Part 21b – John14
Whenever Jesus uses the words “I am” he is revealing and aligning himself to God. In essence he is saying “we are one.”
As we move through this chapter to John 14:12-21 we read that Jesus implies that the way to know the Father requires action, our action. The action that is required is to ask and receive, here in John 14:12-18 we have Jesus preparing his disciples, and ultimately, all future generations, to ask and receive, in order that we are not left as orphans or left without hope.
Jesus is saying that the Father is glorified in the Son and the Son will impart himself as “another Helper.” This word “another” literally means “another exactly the same as”, who will be with you, alongside you and in you. This helper or comforter is the “Spirit of truth” and notice who Jesus says will receive him, it is those who know Christ John 14:17, those who have asked and have received and acknowledged that Christ is God, those who acknowledge that life is spiritual and understand that we live a spiritual life and that it is a life lived from the inside out, not outside in.
Repentance is all about turning around and walking away from, walking in the opposite direction. It is this very act of physical, intellectual and spiritual repentance, this turning around and walking away from, where we work out a life that is spiritual and a live that is lived from within that enables us to be assured of the promise in John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you”. Jesus goes on to say in John 14:19-31 it is possible to see and know Christ because of the unity of the Father and Son, the unity of Son and Spirit and the unity of Spirit and flesh.
The Christian life is only possible if the unifying elements of love and obedience to spiritual laws are adhered to and upheld. It is the moral application of the laws of existence that will be the ultimate redemption of the world.
In John 14:23 Jesus says in response to a question from Judas (not Iscariot) about Jesus being manifest to people that it is all about love, ”you love me and you will keep my commandments“, notice it does not say “you might” or “you could” it says”you will” implying it is a law of spirituality that is at work. Also notice in his answer Jesus uses the word “My Father will love him“. This is the personal touch, the personal assurance that Jesus knows the Father. He then goes on and uses the corporate, “we will come to him and make our home with him” (just a note here the “him” is not gender specific, God created man, (the Hebrew word here is adnah, meaning mankind), in His image, male and female He created them Genesis 1:27:).
It is this personal assurance of the corporate unity of the completeness of God who is interested in the insignificance of me, that gives hope to our nation and our world. We will see in the next chapter how this unity of the Godhead works out in life.
