John 14:31

John 14:31. But he cometh that the world may perceive that I love the Father, and that even as the Father gave me commandment so I do. Arise, let us go hence. The difficulty of interpreting these words is undoubtedly very great. The common interpretations of ‘hath nothing in me' such as, ‘hath no power over me,' I die freely; ‘hath no ground of accusation against me,' I am innocent; ‘hath no hold on me,' I present no point on which he can fasten his attack are all at variance with the meaning of the verb ‘hath' in the writings of John. Nor is the difficulty met by the suggestion which removes the full stop after ‘so I do, and connects' Arise, let us go hence ‘with' but, thus making the intermediate words (‘he cometh' not being then, as in our translation, supplied) express the object to be attained by the arising and going. For, in that case, instead of the discourse in chaps. 15 and 16 and the prayer of chap. 17, this chapter ought to have been immediately followed by the last conflict with the world. The true interpretation seems to be that there is an absolute barrier between the ‘prince of this world' and Jesus. Neither in the Person (in whom is no sin) nor in the work of the Redeemer has he any interest; there is absolutely no point of connection (the expression of the original is strong) between him and these. He has deliberately opposed, denied, and rejected the truth. Therefore he has now nothing to do with it except in one terrible respect! The following words point out the exception. He ‘comes,' and the ‘world' ruled by Him comes, to see that He whom they have rejected is the ‘consecrated One' of God, the ‘Sent' of God, the Fulfiller of the Father's will. But they come to see this only when it is too late; when amazement and horror alone remain for them; when the judgment shall be executed; and when out of their own mouth they shall be condemned. The words in short express, although far more pointedly than elsewhere, the great truth so often stated in Scripture, that those who reject the salvation shall meet the judgment of Jesus, and that, when they meet it, they shall acknowledge that it is just. Blind now, they shall not be always blind; their eyes shall be opened; and to their own shame they shall confess that He whom they rejected was the ‘Beloved' of the Father, and that His work was the doing of the Father's will. It is only necessary to add that, while this shall be the fate of this ‘world' and of its ‘prince,' the possibility of the individual's passing from the power of the world into the blessed region of faith in Jesus is always presupposed. The description applies to the world as it hardens itself in impenitence against its rightful Lord, and rushes on its fate.

Hence the startling close of the discourse, ‘Arise, let us go hence.' Not merely, ‘Let us meanwhile arise, and leave this place that we may go to another where my discourse may be resumed;' but, ‘Let us go: I have led you to the glorious places of abode in my Father's house, and I have followed the world to its doom; I have traced the history of mankind to its close; it is over; arise, let us go hence.

It is not easy to determine with certainty at what moment, or even in what place, the discourse which we have been considering was spoken. As to the latter point, indeed, the closing words of the chapter do not leave much doubt. Jesus and His disciples must still have been in the upper chamber where the Supper was instituted. The precise moment is more difficult to fix. Yet, when we turn to Luke 22:35-38, we find there words of Jesus so obviously connected with the topics handled here that we may, with great probability, suppose that both belong to the same period of that night. If so, the discourse in the present chapter was delivered after the Supper was instituted, and before our Lord rose from the table. We may further express our belief that the discourse in chaps, 15 and 16 was spoken in the same place, the difference being that during its delivery, as well as during the intercessory prayer of chap. 17, Jesus and His disciples stood. Not only is chap. John 18:1 (hardly permitting us to think of a ‘going forth' till ‘after' He had spoken these things') favourable to this view, but it is extremely improbable that chaps. 15-17 could have been uttered on the way to Gethsemane. The tone of thought, too, in chaps. 15 and 16 appears to be in harmony with this conception of the circumstances. We shall see in the exposition how much more the idea of apostolic action and suffering comes out in these Chapter s than it does even in chap. 14. To this corresponded the attitude of rising and standing. The appropriate demands of the moment, therefore, and not any change of intention, led to our Lord's still continuing in the upper room. He stands there with the solemnised group around Him. ‘I have given you,' He would say by action as well as word, ‘My commission and My promise; let us be up and doing; there is still deeper meaning in the commission, still greater richness in the promise.'