Lesson 17: Comfort For Disciples

Opening Questions:

1. How did Jesus seek to comfort His disciples in John 14.1-15.17?
2. How does a vine and its branches represent our relationship with Jesus (John 15.1-11)?
3. What questions do you have from the text?

As Jesus’ hour approached, John recorded on two occasions that the Lord’s spirit was troubled. The first was after Greeks requested to see Jesus, the signal that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12.20-23). But His glorification would come via means of the cross, thus Jesus cried out, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour” (John 12.27). The second came as Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His closest disciples, because while He “loved them to the end” (John 13.1), His spirit was troubled because “one of you will betray me” (John 13.21).

Jesus’ glorification meant that He would be leaving the disciples and going to where they could not yet go (John 13.33,36). The Lord knew this would distress His faithful followers, so He twice urged them to “let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14.1,27). John 14.1-15.17 records how Jesus sought to comfort those He loved.

Jesus promised to return (14.1-7).

Jesus was leaving (12.33), but His departure was so that He could “prepare a place” in His Father’s house. Because of the KJV’s translation of “mansions” the unfortunate image of individual palaces on clouds has dominated the concept of heaven. But there is actually only one house, and that is the Father’s. Jesus’ going to the Father by means of the cross has gained us access to the Father’s house, where there are rooms for all who will believe in His Son and abide in His word (John 3.16; 8.31-32). But Jesus would not remain gone; “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself” (vs. 3). And of course that would mean being joined to the Father as well (vss. 6-7). Jesus’ proclamation to Thomas that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” is the summation of the entire gospel: He is the Way (John 1.9-13), He is the Truth (John 8.31-32), He is the Life (John 1.4; 6.33; 10.10; 11.25).

Jesus going to the Father meant they would be able to do “greater works” (14.8-14).

The idea of abiding with the Father was too grand, so Philip said “show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (vs. 8). But what Philip and the other disciples failed to realize was that to see Jesus is to see the Father (vs. 9; see John 1.18). Both Jesus’ works and His words showed His oneness with the Father (vs. 10; see John 5.19-20; 10.38); those should prompt faith that Jesus is “in the Father and the Father is in me” (vs. 11). But then Jesus revealed that His disciples would be able to do “greater works” because 1) He was going to the Father and 2) He would do whatever they asked in His name. It’s important to remember that Jesus’ remarks were made to His apostles, so while there is application for all disciples (see 1John 5.14) the primary application was for the apostles. But how would they do “greater works”? The apostles didn’t perform any miracles greater than those of Jesus, but the book of Acts records how they added thousands of Jews and Gentiles to the Lord’s Kingdom. “When the early chapters of Acts are examined, it is clear that, from a numerical standpoint, the deeds of Peter and the other Apostles surpassed those of Jesus in a single day (the day of Pentecost). On that day more were added to the church than had become followers of Jesus during the entire three years of his earthly ministry. And the message went forth not just in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, but to the farthest parts of the known world” (NET Notes).

Jesus would send a Helper (14.15-31)

While Jesus said much to His disciples in this section including how love for Him would be seen by obeying His commands (vss. 15,21), the chief comfort was His promise to send “another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth” (vss. 16-17). The Greek term for “helper” is paraklete, and was the term used for a legal advocate. Furthermore, the term for “another” denotes another of the same type, thus “the advocate who is to be sent is not different from Christ, but another similar to Himself” (Vincent). This Helper would be instrumental for the disciples doing the “greater works” Jesus promised (vs. 12) because “he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (vs. 26).

Vss. 28-31 further show why the coming of the Helper was so essential. Jesus was going to the Father, thus He would “no longer talk much with you” (vs. 30). His coming would allow Jesus’ followers to have peace, even though Jesus’ departure coincided with the fact that “the ruler of this world is coming” (vs. 30; see John 12.31; 16.11). However, Jesus who is not of this world (John 8.23) and is free from sin (John 8.46), is not under the Devil’s dominion, thus outside of His claim. Their hearts could be without trouble or fear, for Jesus was returning to the Father.

Jesus would abide in His disciples (15.1-11)

Jesus promised His disciples that He would “not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (14.18), a likely reference to His post-resurrection appearances. But then Jesus made an even greater promise: “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” (14.23). Abiding with the Lord isn’t something disciples only anticipate in the future (cf. 14.1-6), but the present reality of those who love the Lord. That is at the heart of the picture found in 15.1-11. In the Old Testament God’s people were described as His vineyard (see Isaiah 5.1-7; 27.2-6), but the picture Jesus uses here is much more intimate: He is the vine and as the branches we are part of Him; we abide in Him and He abides in us (vs. 4)! Furthermore, it is essential that Jesus’ disciples abide in Him, otherwise they cannot bear fruit (vss. 4-5).

Naturally, we ask how does this abiding occur; how can we abide in Jesus and He in us when He has gone to the Father and we remain on the earth (cf. 14.1-6)? First, it’s important to note that Jesus is saying we can have the same relationship with Him that He has with the Father. Recall that Jesus urged His disciples to “believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (14.11). If Jesus, while on the earth, could still be one with the Father, then we can also abide in Him and He in us. Furthermore, Jesus reveals specific ways that His disciples abide in Him and He in them:

• By abiding in His word (John 8.31-32).
• By keeping His commandments and abiding in His love (John 14.23; 15.9-10).
• The Spirit abiding in us (John 14.17; note while the primary application is to the apostles receiving the Spirit, we must remember the promise of the Spirit to all disciples, see John 3.5).

Jesus’ disciples would be called His friends (15.12-17)

In the Old Testament two figures were characterized as friends of God: Abraham (2Chron. 20.7; James 2.23) and Moses (Exodus 33.11). But now Jesus revealed to His disciples that they were His friends if they follow His commands (vs. 14). As His friends they would experience the ultimate manifestation of His love (vs. 13), know the will of the Father (vs. 15) and have their requests fulfilled (vs. 16). But being His friend carries with it the obligation to bear fruit for Him (vs. 16) and to love each other (vss. 12,17).

Notes from the text:

• 14.2: “The English translation “mansions” can be traced back to Tyndale, but in Middle English the word simply meant “a dwelling place” (not necessarily large or imposing) with no connotation of being temporary” (NET Notes).
• 14.18: there is some debate on whether Jesus was referencing His post resurrection appearances, or the coming of the Helper (vss. 16-17,26).
• 14.22: also known as Thaddaeus, see Mark 3:18. “Implying that Judas thought that some change had taken place in Jesus’ plans. He had assumed that Jesus would, as the Messiah, reveal Himself publicly” (Vincent).
• 14.23: note that while Jesus was going to the Father to prepare a place for His disciples (vs. 2), the promise here is that He and the Father would come to them.
• 14.27: in the Old Testament peace was a characteristic of God’s Kingdom and the promised Messianic Kingdom (Nu. 6:26; Ps. 29:11; Is. 9:6-7; 52:7; 54:13; 57:19; Ezk. 37:26; Hg. 2:9).
• 15.3:  “there is a play on the words kathairō and katharos (‘to clean’ and ‘clean’). The disciples have already been rendered ‘clean’ through the word Jesus spoke to them. Now the Father also cleansed/pruned the disciples/branches so that they would bear more fruit. He ‘pruned/cleansed’ them through ‘the word’ Jesus spoke to them. It is as we hear and respond to the teaching of Jesus that we become more fruitful” (Kruse, Colin G).
• 15.4: “Three basic lessons must be observed in this allegory: One must be in Christ for spiritual life (v. 4; Gal. 3:26-27). One must either bear fruit or be cut off (v. 2; Matt. 25:41-46; Gal. 5:22-23); (3) Individual disciples (not denominational churches) are the branches in this allegory (v. 5; 1 Cor. 1:10-13)” (Harkrider).
• 15.7: “The expression is altered from that of vv. 3 and 5, instead of “and I in you,” we now have “and my words abide in you”; it is by means of His teaching and His commandments that Christ abides in His people, and by His word they are fitted for fruit-bearing, ver. 3. Not that His words are a substitute for His personal presence, but its medium” (Expositors Greek New Testament).
• 15.8: Jesus glorified the Father (John 12.28) andwe glorify the Father by proving disciples.
• 15.9-10: “If we are the recipients of Jesus’ love in a way analogous to his own reception of the Father’s love, we must remain in Jesus’ love by exactly the same means by which he has always remained in his Father’s love: obedience, that total obedience which finds Jesus testifying, ‘The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him’ (8:29)” (Carson).