Book of John
Week 39 – December 2, 2014
Chapter 13:31-14:7a
13:31-32 – We have to step back and revisit just how John uses “glory” and “glorify” in his gospel. The Jews
firmly believed in two aspects of God’s glory. The first was his overwhelming presence: light and fire that
overwhelms – a presence that humbles all. God’s glory was found in the Holy of Holy’s, and it was
overpowering and destructive to all uncleanliness. This was what the Jews expected to see when God
appeared to reestablish his kingdom through his Messiah. The second aspect of his glory was related to his
character. Exodus 33-34 tells us a lot about God. The Jews had distilled down this passage to say that God’s
glory was “grace” and “truth.” We can see this aspect of God’s glory being reflected in Jesus’ character. “The
Son of Man is now glorified,” lifted high by reflecting the true nature of God in the world. And by virtue of
Jesus showing the true nature of God in the world, God himself is then lifted high and known. This is a very
interesting and complicated process, but it is still at work in the glorification of Jesus as God’s son and
through God’s people as they correctly reflect his character –the grace and truth of God. This next sentence
is an odd one. First off, many ancient texts do not have the “if God is glorified in him.” The addition of this
phrase makes the sentence either speculative or rhetorical. I am unsure about it. To read the Greek without
it makes more sense. It’s just odd to have an addition make things more confusing. The essence of the
statement is that God will also bring glory to the son. There is an interesting unity of father/son,
character/presence, etc., in this statement. The only thing that is odd is the use of euthus: immediately, or
as the NIV says, “at once.” We don’t know what Jesus meant. Because Judas was betraying him, the cross
was going to be immediate? Because Jesus was now only with “clean” disciples, he could allow them to
experience his glory? Because the passion was upon him and his hour had come, he would in the grander
scope of God’s timing soon to be risen from the dead in full glory? We don’t know – maybe all of it.
13:33-35 – Jesus continues. His calling the disciples “his children” is cultural. It was common for rabbis to
be called “Abba,” Father. It was common for rabbis to call their disciples “teknion,” children. The word here
is the diminutive of a young person – not baby, but little child. This is an endearing phrase not to be
confused with Jesus somehow usurping the Father God’s role in their lives. Some have tried to do this with
this verse. It is unnecessary. That said, Jesus is now going to open up about what is coming. He is being
prophetic, which is important. The disciples need to know some things in advance. They may not
understand them here, but they will later! What he says he’s already said before. He will be glorified “at
once,” but he is only going to be with them “a little while,” and where he is going they cannot come. This
he’d said before, and no one understood what he meant. He means two things really: (1) they can’t follow
him into his death and (2) they can’t follow him into his Father’s presence. This makes sense now. But his
mind wasn’t really on this at all. Since he was leaving he had to solidify his followers into a cohesive,
powerful union, and that only comes through love. This is why he says what he says in verses 34-35. These
two verses are the summation of all that Jesus calls his followers to – their witness, their apostleship all
depend on this command. We often forget its imperative force. All followers of Jesus, regardless of
nationality, gender and social status are to love one another: agapao allelon, “you love one another.” There
is no ambiguity here. Some might say that this was only for the disciples – the eleven. Had that been the
case, John’s letters, which are full of this command and his use of the diminutive of teknion would not have
been necessary. John knew the importance of this command through experience. You love one another as
(in the same manner) I have loved you. He’d just washed their feet. He was about to go to the cross. What
more did he need to do to demonstrate his love. And the only way to show that they were truly his disciples
was to love one another in this manner. This is a huge subject that can be mined a great deal. It is very
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telling that there is often a disconnect between people who claim to be Christians and the non-Christian
view of who they are actually following. It must have some basis in a lack of loving one another. The
community’s action toward one another is the proof of our being honestly connected to Jesus. This should
give us all pause.
13:36-37 – But Peter wasn’t listening. He was still hung up on Jesus saying he wasn’t going to be around
long and that where he was going they couldn’t go. The question is polite yet direct: Lord, where are you
going? Jesus skips the questions. He says not now but later. Back to both answers: the cross-death for the
messenger from heaven and into the presence of the Father. Both are true! And everything connected with
the horror of the passion and everything connected with the joy of eternal life were a part of this reply. And
I am not certain that we shouldn’t expect the same.
Peter is confused by this – “Why can’t I follow you now?” He has no idea of the coming cross nor the
spiritual nature of Jesus’ coming journey to his Father. And he goes so far – if Jesus was really telling the
truth about going to his death, he’d mentioned it a lot earlier – he was willing to go right there with him!
This would have been expected of a disciple. Peter may have been somewhat confused by Jesus’ words, but
we can’t fault his intensions. I’m confident he meant it – most likely because he had no idea how soon he’d
have to back up those words with action!
13:38 – Jesus replies again as the one who knows all things – the prophet. He asks directly, “Will you truly
lay down your life for me?” This question probably unnerved Peter a bit. He was convinced in his own heart
and mind that if Jesus needed to go someplace and he needed protection, he, Peter, would provide that
protection. He saw himself as his rabbi’s body guard, and rightly so. This was the expected stance of a
disciple. But Jesus knew all too well what was coming, and he speaks before Peter has a chance to say
anything. This next comment is in the singular, directly to Peter. Starting in verse 1 of Chapter 14 the
pronouns go plural. Jesus is now going to say something specific about a specific person’s behavior. He
knows the future but, in this case, he also knows that Peter isn’t betraying him not to the depth of Judas.
Peter just isn’t ready to go to the first place Jesus must go alone: death. And he again begins with an
authoritative “Amen, Amen.” He is very serious. He knows this is the truth. “Truly, truly, I tell you, by no
means a cock crows until you deny me thrice.” In other words, truly, truly I tell you that you will deny me
three times before a cock crows.
Now there is a lot of debate about this. Frist off, the first official notice of a rooster crowing took place about
12:30 a.m., but since most people went to bed about sundown most never heard that crowing. Also, most
people referred to the cock crowing as the signal that the dawn was just about to break making it an early
morning event. Also, the crock crow was the name of the third of the four Roman night watches. It was
halfway between midnight and dawn. Plus, Mark, alone, quotes Jesus as saying, “before the cock crows
twice.” Now, if Jerusalem was known to have a 12:30 a.m. crowing and a dawn crowing, that could make
sense alongside the other versions of the story. Peter would be up all night and present through whatever
happened with the local roosters. Truth is, if you’ve ever been in a third world country, you know roosters
are crowing all of the time. The point is not exactly when Peter will deny Jesus, but that a rooster will crow
just after Peter has denied knowing Jesus. The point isn’t the timing of the rooster’s crow. It’s that a
rooster’s crow will be the signal that will force you to think about just how willing you are to go to the
depths that Jesus must go. This particular story was certainly well-known in the early church. It also has
great historicity. It is highly unlikely that this kind of shaming directed at one of the major characters in the
story would have been created on a whim. This was not the point of ancient biography – to show the dual
nature of the protagonists. In fact, the more normal direction would be to cover up these kinds of faults in
favor of painting a better picture of the early leadership of the church. Even with John’s intent to clear the
record, this prophecy and its eventual fulfillment brought nothing good to the table for Jesus or his
disciples. It must be true or it wouldn’t have made the story. And what it tells us is that in the midst of great
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betrayal, Jesus still recognizes the human weakness of those that do love him and those he does love. And
even when their weaknesses begin to appear to resemble Judas’, Jesus knows the difference. He also knows
that someday soon Peter will be ready to lay down his life for Jesus.
Chapter 14
14:1 – What we are entering into in this next passage is one of the most difficult sections to make clear. To
start with, the chapter division here is of no help. It would appear that Jesus has completely changed the
subject if one takes the chapter division to be of importance. But what is evident is that Jesus’ words in 14:1
are related to 13:33. The interlude about Peter’s coming denial is an intrusion into the context, and the
context cannot go. And so while he is gone they are to love one another as proof that they are his disciples.
Jesus returns to this subject in 14:1 and says, “Let not be troubled your heart.” The command to “fear not,”
to “not be afraid,” to “be of good courage” was a common motif in the Jewish world. God’s presence was
always the driving force behind any call to not fear regardless of the circumstances. Jesus says, Don’t allow
your hearts to be anxious, overwhelmed, discouraged because I have said I am going someplace you cannot
come. But then he does something that would have seemed blasphemous to many Jews. He equates pisteuo
– believing, trusting, having faith – in (literally, eis/into) God with believing, trusting, having faith in Him!
To equate oneself with God in this manner would have been highly suspect outside of this small band of
disciples. They may not have come to full understanding, but their expectations of Jesus and their grasp of
who he was claiming to be gave them enough understanding to hear his words and not be shocked. You
have faith in God; have faith in me. Aside: this phrase can be translated “You believe in God, believe also in
me; believe in God, believe also in me; believe in God, you also believe in me; do you believe in God, believe
also in me; you believe in God, do you also believe in me; believe in God and also in me and on and on….”
This is the bottom line of being a disciple: God’s deserving trust is equal to mine, says Jesus. Again, in any
other setting this is blasphemy. But Jesus’ words are meant to comfort. You trust God whom you cannot see;
you can trust me in the exact same way. And you can see me.
14:2-3 – Now, we come to the big question. Is what Jesus says next a statement of coming eschatological, as
in far future, or is it related to the immediate context of the moment? This next passage is used by almost
everyone as a statement of what is to come in all of our lives when we die. Whole notions of mansions in
heaven or rooms or dwelling places as in houses derive from this next passage (verses 2 and 3 to be exact).
Truth is, while the idea of a permanent place of dwelling in heaven is an “attractive and possibly true, it is
not taught anywhere in scripture” (Morris). So, what do we have here? The scholars are divided into two
camps, and both have made very bold statements about Jesus’ meaning. The first camp is that Jesus is
talking about the distant future, at least in our lives, what happens at our death. Jesus, post ascension, is
going to “his Father’s house” in heaven and preparing many mone, rooms, abodes, places of dwelling. This
word is only found twice in the NT. The second time is also here in John 14:23. The word has a difficult road
to certainty primarily because it isn’t found in any other places. The reason the KJV says “mansions” is
because they were primarily using the vulgate, and the word that the Latin translators used was a word for
a hostel or place of rest for travelers, and it must have been the best they could think of for this rare Greek
word. Still, many believe Jesus is talking about preparing a place in God’s eternal home for those who have
given their lives over to him. This is the long eschatological view. Others, of equal conviction, believe that
“my Father’s house” is always the temple. The temple was the largest and the most “roomed” building in all
of the Jewish life. Jesus’ words have more to do with his return post resurrection to make the temple the
dwelling place of God. They say that there is no possible way that Jesus would introduce a completely
unknown concept, the concept of men dwelling in “habitations” in heaven at this point in his ministry. It
would have been completely misunderstood. Jesus is saying that my Father’s house has many rooms. I am
going to my death and then will be resurrected to make possible, as a preparation, for you to be the new
place of God’s presence. Now I feel this explanation is also a bit difficult for this moment in Jesus’ ministry.
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If it is true that Jesus was only talking about the near future, then he stated things in a strange way. Also, it
makes Jesus’ statement in verse 3 – “I come again and will receive you to myself that where I am you also
may be” seem odd. Some scholars are adamant that this is about Jesus preparing the way for our life post
this life. Others are equally certain that this is all about Jesus making preparations for us to become the new
“house of his Father.” I find this debate disheartening since to land in either camp is to somehow deny the
possibility of the other. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Possibly, both are true. John is big on double
meanings. Possibly, too, we have no way to know exactly what Jesus meant. Some see a second coming all
over this passage; others only a return of Jesus to be with his disciples for a while to give them the Holy
Spirit. Could it be both? I would hate to lose the hope of the one and the fulfilled prophecy of the other. Still,
it leaves me a bit confused. But things turn in the gospel. John doesn’t work at explaining things. He returns
to Jesus leaving and not taking his disciples with him – the reason for their troubled hearts.
14:4-5 – In verse 4 Jesus states, “And where I go, you know the way.” It is almost like Jesus was baiting his
disciples – as if he was pushing them to think beyond the moment. It’s like he said, You are all worried
about not coming with me now, but you already know how to get where I am going. He clearly confused them
with this one. He will give the answer soon – to the Father. He has already said that he will be preparing
“rooms” for us in his Father’s house. And this could have given them some clue – maybe a clue to there
being some connection to all of this with God the Father. But John tells us that Thomas speaks up. Please,
don’t read too much into Thomas being the one who asks the question. The way disciples asked for clarity
was through a system of questions. Rabbis asked questions to create new thinking; disciples asked
roundabout questions to gain understanding. Notice that Thomas’ question is polite yet pointed. He is still
thinking about Jesus saying he is going where they cannot come and, yet, it is confusing to hear Jesus say
“you know the way to the place I am going.” Jesus must have assumed that his talk about his Father’s house
had given them enough information to know what he was talking about. His (Jesus’) answer is not exactly
what Thomas was looking for, but it is the exact answer. If Jesus is going to his Father’s, the only way for us
to also get to the Father is through Jesus. He’d been saying this all along in various ways.
14:6 – Now he is straight up in his answer. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” The Greek is very clear; he begins with Ego eimi – the “I am” statement. Again, we
shouldn’t put too much emphasis on this word usage, though later it does get Jesus into deep trouble.
Clearly, he said something that caused John to translate Jesus’ Aramaic into Greek that echoed the
Septuagint words of God. Then we get three nouns, all with a definitive article – the way, the truth, the life.
The use of the terms “the way” was a common Jewish theme. It almost always pictured a road to travel that
led to righteousness. It was a moral term. The way was a pattern of life that brought righteous living and
wisdom. We cannot escape this reality. Jewish thinking about “a way” was something we do, a pathway we
follow that leads to God’s approval. Jesus is being very exclusive here. He is The Way to God. Nothing we do
other than “pisteuo” – trusting – in Jesus gets us into God’s presence or earns his approval. We also need to
remember that Jesus didn’t close the door on other “ways” to God with this highly exclusive statement. His
statement is simply stating that there isn’t and really never was any other way to the Father – there are no
other doors! This is very important. John’s original audience needed to hear this truth. In a world of
multiple notions about finding one’s way to God, he (Jesus) shuts down all thoughts of other possibilities. I
am the Way. Period. It is not something Christianity created to protect its power or control; it is something
Jesus said about himself. We can accept it or reject it, but we must never assume that Jesus was a
Universalist – that love would win the day. No, he said clearly, “I am the Way…no one comes to the Father
except though me.”
Some say the Truth and the Life simply modify or explain the Way. There is much said about this, both as
separate phrases that stand on their own and as modifiers. I find the arguments unnecessary. Thomas à
Kempis said, “I am the way we must follow, the truth we must believe, and the life which we must hope for;
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the inviolable way; the infallible truth and the never ending life.” This said, Jesus makes clear where he is
going: No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:7a – And he goes on to say something important in Jewish thinking. “If you would have known me
you would also have known the Father.” This is at first a statement that sounds as in-your-face as his “you
know where I’m going” statement earlier, but Jesus quickly returns to his “do not let your hearts be
troubled” tone and gives them confidence. “From now” – he says this to make certain that they’re ready for
what is to come.
Weekly Class Study:
30. Sept. 16 – John 10:22-33
31. Sept. 23 – John 10:34-11:16
32. Sept. 30 – John 11:17-43
33. Oct. 7 – John 11:44-54
34. Oct. 14 – John 11:55-12:15
35. Oct. 21 – John 12:16-33
36. Oct. 28 – John 12:34-50
37. Nov. 11 – John 13:1-11
38. Nov. 25 – John 13:12-30
39. Dec. 2 – John 13:31-14:7a
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