John 14:23,24

‘Jesus answered and said to him, “If a man loves me he will hold firmly to and obey (keep) my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. The one who does not love me, does not hold firmly to and obey my words. And the word which you hear is not mine but His who went me”.

As so often (compare Acts 1:6) Jesus does not directly answer the question. He did not want them to become tied up in theological disputation. Rather He points away from the question to the future experience that is to be theirs. Let them recognise that the coming of the Kingly Rule of God is not to be revealed by outward show but by inward and personal response. It is something which is among them and within them (Luke 17:21). It is revealed in the obedience of men who love Him to His word and teaching.

‘If a man loves me.' Again this expands beyond the Apostles as the use of ‘a man' demonstrates. The use of the singular ‘my word' covers the whole of Jesus' teaching, both theological and ethical. The man who loves Him will hold firmly to what he has learned from Jesus, absorbing it and letting it be fulfilled through his life. So Jesus is telling Judas, and the others, that His Messiahship is not with outward show but is a deeply personal and spiritual thing. It has been promoted through His life and teaching.

As a result those who promote it will not do so with flashing swords, but with obedient love and sound teaching. As a man responds obediently to the Jesus whom he loves, so will he enjoy the love of the Father, and the continuing presence with him of the Father and the Son. ‘We will come to him and make our home with him.' The word ‘home' is the same as that for ‘resting place' in John 14:2. While we live on earth His resting place will be with us who are true believers. When we rise to Heaven our resting place will be with Him. In both cases it is a permanent resting place, not a temporary residence. Note how it is made clear that the coming of the Holy Spirit involves the dwelling of Father and Son within them. One cannot come without the other.

However there are those who will not hold firmly to His words and obey them, whatever their profession might be (‘why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?' - Luke 6:46), and this will be proof that they do not love Him. We should thus note how important our obedience is as evidence that we are truly His. We are saved by faith but it is by our fruits that we will be known. Faith that does not produce fruits is not saving faith (compare John 2:23). Then Jesus stresses again that His word is not only His but also the Father's word, emphasising its eternal importance, and underlining that He and His Father speak as One.