NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 58
J ohn 1 3 : 3 8
•
page 1834
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you,
before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! p
Jesus Is the Way to the Father (213 )
“Do not let your h
earts be troubled. q You believe in God a; believe also in me. 2My
Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, w
ould I have told you that
I am going there r to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be w
here I am. s 4You know
the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas t said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we
know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way u and the t ruth and the life. v No one c
omes to the
Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know b my Father as well. w
From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
14
a
13:38
pJn 18:27
14:1
qver 27
14:2
rJn 13:33,36
14:3
12:26
sJn
14:5
11:16
tJn
14:6
10:9
11:25
uJn
vJn
14:7
wJn 8:19
1 Or Believe in God b 7 Some manuscripts If you really knew me, you would know
Paul tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans
12:3). Instead of bragging, demonstrate your commitment step-by-step as
you grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and in your faith.
14:1-3 The disciples were obviously worried about death and what
happens afterward. Jesus’ words still comfort us today. We know from
what Jesus said that the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure for
us if we trust him with the future. He has already prepared the way to
eternal life. The only issue that may still be unsettled is our willingness
to believe him.
14:2-3 Few verses in Scripture describe eternal life in detail, but these
few verses are rich with promises. Here Jesus says, “I am going there to
prepare a place for you” and “I will come back.” We can look forward
to eternal life because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in him.
Although many specifics about eternity are unknown, we need not fear,
because Jesus is preparing for us and will spend eternity with us.
14:5-6 This most basic and important passage in Scripture opens the
door for doubters to come to Jesus. Thomas asked, in effect, “How can
we know the way to God?” And Jesus essentially answered, “The way is
open through me.” Because Jesus is both God and man, he gives us the
invitation to heaven. He himself is the entry point, and he paid the full
price for us to get there with his own life. By uniting our lives with Jesus’
and becoming his followers, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take
you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours.
14:6 Jesus says that he is the only way to God the Father. Some
people resent Christianity because they think it is too exclusive and
too narrow. In reality, the way is wide enough for the whole world if
everyone would accept Jesus. But some people want to go their own
way. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one
way to eternal life, we should be saying, Thank you, God, for providing
a sure way to get to you!
14:6 As the Way, Jesus is our path to the Father. He provides clear
direction to God. As the Truth, he is the reality of all God’s promises. He
provides certainty to people whose lives seem confused and unstable.
As the Life, he joins his divine life to ours, both now and eternally. Jesus
offers full and complete satisfaction to those who follow him. He is, in
truth, the only living way to the Father.
14:9 Jesus is the visible, tangible image of the invisible God. He is the
complete revelation of what God is like. Jesus explained to Philip, who
wanted to see the Father, that to know Jesus is to know God. The search
for God, for truth, and for reality, ends in Jesus Christ. (Also see Colossians
1:15; Hebrews 1:1-4.)
14:12-13 Raising the dead is about as amazing as anyone can get;
how could the disciples do anything greater than that? The “even greater
things” would come because the disciples, working in the power of the
Holy Spirit, would carry the gospel of God’s kingdom out of Palestine
and into the whole world.
14:14 When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember
that our asking must be in his n ame—that is, according to God’s character
and will. God will not grant requests contrary to his nature or his will, and
we cannot use his name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires.
If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do his will, then our
requests will be in line with what he wants, and he will grant them. (Also
see 15:16; 16:23.)
14:15-16 Soon Jesus would be leaving the disciples, yet he would
remain with them. How could this be? The Advocate—the Spirit of God
himself—would come after Jesus was gone to comfort, encourage, guide,
and intercede for the disciples. The regenerating power of the Spirit came
on the disciples just before Jesus’ ascension (20:22), and the Spirit was
poured out on all the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2), shortly after Jesus
ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within us
and all believers, helping us live as God wants and building Christ’s church
on earth. By faith we can have access to the Spirit’s power each day.
14:16 The word translated “advocate” combines the ideas of comfort
and counsel. The word could also be translated “Comforter,” “Encourager,”
or “Counselor.” The Holy Spirit is the very power of God in us working
for and with us.
14:17 The following chapters teach these truths about the Holy Spirit:
He will be with us forever (14:16); the world at large cannot accept him
(14:17); he lives with us and in us (14:17); he teaches us (14:26); he reminds
us of Jesus’ words (14:26; 15:26); he convicts us of sin, shows us God’s
righteousness, and announces God’s judgment on evil (16:8); he guides
us into truth and gives insight into future events (16:13); and he brings
glory to Jesus (16:14). The Holy Spirit has been active among people from
the beginning of time, but after Pentecost (Acts 2), he came to live in all
believers. Many people are unaware of the Holy Spirit’s activities, but to
those who understand Jesus’ words and the Spirit’s power, the Spirit gives
a whole new way to look at life.
14:18 When Jesus said, “I will come to you,” he meant it. Although Jesus
ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to live in believers, and to
have the Holy Spirit is to have Jesus himself.
14:19-21 Sometimes people wish they knew the future so they could
prepare for it. God has chosen not to give us this knowledge. He alone
knows what will happen, but he tells us all we need to know to prepare
for the future. When we obey his words and live by his standards, we show
that we are his true followers. For his followers, he promises he will not
leave us; he will come to us, he will be in us, and he will show himself to
us. God knows what will happen, and because he will be with us through
it all, we need not fear. We don’t have to know the future to have faith in
God; we must have faith in God to be secure about the future. If you have
not yet become a follower of Jesus, or still have real questions about him,
ask God to reveal Jesus to you. He could come to you through a friend,
an insight from the Bible, an inner prompting in your spirit, or some other
way. But he will come and reveal himself to you if you ask.
14:21 Jesus said that his followers show their love for him by obeying