging that few men ever survived, the inhumane nailing to the cross, etc. And yet all He could think of was His disciples, even you and me, and He stood there and taught THEM and comforted THEM, and told THEM not to be afraid, or worry, and to love one another as He has loved them. And He tried to tell them that though He was going away He would be back and would never, ever leave them, and they and you and me would never be alone without an Advocate and a Comforter for He would abide with us forever! They would soon understand after the crucifixion.

And so it was written, and so it was done, because He loves us so much!

                               

---

The American Wisdom Series

is

Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net

Here at the American Wisdom Series our goal is to make you think about and question the wisdom of the current: