John 14:25-31

GOING TO LEAVE PEACE AND OVERCOMING POWER

Text 14:25-31

25

These things have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with you.

26

But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.

27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

28

Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I.

29

And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe.

30

I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me;

31

but that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Queries

a.

Why is the peace which Christ gives not like peace for which the world strives?

b.

How is the Father greater than Jesus?

c.

What had Jesus prophecied before it came to pass (John 14:29)?

Paraphrase

A great many of My doctrines I have taught you while I have been with you in the flesh. Furthermore, the Father will soon send in My name the Helper, the Holy Spirit. He will teach you everything that is necessary for preaching redemption and establishing the church as well as infallibly recalling to your mind all that I have taught you while with you in the flesh. I am going soon but in My going I will leave you at peace with God. It will not be merely outward peace and physical security as the world sometimes gives, but it will be the peace which I, Myself, havethis peace of heart and mind which trusts in the Father in all circumstances and brings rest unto the soulI give unto you. Therefore, you must not let your heart be anxious and troubled nor should you be cowardly and fearful. You have heard me say repeatedly, I am going away to My Father and then I come again to you in the Spirit. If you had grown in love for Me as you should you would have rejoiced at My going home to the Father. In My incarnation I became a little lower than the angels and became a servant and the Father, who is greater than I am in this respect, is waiting to reward and glorify Me. And I have told you of all this and predicted it now, before it actually happens, so that when it does come to pass, your faith in Me may be increased. I have very little time left to speak and teach you many things because the prince of the world and his evil cohorts are coming to accuse Me. This evil one can find no sin or guilt in Mehe has no part of himself in Me. But I will not resist nor escape but I will do as the Father gave me commandment so that the world may know that I love the Father. Arise, let us go forth to meet them.

Summary

Time in which to strengthen the disciples is nearly over. He thinks of them before Himself. He promises again the Helper; gives them His peace; strengthens their faith in Him by prophetic utterance. He seems saddened that they are so dim of understanding His going away is a matter for rejoicing.

Comment

By these things in John 14:25, Jesus undoubtedly means all that He has taught the disciples concerning His divine mission while He has been in their company. He is about to promise the disciples further revelation from the mind of God through the Holy Spirit.

Bro. R. C. Foster calls John 14:26 the key to understanding of the production of the New Testament. Certainly without the knowledge of the divine inspiration of the apostles one who reads the New Testament would utterly fail to comprehend much of it. This is not the only place Jesus made such a promise (cf. Luke 24:49; John 16:13, etc.). Jesus promises that not only by the power of the Holy Spirit will they infallibly recall all that He has taught them, but that the Holy Spirit will deliver unto them all truth which God has designed in His purposes of redemption. The apostle Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 just to what extent they received God's truth.

a.

They received the hidden wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7).

b.

Man could never have known what was revealed to them (1 Corinthians 2:9).

c.

The Spirit revealed to them the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).

d.

Paul claimed that the mind of Christ had been revealed unto him and that this is what he taught (1 Corinthians 2:16).

The Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of the Old Testament (1 Peter 1:11), but He did not lead them into all truth as He did the apostles. He spoke through them only in divers portions and in divers manners (Hebrews 1:1). John later testifies that the only objective test whereby men may know the difference between truth and error concerning God's message for man is to hear the apostles. The apostolic message, and only the apostolic message, is the truth of God for man's salvation. All else is incomplete, erroneous or deliberately false.

The theory of just how this infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit over the writers of the New Testament was accomplished is another subject. Suffice it to say here that the Bible itself indicates the verbal plenary theory. Paul says the Scriptures were God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Peter says no prophecy of Scripture is of any private, human origin, for prophecy came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were borne along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Spirit put the very words of God into their minds and mouths, as He did in the Old Testament, but the Spirit allowed different writers to use their own peculiar style in writing. John's style is much different from Luke's and Paul'S, for example.

Yes, the disciples would have the divine Helper sent to them. He would lead them into all truth and remind them of all that their Master had taught them while with them. This Helper would also, by testifying of man's salvation and home in heaven, bring them the peace which Jesus Himself knew. It would not be the physical or economic or social security which the world calls peace (cf. Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51). The world may give outward peace but it can never give that peace and rest of the soul which belongs to the Christian because his life is hid with Christ in God (cf. Matthew 11:28-30). There will never be real peace on earth as worldly-minded men define peace. In the first place, men are trying to promote peace without even consulting the directions of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. In the second place, the Bible teaches that there will be enmity and war on the part of Satan against the church of Christ as long as the world remains (see the book of Revelation). As long as there is evil there will be unrest; as long as there is sin, there will be rebellion and war.

But thanks be to God, Jesus Christ has made peace between man and God. Jesus, in His going to the Father (including His death, resurrection, ascension) accomplished man's atonement, paid man's penalty and accomplished reconciliation (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature and is at peace with God. But it requires faith and obedience on man's part to be in Christ, for man is justified by faith and has peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1), (see also Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 1:20).

This objective peace between God and man is but one aspect of the peace of which Jesus speaks. There is also the subjective side of peace which comes as a result of the first. It is the peace which drives anxiety and trouble and fear from the heart of the believer. God keeps in perfect (complete) peace all whose minds are stayed on Him, because they trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). It is a peace that brings cheer (John 16:33). It is the peace which passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds and rules in our hearts (Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15). It is the peace which is the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22).

The peace which Christ brought to the world was prophecied (Isaiah 9:6-7) and preached (Acts 10:36) and is relevant for a strife-torn world today. God give us the courage to preach it with conviction and simplicity.

Again the pathos of the night is painted for us as the Lord speaks the hunger of His aching heart for sympathy and understanding. Later, in Gethsemane, He will desire their fellowship in His agony but find them asleep. Here He desires the fellowship of their understanding concerning His going away, but they do not seem to be able to share in His feelings.

Many times already He had spoken of His return to the heavenly Father. If they had only grown enough to understand the humiliation of His incarnation, they would have rejoiced that He was soon to return to the Father for this would mean glory for Him. When Jesus said the Father is greater than I, He did not mean that He was an inferior deity or that He was not deity at all but just the highest accomplishment of humanity. He is one with the Father, co-equal and the only-unique Son. But He was sent forth from the Ivory Palaces by the Father, and willingly took upon Himself the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8). He became a little lower than the angels in order to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:9-18). When Jesus willingly became the Incarnate Word He simply divested Himself of the glories resident in the bosom of the Father. The Father then prepared the reward and glory which the Son was to receive upon completion of His earthly mission (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 12:2). The Father both glorified Him on earth and would glorify Him in heaven (John 12:28; John 17:5). In this sense only is God greater than the Son. If the disciples had realized the fullness of the glory that was to be His they would have rejoiced with Him.

In John 14:29 Christ tells the disciples that He had made all these prophetic utterances concerning His death, resurrection, ascension and return in the Spirit before they come to pass in order that they will believe in Him. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the Bible's major evidences to its divine inspiration. Jesus Himself demonstrated His omniscience by foretelling His own death and resurrection as well as other historical events which came to pass in detail just as He had spoken them.

Jesus had spoken much and taught much in the last weeks and especially during this particular evening. Washing their feet, the Passover, the prophecies concerning Judas, Peter and the Eleven, institution of the Lord's Supper and the doctrines taught in Chapter 14 all have been spoken this Thursday evening. But the hour appointed by the Father in which the prince of this world would be allowed to do his worst to His beloved Son was fast approaching. The adversary was coming to bring his accusations and there would be very little time left for Jesus to speak much with this little band of eleven. No doubt His heart was heavy, knowing their misunderstanding and dullness of heart. He could speak much more but the hour was almost here.

He must prepare to face His darkest hour. His foes would accuse Him and the prince of this world would rail at Him and slander Him through the mouths of men, but no sin or guilt would be found in Him (John 18:23; Luke 23:22; Mark 14:56-59, etc.). The prince of this world could find no sin or guilt in Jesus and Jesus knew it. There is no doubt from this passage and others that Jesus was aware of His own sinlessness. No critic of the Bible has the right to say that Jesus did not know whether He was sinless or divineor, that He never said He was without sinbecause it is plain that Jesus both knew it and said it.

He had the power at His command to resist the evil crowd coming for HimHe had the power to refuse the cross, but in order that the world might know of His love for the Father and for mankind He would keep the Father's commandment to lay down His life upon the cross. He will prove His love by keeping His Father's commandments and so will all those who profess to know God prove their love by keeping His commandments (cf. John 15:10).

Quiz

1.

To what extent did the Holy Spirit reveal all things to the apostles?

2.

What is the peace which Christ gives to all believers? What does it do?

3.

How is the Father greater than the Son?

4.

Why does the prince of this world have nothing in Jesus?

5.

How does a person prove his love to God?