Category: Cruising the Gospel

John 14:15-21 – Promising the Spirit

If Jesus is in us and he is also in the Father, then we too are somehow part of their oneness!

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Bible text – Read it yourself (opens in a new tab)

Verse 15 is a big ‘if’. Jesus doesn’t ask us to do what he tells us; he simply points out that, if we love him, we will do what he says. So we are faced with the reality of what is in our hearts where Jesus is concerned. Do I love him, or don’t I? How far will I go in following him? Some of the way? All of the way?

The Spirit of Truth

The Holy Spirit comes as a gift from the Father in answer to a request from Jesus. And the Spirit is pretty special because he speaks for us, helps us, and will always stay with us. Read this personally – The Spirit of Christ, sent by the Father, speaks for you, helps you, and will always stay with you. Has this been your experience? If not, perhaps you need to get to know Jesus even better and make sure that you truly love him and therefore keep his commands. Look deeper into your own heart and pay more attention to your daily experience on this journey with Jesus. (If you’re still in doubt, press the ‘Previous’ link twice and re-read the notes on verses 1-7.) The Spirit of Christ cannot be anything but the Spirit of Truth, because Jesus declared himself to be ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’.

Pity the poor world!

‘The world’ is a way of saying ‘worldly people’ – in other words people who know the world, but have little or no clue about Jesus. Knowing the world is our default position, as we grow and experience life, we get to know the world and its ways better and better. That’s life! But this knowing provides no way to become familiar with the Spirit of Truth.

But if you are following Jesus, you will see and know his Spirit because the Spirit lives with you – inside you.

Leaving us?

The disciples didn’t yet fully understand what was happening. Jesus is going to leave them, but not like children without parents. Verse 18 is very clear, Jesus absolutely and explicitly tells them that he, the Son, and the Spirit (his Spirit) are one. They are not quite the same, but they cannot be separated. Jesus has a human bodily form and therefore lives with, but outside, the disciples; the Spirit has no bodily form and will live inside the disciples. Not only that: they will realise that Jesus is in his Father, and he is also in them. If Jesus is in us and he is also in the Father, then we too are somehow part of their oneness!

Back to verse 15

Verse 15 is reiterated in verse 21. If we have and keep Jesus’ commands, then we love him. And if we love Jesus, the Father will love us, Jesus will love us, and he’ll show himself to us. We are in such a safe place! All our lives we existed in a physical reality, but now we live in a spiritual reality as well!

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John 14:8-14 – Making it clear

Nobody has ever made claims like this before! It is either true, or Jesus is utterly deluded, or at worst he’s a complete fraud.

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John 14:8-14 – Read it yourself (opens in a new tab)

This must have felt frustrating; Jesus has already explained to them all and then added more to help Thomas. But now Philip doesn’t understand either. But Jesus is able to cope with anything, and in this he leads the way for us; frustration doesn’t lead to impatience. We are called to be patient as he is patient.

Philip asks Jesus to show the Father to the puzzled, anxious disciples, and he adds that doing so will satisfy them. Jesus is surprised. I’ve been with you all this time, Philip: how can you not know me?

Simple truth

And he explains again the simple truth that he and his Father are one, ‘I’m in the Father, and he’s in me’. This simple truth is hard for Philip to grasp because it is so deep, so astonishing, yet so simple. Surely far too simple to be true, and far too shocking as well. Nobody has ever made claims like this before! It is either true, or Jesus is utterly deluded, or at worst he’s a complete fraud. No wonder Philip struggles! Jesus tells him that if he can’t believe what he says, he should certainly believe what he’s been doing – healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the guilty. Who else but the Father himself could do this stuff?

The Father’s glory

If you believe in me you’ll do even greater things because, when I’m in the Father’s presence, you’ll be able to ask whatever is needed and I’ll do it for you. Why? Because the Father’s glory (the Presence that has long been in the holiest place in the Temple) will instead be in Jesus and his glory will no longer be contained in the Holy of Holies but will be contained in Jesus instead. And although Jesus doesn’t say so here, the Father’s glory will therefore be in the church because we, the church, are Jesus’ body here in the world. Perhaps this is not fully understood or expressed until the Holy Spirit reveals it to Paul on the Damascus road. Paul knew that the Presence had been in the Holy Place, but that now there was a new Holy Place, the church, inhabited by the Son, and through him, by the Father too since they are one. Although this was plain to Paul even before the Temple’s destruction, it must have been far less clear to the disciples while Jesus was still physically with them.

We carry an inestimable treasure with us wherever we go! And if that doesn’t fill you with hope, joy, and encouragement, I don’t know what will.

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