15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. 17 That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you. 21 Whoever knows and obeys my commandments is the person who loves me. Those who love me will have my Father’s love, and I, too, will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Jesus, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will go to them and make our home with them. 24 A person who doesn’t love me doesn’t do what I say. I don’t make up what you hear me say. What I say comes from the Father who sent me.
25 “I have told you this while I’m still with you. 26 However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you.
27 “I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t be troubled or cowardly. 28 You heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, but I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.
29 “I’m telling you this now before it happens. When it does happen, you will believe. 30 The ruler of this world has no power over me. But he’s coming, so I won’t talk with you much longer. 31 However, I want the world to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father has commanded me to do. Get up! We have to leave.”
Read John 14:15-31 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
On the night Jesus was arrested while He and the disciples were finishing up their last supper together and making their way towards the garden of Gethsemane, John’s gospel shares in detail Jesus’ conversation with the disciples. While reading this event, a set of verses stood out to me in a different way than they had before.
John tells us Jesus told the disciples that “I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. You will live because I live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me and that I am in you.” (v. 18-20)
In this set of verses, three phrases stood out that I’ve never noticed before, and these three phrases together give us two clear promises we can hold on to.
The first two phrases form the first promise, and this promise relates to Jesus’ return. Jesus begins in verse 18 by saying, “I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you.” In the context of these two phrases, we have the first phrase emphasizing the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, and the second phrase emphasizing Jesus’ return. Together, these two phrases bring us the promise that Jesus will return, and until that happens, we have God’s Holy Spirit to lead us, teach us, guide us, and keep us company.
The third phrase is the last statement in verse 19, where Jesus states: “You will live because I live.” This phrase stands out in my mind because it shows there was no doubt in Jesus’ mind that there would be resurrection and new life following the cross. It also shows us that our future life depends entirely on what Jesus accomplished on that cross. The promise in this statement is clear: The only reason we have life is because Jesus gave His life for us.
Together, these three statements combine together to create the true reason for every Christian’s hope: Everyone of Jesus’ disciples and followers desires more of the Holy Spirit in our lives; we also look forward to the day Jesus returns; and we recognize that the only reason we have life is because Jesus gave His life for us.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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