Wednesday, October 22, 2008

John 19 (TNIV)

John 19
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."
7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
"They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment."
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


John 19: 1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged (Three forms of corporal punishment were employed by the Romans, in increasing degree of severity: (1) fustigatio [beating], (2) flagellatio [flogging], and (3) verberatio [severe flogging, scourging[. The first could be on occasion a punishment in itself, but the more severe forms were part of the capital sentence as a prelude to crucifixion. The most severe, verberatio, is what is indicated here by the Greek verb translated flogged severely (μαστιγόω, mastigow). People died on occasion while being flogged this way; frequently it was severe enough to rip a person’s body open or cut muscle and sinew to the bone. It was carried out with a whip that had fragments of bone or pieces of metal bound into the tips.). 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head (Traditionally it has been regarded as an additional instrument of torture, but it seems more probable the purpose of the thorns was not necessarily to inflict more physical suffering but to imitate the spikes of the “radiant corona,” a type of crown portrayed on ruler’s heads on many coins of the period; the spikes on this type of crown represented rays of light pointing outward [the best contemporary illustration is the crown on the head of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor]). They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" (For the author, however, Pilate’s words constituted an unconscious allusion to Zech 6:12, “Look, here is the man whose name is the Branch.” In this case Pilate [unknowingly and ironically] presented Jesus to the nation under a messianic title.)

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him (
Pilate’s statement should be understood as one of frustration and perhaps sarcasm. This seems to be supported by the context, for the Jewish authorities make no attempt at this point to seize Jesus and crucify him. Rather they continue to pester Pilate to order the crucifixion.
)." 7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer (I believe this adds to my conclusion in chapter 18, of what is going on in Pilates heart. Pilate is wrestling at a soul level with not just an innocent man, but with the person and work of Jesus Christ - even at Christ's most weak hour, he reaches out to the heart of Pilate; also see Matthew 27.). 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you (is probably a reference to Caiaphas not Judas) is guilty of a greater sin (Because Pilate had no authority over Jesus except what had been given to him from God, the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate was guilty of greater sin. This does not absolve Pilate of guilt; it simply means his guilt was less than those who handed Jesus over to him, because he was not acting against Jesus out of deliberate hatred or calculated malice, like the Jewish religious authorities. These were thereby guilty of greater sin.)."

12
From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar (
"Friend of Ceaser" - Pilate was of the equestrian order, that is, of lower nobility as opposed to senatorial rank. As such he would have been eligible to receive such an honor. It also appears that the powerful Sejanus was his patron in Rome, and Sejanus held considerable influence with Tiberius. Tacitus (Annals 6.8) quotes Marcus Terentius in his defense before the Senate as saying that close friendship with Sejanus “was in every case a powerful recommendation to the Emperor’s friendship.” Thus it is possible that Pilate held this honor. Therefore it appears that the Jewish authorities were putting a good deal of blackmail on Pilate to convict Jesus. They had, in effect, finally specified the charge against Jesus as treason: “Everyone who makes himself to be king opposes Caesar.” If Pilate now failed to convict Jesus the Jewish authorities could complain to Rome that Pilate had released a traitor. This possibility carried more weight with Pilate than might at first be evident: (1) Pilate’s record as governor was not entirely above reproach; (2) Tiberius, who lived away from Rome as a virtual recluse on the island of Capri, was known for his suspicious nature, especially toward rivals or those who posed a political threat; and (3) worst of all, Pilate’s patron in Rome, Sejanus, had recently come under suspicion of plotting to seize the imperial succession for himself. Sejanus was deposed in October of a.d. 31. It may have been to Sejanus that Pilate owed his appointment in Judea. Pilate was now in a very delicate position. The Jewish authorities may have known something of this and deliberately used it as leverage against him. Whether or not they knew just how potent their veiled threat was, it had the desired effect. Pilate went directly to the judgment seat to pronounce his judgment.). Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross (
As was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion, the prisoner was made to carry his own cross. In all probability this was only the crossbeam, called in Latin the patibulum, since the upright beam usually remained in the ground at the place of execution. According to Matthew 27:32 and Mark 15:21, the soldiers forced Simon to take the cross; Luke 23:26 states that the cross was placed on Simon so that it might be carried behind Jesus. A reasonable explanation of all this is that Jesus started out carrying the cross until he was no longer able to do so, at which point Simon was forced to take over.
), he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." - This may have been a stab at the Jews on Pilate's part, based off of his response in verse 22 we may beable to rightly conclue that, 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." So this is what the soldiers did.

25
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (
Several women are mentioned. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual [in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene] or as two different individuals [in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene]. It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matthew 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.
). 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. (
In light of the connection in the Fourth Gospel between thirst and the living water which Jesus offers, it is highly ironic that here Jesus himself, the source of that living water, expresses his real physical thirst. And since John 7:39 associates the living water with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ statement here in verse 28 amounts to an admission that at this point he has been forsaken by God [Psalms 22:1; Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34].
) 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down (
This was based on the law of Deut 21:22-23 and Joshua 8:29 that specified the bodies of executed criminals who had been hanged on a tree should not remain there overnight. Philo of Alexandria mentions that on occasion, especially at festivals, the bodies were taken down and given to relatives to bury [Flaccus 10]. The normal Roman practice would have been to leave the bodies on the crosses, to serve as a warning to other would-be offenders.
). 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


John 17 (TNIV)

John 17:

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."


John 16 (TNIV)

John 16:

1 "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
4 I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

16 Jesus went on to say, "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18 They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."

29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31 "Do you now believe?" Jesus replied. 32 "A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16: 1 "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away (Jesus' words are used by Jesus here and the Holy Spirit in our lives to keep us from falling away). 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God (implies a deep deception, ultimately inspired by Satan, who is a murderer and the father of lies [John 8:44]. Not all “religions” are good, for some religions will teach their followers that they are doing good when in fact they are doing the horribly evil act of murdering true followers of the Son of God. The apostle Paul himself, prior to his conversion, thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians (Acts 8:1-3; Galatians 1:13-14; 1 Timothy 1:13]). 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me (One of John's continued emphasis seems to be on the knowledge/truth of God. He continually points to how the 'world' does not 'know' God [1:10; 8:55; 16:3; 17:25], but what we can be assured of is that in the Last Day all of the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord [Hab 2:14]. What is the link between only those few disciples knowing God, the rest of the world not knowing God and the world being filled with the glory of that same God? The Missio Dei!!! Christians already know God, they have no alternative but to proclaim that knowledge today. In this connection it is their mission to display such mutual acceptance and love amongh themselves that the world will draw near, ask questions, and listen and thereby come to know that Jesus is the one whom God has sent to be its savior - John 4:42; 17:8, 20-26). 4 I have told you this, so that when their hour comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' (But Peter did ask this exact question in John 13:36 & c.f. with 14:5, so the present tense of “asks” probably has the sense, “none of you at the present time are asking me” - this was some time after the John 13:36 question after; see the indication of change of location in 14:31.) 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away (Why? Because while Jesus was on earth he could be in only one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit would carry on Jesus' ministry over the entire world at all times. In addition, in God's sovereign plan for the unfolding of history, the Holy Spirit would not come in new covenant power and fullness until Jesus returned to heaven). Unless I go away, the Advocate (The 'advocate' will indwell Jesus' followers forever, functioning as Jesus' emissary in his physical absence. The promise of the divine presence with Jesus' followers as they embark on the missio dei. This also refers back to the anticipation of the pouring out of the Spirit and the inauguration of the kingdom spoken of in OT prophetic literature - Isaiah 11:1-10; 32:14-18; 42:1-4; 44:1-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:24-27; 37:1-14; Joel 2:28-32) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send (quick note: send or sent seems to be one of John's favorite ways to describe God, or the way God moves - First, John the Baptist was 'sent' to bear witness; then Jesus was "sent" to make the Father known and to do his work; then the Holy Spirit was "sent" by both the Father and the Son to continue Jesus' witness and work in the world; and finally the disciples are "sent" by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish Jesus mission in the world - John 1:6-8; 3:28; John 1:18; 4:35; 5:23; 6:38-39; 15:26; 16:7-11; 17:18; 20:21) him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment (The ESV says, "he will convict the world..." If you listen to most of our messages we are convinced that this verse says, we should convict the world, and blame it on the holy spirit when the world gets angry at us for 'doing the work of the spirit.' But this verse or this passage is a message of hope, in that we can rest that we don't have to be adaquit enough to convict the world, because we know that many who are in “the world” will not be part of “the world” forever but will repent of their sins and believe in Christ, and the Holy spirit will do the convicting...we are just messengers.): 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me (this is the ultimate sin, unbelief in Jesus Christ); 10 about righteousness (flawed understanding of justice), because I am going to the Father (this means that Jesus will no longer be in the world to teach about true righteousness, and so the Holy Spirit will come to carry on that function, through illumination and through the words of believers who bear witness to the gospel.), where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned - Albert C. Winn says, "According to the Johannine missionary theology, if the church is to be spiritual, that is filled with the Holy Spirit, it will find itself in confrontation with the world regarding sin, justice, and judgment. And if it is not in such confrontation, it is not obedient to the Spirit, not carrying out its mission; and its peace and unity, its regeneration and sanctification, its plethora of gifts and graces, are all going to waste." Another quote by Louis Berkhof: "The Holy Spirit cretes a world of his own, a world of conversion, experience, sanctification; of tongues, prohecy, and miracles; of upbuilding and guiding the church, etc. He appoints ministers; he organizes; he illuminates, inspires, and sustains; he intercedes for the saints and helps them in their weaknesses; he searches everything, even the depths of God; he guides into all truth; he grants a variety of gifts; he convinces the world; he declares the things that are to come..."

12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth (The Spirit's ministry of guiding Jesus' followers "into all truth" is a promise especially to the disciples/apostles, and it finds particular fulfillment in the subsequent work of these disciples in personally writing or overseeing the writing of the books of the NT. The promise, like the other things that Jesus says in these chapters, also has a broader application to all believers as the Holy Spirit leads and guides them [Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18]). He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (The activity of the Holy Spirit in declaring the 'things that are to come' suggests that he knows the future, something that is true of God alone; this gives evidence of the full deity of the Holy Spirit. The word 'to speak' (Gk. anangellō) occurs over 40 times in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah, where declaring things to come is said to be the exclusive domain of God [Isaiah 48:14] and where God challenges anyone to declare the things that are to come - Isaiah 42:9; 44:7; 46:10; 41:21-29, specifically verses 22-23; Isaiah 45:19.). 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

16 Jesus went on to say, "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18 They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying." 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? - The first reference is plainly to the brief period between the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, and the second reference is to the resurrection appearances [the “little while” after which the disciples will see Jesus again]. The phrase is repeated by both Jesus and the disciples, recalling four previous instances of “a little while” in John's Gospel - John 7:33; 12:25; 13:33; 14:19

20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you (after his ressurection) will no longer ask me anything (in other words, they will get it!). Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name (Until now you have asked nothing in my name. While Jesus was on earth the disciples had not prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus. But now he was saying that they should do so. Here is another question, "what does it meant to pray 'in Jesus name'?" Praying in Jesus' name means praying in a way consistent with his character and his will [a person's name in the ancient world represented what the person was like]; it also means coming to God in the authority of Jesus. Probably both senses are intended here. Adding “in Jesus' name” at the end of every prayer is neither required nor wrong. Effective prayer must ask for and desire what Jesus delights in.). Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. (this statement reminds believers that frequent answers to prayer 'in Jesus' name' will give Jesus' followers great joy as they see God actively at work in the world in answer to their prayers. Our own experience testifies that Christians do not always receive all the things they ask from God. This verse must be understood in light of other passages of Scripture which show that praying according to God's will includes the need to pray in faith [Matthew 21:22, James 1:6], with patience [Luke 18:1-8], in obedience [Psalms 66:18; 1 Peter 3:12], and in submission to God's greater wisdom [Luke 22:42; Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 4:19], and most of all with His will and glory at the priority [Matthew 6:10-14]).

Desiring God, John Piper: Why is it that a deep life of prayer leads to fullness of joy, while a shallow life of prayer-lessness produces joylessness? The first reason prayer leads to joy is given in John 16:20-22. Jesus alerts the disciples that they will grieve at his death, but then rejoice again at His ressurection. Separatoin for Jesus means sadness. Restoration of fellowship means joy. Therefore, we learn that no Christian can have fullness of joy without a vital fellowhship wiht Jesus Christ....The first reason, why prayer leads to fullness of joy is that prayer is the nerve center of our fellwoship with Jesus. He is not here physically to see. But in prayer we speak to Him just as though He were. And in the stillness of those sacred tiems, we listen to His word and we pour out to Him our longings. Perhaps John 15:7 is the best summary of this 2-sided fellowship of prayer. When the Biblical words of Jesus abide in our mind, we hear the very thoughts of the living Christ...Out of the deep listening of the heart comes the language of prayer, which is sweet incense before God's throne....but there is a 2nd reason...John Piper contineus to say, Prayer provides the power to do what we love to do but can't do without God's help. The text says, "ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full." Receive what? What would bring us fullness of joy? The Power to Love! Or John puts it, the power to bear fruit. Prayer is the fountain of joy because it is the source of power to love (John 15:7-8). The connection is clear between prayer and fruit-bearing. God promises to answer prayers for people who are pursuing fruti that abounds to His glory. If we then look at verses 15:16-17, we can answer the question, "Why is Jesus going to give the disciples what they ask in Jesus' name???" Because they have been sent to bear fruti. The reason the Father gives the discipels the gift of prayer is because Jesus has given them a mission. In fact, the grammar of John 15:16 implies that the reason Jesus gives them their mission is so that they will be able to enjoy the power of prayer: "I send you to bear fruit...so that whatever you ask the Father...he may give you!"

25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father (Here Jesus is directly refering the time after His resurrection when he would explain much more directly to them the meaning of all that he had done - Luke 24:27 and Acts 1:3). 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."(The truth is sin is the human condition, Jesus is God who came down from heaven and lived without sin so he could forgive our sin and take us to eternity with the father: Matthew 26:63-65; Mark 2:5; John 6:41-58; 8:46, 58-59; 10:30-33; 11:25; 14:6, 8-9)

29 Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31 "Do you now believe?" Jesus replied. 32 "A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home (this is probably a prediction of a coming hour when each of his followers will be scattered each. Look at John 19:27; Zecheriah 13:7; Matthew 26:31; and Matthew 26:56). You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace (The expression 'peace' is the Hebrew word shalom, which had a much richer connotation than the English word does since it conveyed not merely the absence of conflict and turmoil but also the notion of positive blessing, wholeness, especially in terms of a right relationship with God [Numbers 6:24-26; Psalms 29:11; Hag. 2:9]. This may be manifested most clearly in the midst of persecution and tribulation from the world - John 15:18-19; 16:33). In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."- In the midst of the suffering and hardship that was to come, Jesus' disciples, and all following them, can have such “peace” in fellowship with Christ. Fittingly, Jesus' Farewell Discourse [John 13:31-16:33] ends on a note of triumph - 1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5.

John 15 (TNIV)

John 15
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
21
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Those who hate me hate my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' 26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

NOTE: Jesus' allegory of the vine and the branches is at the very heart of the Farewell Discourse [13:31-16:33]. The OT frequently uses the vineyard or vine as a symbol for Israel, God's covenant people, especially in two “vineyard songs” in Isaiah [Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6]. However, Israel's failure to produce fruit resulted in divine judgment. Jesus, by contrast, is “the true vine,” and his followers abide in him and produce fruit.

John 15: 1 "I am the true ('true' contrasts Jesus with OT Israel, reinforcing John's theme that Jesus is the true Israel.) vine, and my Father is the gardener (The gardener refers back to Isaiah's first vineyard song, where God is depicted as tending his vineyard, only to be rewarded with wild grapes [Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalms 80:8-9]. The fruitfulness of those in Christ contrasts with the fruitlessness of Israel). 2 (We are getting ready to read that the divine gardener [the Father] does two things to ensure maximum fruit production: (1) he removes unfruitful branches, and (2) he prunes all the others [Hebrews 6:7-8].)He cuts off every branch in me (In this case, 'in me' is just a loose connection needed to make the metaphor of a vine work, reflecting a claim to be Christ's that is not genuine and not implying actual regeneration or true belief. This then would be one of several verses in John showing that not all who follow Jesus for a time and hear his teaching are genuine believers (cf. 6:66 & 13:10-11]) that bears no fruit ('First of all 'fruit' represents good results coming from the life of a believer, probably in terms of bringing benefit to the lives of others and advancing the work of God in the world [see Matthew 13:8 & Galatians 5:22-23 for a different image of “fruit” as changed character]. But here it says, 'bears no fruit' and seems to indicate that the person symbolized by such a branch is not). 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me ('remain in me' means to continue in a daily, personal relationship with Jesus, characterized by trust, prayer, obedience [see v.10], and joy.), as I also remain in you ('...as I also remain in you' is a phrase without an explicit verb, but it probably is an abbreviated way of saying, “See that I abide in you”; that is, “Safeguard your relationship with me so that I continue to abide fully in you.” The “in” terminology in the present passage refers back to OT covenant theology, including prophetic texts regarding a future new covenant [Exodus 25:8; 29:45; Leveticus 26:11-12; Ezekial 37:27-28; 43:9]. The repeated references to fruit bearing underscore that this is God's primary purpose in creation [Genesis 1:11-12, 22, 28], and in redemption [John 15:8,16]. The OT prophets envisioned a time when God's people would “blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit” [Isaiah 27:6 cross reference Hosea 14:4-8]). No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me (Without Christ we are incapable of doing or becoming what he requires from us [Romans 7:18 & 2 Corinthians 3:5], so what we see is that Jesus promises to do in and through us what we can't do for ourselves.).

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing ('apart from me you can do nothing...'does not mean “nothing at all,” for unbelievers of course carry on their ordinary activities of life apart from Christ. Rather, it means “nothing of eternal value,” or an inability to produce spiritual fruit. This is the difference between utter depravity and total depravity). 6 If you do not remain in me (The person who '...do not remain in me...' is an unbeliever who does not have a personal faith in Christ. The verse echoes Ezekial 15:1-8, where a vine failing to produce fruit is said to be good for nothing but the fire, Hebrews 6:7-8), you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned ('fire' is a common Jewish and biblical symbol for divine judgment [Isaiah 30:27; Matthew 3:12; 5:22; 18:8; 25:41]). 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (Two conditions are given for answered prayer: abiding in Jesus, and his words abiding in believers [thus transforming their thinking]. Elsewhere Jesus says that believers must ask in his name [i.e., in accord with his character and for his glory; John 14:13-14; 16:23-24]. If God's people truly 'abide in' Jesus, they will desire what he desires and will pray according to his words/will, and those prayers will be pleasing to him. What we have here is the two-sided fellowship of prayer. When the Biblical words of Jesus abide in our mind, we hear the very thoughts of the living Christ, for He is the same yesterday. today, and forever. Out of that deep listeningof the heart comes the language of prayer, which is asweet incense before God's throne. The life of prayer leads to fullness of joy because prayer is the nerve center of our vital fellowship of Jesus. In a nutshell, God's appointed way to fullness of Joy because it is the vent of the inward burning of our heart for Christ. If we had no vent, if we could not commune with Him in response to His Word, we would be miserable indeed.). 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (God is glorified not by praise and worship alone but by his followers also bearing much fruit for the advancement of his kingdom on earth. Here again, fruit bearing is evidence of being true believers, or being Jesus' disciples. So, how is God glorified by prayer? Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. Prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that He will provide the help we need. Prayer humbles us as needy and exalts God as wealthy. So, on a practical level what does this look like? The church glorifies God, as it is obedient to Jesus; that is as it fulfills its divinely given mandate. Specifically, in our common life we are to be a true community of faith, manifesting the community bond in corporate worship; Fellowship; and mission!).

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 1:1-2; Psalm 19:8 - Not to pursue our joy every day in the Word of God is to abandon the revealed will of God - it's sin!). 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you - The point so far is this, Without an intimate union with Jesus adn thereby with on another, we cannot bear fruit, in fact the whole life of the church is the life of Jesus Christ. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends (It's here that Jesus reveals to us the love of the Father for humanity, this verse basically says that the love of God is not just sentimental, but it is also efficacious, in other words, God's love for us is not just a 'feeling' of love, but a love that is so compelling it moves him to change us even if the cost is laying down one's life...). 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you (Jesus as the chosen one is assigned by the Father the task of brining those whom he has chosen into the eschatological context of the Kingdom of God. He does this while simultaneously realizing the eschatological kingdom is his own person. So then, his electing grace is represented as the activity of a shepherd gathering the sheep - the scattered Children of God [John 11:52; John 10:16, 26-30]- However since they are empty of that which will alone make them fit for his presence, he must die for them. Only in their being a 'redeemed people' will they be given the grace for faith to discern who He is and to respond to his voice. It is their election that gives them security within Jesus keeping power [John 6:37, 44, 65,; 10:29]. For them alone he prays [John 17:9]. As a result they experience peace in the present and have hope for the future - John 14:1-3, 27; 15:4-5; 17:24-26). 17 This is my command: Love each other. - The question here is, "Why is the Father going to give the disciples what they ask in Jesus' name?" The answer is, because they have been sent to bear fruit. The reason the Father gives the disciples the gift of prayer is because Jesus has given them a mission. In fact, the grammar of John 15:16 implies that the reason Jesus gives them their mission is so that they will be able to enjoy the power of prayer: "I send you to bear fruit...so that whatever you ask the Father...he may give you." It's plain that the purpose of prayer is to accomplish a mission? A mission of love!

18 "If the world (kosmos means humanity in general...and John seems to use this word to characterize humanity as evil, rebelious, alienated from God, and spiritually lost. In this sense, the world neither knows the Christ [John 1:10], nor the God who sent him [17:25]. And therefore it [kosmos] hates the one who seeks its salvation from itself.) hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world (Again we run into the theme of election. In the Apostle Paul's writing there are occasional references to election [Romans 8:29; Romans 9:11; Ephesians 1:4-5; Colosians 3:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13] but largly in John's Gospel that we have and will continually encounter statements that confirm the thesis that faith is a gift granted to some but not to others. Certain people are 'born of God, of God/truth, do not belong to God, are given, are drawn, are granted, are deliberately chosen [John 1:13, 18:37, 8:47, 6:37, 6:44, 6:65, 6:70, 13:18; 15:16, 15:19].). That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: 'Servants are not greater than their master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

21
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Those who hate me hate my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' (Psalm 35:19) 26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (The Holy Spirit is sent by both the Father and the Son to continue Jesus' witness and work in the world - John 16:7-11 - In the Book of John the Holy spirit is invariably described as participating in the mission of the post-Easter believers [John 3:5-8, 6:63, 7:37-39, 14:16-26, 15:26-27, 16:7-15, 20:22]. In John no mention is made of the Spirit bringing any ecstatic, joyous, or overmastering feelings. Rather the spirit is described as being with them, teaching them, guiding them, and bearing witness alongside them in much the same way that Jesus himself served his disciples - with greater intensity [John 14:12]. Best of all, he will enter them [us] into a prophetic confrontation with the non-believing world, the Spirit comes to save us into the Missio Dei!). 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. - When we consider the many texts that refer to the Holy Spirit-in-mission, we see that the Spirit is the primary agent of mission, and human beings are secondary. So then, Christians are to sense their God-given responsibility to put heart, soul, conscience, and resources to the task of proclaiming the gospel; but to one and all - But how? Matthew 10:19-20! The truth is, Jesus himself promised that He would give his disciples (me and you) the full measure of the Spirit, who would be a well of living water flowing from our inner being. Following Jesus' departure His Father would send another 'Counselor' to empower them/us for their/our missioin. This coming helper would teach the disciples, reminding them of Jesus' instructions and guiding them into truth. This same Spirit would testify about Jesus to the world, adn assist us in taking our stand as Christ's witness - John 4:14, 7:37-39, 14:16, 16:7, 14:25-27, 16:12-15, 16:7-11, and here, 15:26-27

John 14 (TNIV)

John 14
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.


Note: I think it is important to note that from chapter 13 until Jesus' trial, in chapter 18, Jesus is no longer addressing the masses, he is speaking specifically to his disciples or God, the Father.

John 14: 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled (This is a response to Peter’s question in 13:36-38 - "Lord, where are you going?" Why were they troubled? Jesus had revealed to them that their hope was still misplaced - (1) Their hope was misplaced in the WRONG WAY - He just got finished telling them that their ability to keep or earn the way to the father was impotent, by predicting Peter's denial and Judas' betrayal. We must remember the Jewish people were founded in finding the way - Abraham was sent on a way; The Children of Israel were sent on a way, and the entire Judaic system was set up with rules, regulations, and priests to help people find their 'way' to God. (2) Their hope was misplaced in a wrong understanding of TRUTH - They had put their hope in the truth that this one man [Jesus]would deliver Israel from the iron clutches of Rome, and establish a secular military kingdom…if he leaves the world in the same materialistic, impoverished way in which he found it, their truth crumbles. (3) Their hope was placed in a formula for life rather than the person of Life - He told them of his own departure from them in the way of suffering...the Christ that they had loved, given up all to follow was now going to just leave them. So because of this Christ comforts them). Trust in God; trust also in me.

2
My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going (The place he is going is not heaven, but the cross) there to prepare a place for you (Luke 22:30, goes beyond the description of a house, it draws a more complete picture of what it means to reside with the father…Luke uses the example of a feast. This language is used to paint a picture of an eternal fullness of life in the father, a peace that we can’t imagine, a joy that doesn’t make sense, a place where pain and death do not rule, a place much fuller than our minds can even imagine - Jesus is talking about eternity, the here and now and tomorrow)? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you (Christ came to earth to set in motion a new covenant that would prepare a people for God, now he goes to prepare a place for us. In other words, for those I have chosen I am going, as an advocate, as a representative to take hold of, to secure, to take possession of and secure your eternity. You can’t do this for yourself, you can’t find the way, your truth is a little skewed, the life you have the ability to live is too weak, so I am going to do this for you…I am going to atone for you, I am going to be your propitiation for you, I am going in your place as your substitution…Jesus is pointing to the cross...), I will come back and take you (which ‘you’ is he talking about? The same you He is going to represent to the father, the same you he is substituting for! The same you he is going to prepare a place for! In other words, if I am going for you, then I am coming back for you no and's, ifs, or buts about it – Christ is saying, your trouble came from your own paradigm, your own inability to find the way, your own lack, but this isn’t about you, you didn’t choose me, I chose you, so you have no need to worry, because what I am going to do cannot be annulled, it cannot be voided, it can’t be forfeited, you didn’t do it, I did it for you… Here is what we must understand: That Jesus will NOT build, or prepare an eternal dwelling for us, and then let it remain empty. Philippians tells us that not only did He begin this good work, but he is going to finish it as well - If he has prepared the place for us, he will prepare us for it, and in his timing give us in possession of it. If the resurrection of Christ is the assurance of our resurrection, so his ascension, victory, and glory, are the assurance of ours) to be with me (to myself) that you also may be where I am (As often times Jesus says, "he is in the father, and we are in him, so we are where he is if we are in him" it is probable that this is not talking about the '2nd coming' as the Johannine community probably already viewed itself 'in' eternal life in the sense that they were already abiding in the Son both eternally and immediately – in other words, not only are we going to go where He is eternally, but we can be where He is now in the same state - Phil. 4:5; James 5:8, 2 Thess. 2:1; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:17). 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
(For Jesus the way back to the father was through the crucifixion, for the disciples, it was Jesus Himself...LET US NOTE, THAT VERSES 1-4 IS STATED IN RESPONSE TO PETER'S QUESTION AT THE END OF CHAPTER 13)

5
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (What is interesting about this question from Thomas, is that John sees no reason to portray the disciples as people who had it all together, rather as people who walked with Jesus for three years and seemed no more spiritually perceptive than they were in the earlier parts of the Gospel...This question asked by Thomas is actually question number 2 in a 4 part series of questions from 4 different disciples [Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Judas] - 13:36 14:4; 14:8; 14:22) 6 Jesus answered, "I am (
This is another “I am” saying that makes a claim to deity [John 6:35]. Here Jesus begins his response, Thomas is basically showing his ignorance or his paradigm or the fact that he was very well versed with Torah, probably all three. Thomas is basically saying, great, got the first answer, I got the result, the aim, the ‘promised land’ but what’s the way there, who or what can we trust to get us there? Jesus is saying, I am, I am the answer to the question…Paul in Romans 10:6-8 addresses this same idea, Paul basically says, it’s not all these mystical, extravagant or law entrenched ways; and it's not gonna take holy spirit gymnastics and four master’s degree in Christian doctrine, Paul says, it is Christ, that’s it) the way (John 1:14, 17; John 8:56; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13-17; Hebrews 11:13,26; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 5:20 - The word 'way' literally means the journey, the road, the way of thinking, feeling, & deciding. Christ is the way, the highway (Isa. 35:8); the replacement of the curtain that stood between God and man (Hebrews 10:20); His own way (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus as the one way to the Father fulfills the OT symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of God's claim, such as the curtain in Exodus 26:33 prohibiting access to God's presence from all except the Levitical high priest [Leviticus 16], the rejection of human inventions as means to approach God [Leviticus 10:2], and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary [Numbers 17:5]. According to Acts 4:12, Jesus is the only “way” to God, and he alone can provide access to God) and the truth (Jesus as 'the truth' fulfills the teaching of the OT [John 1:17] and reveals the true God [John 1:14,17; John 5:33; John 8:4-, 45-46; John 18:37; John 11:25]. He is also the true manna (John 6:32), and the true tabernacle, [Heb. 8:2]) and the life (Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the OT promises of “life” given by God [John 11:25-26], having life in himself [John 1:4; John 5:26], and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all those who believe in him [John 3:16]. He is the life - we are alive unto God only in and through Jesus Christ [Rom. 6:11]). No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him (Hebrews 1:3 and 1 John 2:3)."

8
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (Jesus' point is not that they are the same person, but rather that he is the perfect likeness and expression of the very mind and Character of God the Father - Hebrews 1:3). How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work (Jesus alone is the reveler of God to us). 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works (This speaks of our obligation which is more literal a result that happens in and through us due to the Holy Spirit, to confront the world, serve (13:1-20) it faithfully, and to resist every temptation to abdicate from the responsibilities it rightfully expects God's people to bear in his world.) I have been doing, and they will do even greater (quantity not quality) things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name (the phrase, "ask in my name" is better understood, 'asking' in accord with the character and will of Jesus, this is what he answers.), so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

15
"If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth (The spirit of truth here is also the Holy Spirit - Only the Elect, the members of the Church, have the Spirit of Truth bestowed upon them; it is this spirit which makes htem diffeent from others [1 Corinthians 2:12]. The Holy Spirit was bestowed upon all the elect, but not to the same degree [Hebrews 2:4].). The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (This passage like John 7:39, does not mean that the Holy Spirit had'nt been at work up till now, or even residing 'in' people [Numbers 27:18; Deut 34:9; Exek. 2:2; Exek 3:24; Daniel 4:8-9; Daniel 4:18; Daniel 5:11; Micah 3:8]. The point of this verse like John 7:39, is that the more powerful, fuller work of the Holy Spirit that is characteristic of life after Pentecost had not yet begun in the lives of the disciples. The Holy spirit had not come within them in the way in which God had promised to put the Holy spirit within his people when the new covenant would come [Ezek. 36:26-27; 37:14], nor had the Holy Spirit been poured out in the great abundance and fullness that would characterize the new covenatn age [Joel 2:28-29]. In this powerful new covenant sense, the Holy Spirit was not yet at work within the disciples.).
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me (this is the proof that Jesus has 'come to us' and that we 'see him' - the proof that we are his children is that we obey, this is the proof that we truly love him). Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (cross referenced with 15:26 shows the work of all three together), will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (Specifically, Jesus is pointing to the further writing of scripture. Jesus is promising his disciples, who after pentecost became the apostles, that the Holy Spirit would teach them "all things" and would cause them to remember 'all' that Jesus had said, and would guide them into "all truth." But we must also realize that the Holy Spirit's work did not cease with the compilation of the canon - rather, he continues to speak through scripture throughout the ages and continues to speak to succeeding generations through the Bible). 27 Peace (The expression peace or shalom had a much richer meaning than the English word does since it conveyed not merely the absence of conflict and turmoil but also the notion of positive blessing, especially in terms of a right relationship with God [Numbers 6:24-26; Psalm 29:11; Hag, 2:9]; it is a wholeness. This may be manifested most clearly in the midst of persecution and tribulation from the world [John 15:18-19; 16:33]) I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' (This is probably a reference to his re-appearance to his disciples after his resurrection) If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2) is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.