Gospel of John, Ch.14, Pt.2

Gospel according to John, Chapter 14:  Read &/or listen from the Bible.

Part 2:
3/ If You Love Me, Keep My Words      – Jn 14:19-26
4/ The Gift of His Peace                               – Jn 14:27-31.

If You Love Me, Keep My Words       – Jn 14:19-24

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 (G1785=precepts) 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 words (G3056=sayings) ; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (G3438=residence) with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words;(G3056=sayings) 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.

After the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, the world would no longer see Jesus in His earthly ministry. But we His disciples continue to fellowship with Him spiritually through the person of the Holy Spirit. ‘At that day’ is most possible means the day of Pentecost.

Beloved we can’t say that we love Jesus Christ, if we are not obeying Him. Here Jesus expressed it clearly in vs.21 but He also does in many other occasions, we can find some through out the Book of John, (Jn.14:15, 14:21 y 23, 15:10, 1 Jn.2:5, 5:3, 2 Jn. 6, etc.) so this is something we really need to pay attention to.

Jesus emphasizes several times that if we love Him we will keep His words reason why we need to learn them, & He will reveal Himself to the one who loves Him. Do not think that this is an apparition or some kind of vision. But later, He said (Jn.15:26, 16:5-15, etc.) that it would be the Holy Spirit who would take the things of Jesus and reveal them to the believer. And where ? In the heart of the believer, through the Word of God. That’s where Jesus reveals himself in our hearts.

If we believe His sacrifice for us, we will be grateful & will follow Him, we will read & study His words, keep His instructions, in order to please Him. Because we love Him we will look to please Him. That is the reason of Bible studies like this one, to help us learn & memorize His words. I can assure you, the more you know Him, the more you love for Him will grow.

Some pseudo-Christians like 7th Day Adventist, Hebrew Roots, etc. teaches the word ‘commandments‘ in the New Testament always refers to the Mosaic law or the 10 commandments, but this is false! Read other Bible verses where the Greek word G1785  =entolē,( from G1781, see more [1]), which means ‘precepts, prescription, order, instructions‘ is used: Jn.10:18, Jn.11:57, Acts 17:15, Col. 4:10, Tit.1:14, Mark 10:2-5, etc.

If we keep reading in context in verses 21-24 we will notice Jesus says “He who HAS My commandments & keeps them is the one who loves me” didn’t ALL the Jews already HAD the 10 commandments given to Moises & couldn’t keep them? “Did Moses not give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? ” Jn.7:19. Did Jesus loved all of them & revealed Himself to all the Jews? Did all the Jews loved Him?

Also in that paragraph Jesus is using the word ‘My commandments‘ & ‘My words‘ interchangeably.  He is telling this at the end of His ministry after giving them instructions for 3½ years, right before His arrest. He was not referring to the Law that was given to Moises (& then Moises gave to the people), but was talking about His teachings, otherwise why He needed to teach them anything if they had everything already in the Torah? Jesus gave His last minutes instructions to His disciples and if we continue reading He tells them these words He refers to, are from the Father, the words He has spoken (vs. 25) while being present with them! And Jesus assured them that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things and remind us of all that He had spoken. (vs. 26) it’s not about the law that was written in stones by God’s finger, never spoken, it is about His spoken words. And this words must be very important since the Holy Spirit will remind them to us, don’t you think?

Another example. After Jesus was raised from the death before taken to heaven, He gave them the last instructions, called by Christians the ‘great commission’. How we make disciples? by teaching them to observe all things that JESUS personally commanded to His disciples. Remember this is a New Covenant! (Lk.22:20, 1 Cor.11:25, 2 Cor.3:5-6, etc. ).

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded (G1781) you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Mat.28:18-20

In the New Covenant we have a different set of instructions taught by Jesus Himself (called doctrine of Christ), & now we have a NEW law, the Law of Christ, (Gal. 5:6). The New Covenant law can be summarized in just one verb ‘to love’.

God doesn’t want us to blindly obey His commandments, He wants our hearts to be involved. ‘Love is the fulfillment of the law’ (Ro. 13-10). He wants us to understand that His instructions are for our own safety & well being. We will keep/do them out of love for Him.

Reading & studying the New Testament will teach us about Jesus, which is very important, but the most important part, the proof of our love for Jesus is obeying His teachings.

The Gift of His Peace     – Jn 14:27-31.

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.

In verse 27 the Lord Jesus declares that what He leaves with His disciples is His peace.
Here it is about the glorious and wonderful peace that comes into the hearts of those who have given themselves completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is peace of heart and mind, of those who live in harmony with God’s will. After Jesus promise them peace He exhorts them also to have courage.

“Peace to you” was a common form of greeting and farewell in that day, a formality expressed by someone who in reality is powerless to fulfill that hope. But when Jesus pronounces His blessing of peace, He is able to actually impart this blessed peace of God to our very soul.