John 14 - NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
14:1 believe in God; believe also in me. God’s people were to trust in God and in his prophets (as in Ex 14:31; 2Ch 20:20); in the context of John’s Gospel, however, the pairing of the Father and Jesus as objects of faith implies not simply Jesus’ prophethood but his deity (cf. 10:30).
14:3 I will come back. Cf. v. 18; 20:19–23. take you to be with me. Although other Jewish stories circulated of heroes (especially of Elijah and Enoch) being caught up to God, only here does one going to the Father bring all his followers into the Father’s presence with him.
14:4 the way. In Jewish literature, God’s true path of righteousness could be called “the way.” (For its exclusivity, cf. note on Mt 7:13–14.) Some scholars also think of the way of salvation in Jn 1:23.
14:5 how . . . ? As here and in vv. 8, 22, disciples often asked their teachers questions for clarification or requested knowledge.
14:6 the way. See note on v. 4. except through me. Gentiles complained about Jews’ “intolerance” because Jews insisted on only one God. Some Jewish groups, however, notably the Qumran community, were even more exclusive; they believed that they followed the only path to God and that other Jewish groups were lost. Jesus goes beyond such groups; he does not teach a way to God, but rather is the way to God.
14:8 show us the Father. Philip’s request might echo Moses’ prayer to see God’s glory in Ex 33:18 (using the same verb in both). Thus Jesus is the one who Moses saw (see notes on Jn 1:14–18; 8:56; 12:41).
14:9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Divine Wisdom (see notes on 1:1, 3, 4–5) appears as God’s image in Wisdom of Solomon 7:26.
14:11 believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Faith was the proper response to signs (e.g., Ex 4:4–9; 19:9; Nu 14:11).
14:12–14 they will do even greater things than these . . . I will do whatever you ask in my name . . . ask . . . and I will do it. General statements of principle were sometimes qualified for particular circumstances (cf., e.g., 1 Jn 5:14). Nevertheless, few if any other teachers offered promises from God as radical as this (see Mt 7:7–8 and note on Mt 7:7), and none dared offer such radical promises about their own name.
14:13, 14 name. Although a range of meaning for “name” existed, the idea here may be that they ask based on their relationship with, and as agents of, Jesus (acting as Jesus would and through his privilege).
14:15 If you love me, keep my commands. The OT already closely connected love for God with obeying his commandments (Ex 20:6; Dt 5:10; 6:5–6; 11:1, 13, 22; 13:3–4; 19:9).
14:16 advocate. The term translated “advocate” did not always carry, but sometimes carried, legal connotations (cf. 16:8–11).
14:17 the Spirit of truth. The Dead Sea Scrolls also spoke of “the Spirit of truth” that worked in God’s chosen remnant, contrasting this spirit with the spirit of falsehood at work in the world (cf. 1 Jn 4:6). Judaism treated the Spirit as a divine aspect rather than as a distinct person; this passage treats the Spirit as a distinct person like Jesus. will be in you. In Scripture, God’s Spirit sometimes filled his agents (e.g., Ex 31:3; 35:31; Dt 34:9; Mic 3:8), was often upon them (Nu 11:17, 25–26; 24:2; Jdg 3:10; Eze 11:5), and was sometimes said to be in them (Nu 27:18; cf. Ge 41:38). In the promised time of restoration, however, God would pour his Spirit on all his people (Joel 2:28) and the Spirit would remain in them (Eze 36:27).
14:18 orphans. Orphans needed others to speak on their behalf (Dt 10:18; 24:17; Isa 1:17, 23). Ancient writers sometimes used “orphan” to refer to those bereaved of others besides a father (in this case, their special teacher). In this context, Jesus’ coming may refer to his coming to impart the Spirit (Jn 14:16–17), which occurs in 20:19–23.
14:21 show myself to them. Divine revelation was sometimes selective: thus Balaam’s donkey saw the angel before Balaam did (Nu 22:23, 27–28), only Elisha and his servant witnessed the heavenly armies (2Ki 6:16–17), others felt terror but only Daniel saw a vision (Da 10:7), and so forth.
14:23 loves . . . obey. See note on v. 15. our home with them. God’s presence with all his people was always the ideal even in this age (Ex 25:8; 29:46; Lev 26:11–12) and was the promise for the future era (Eze 37:27–28; 43:9); through the Spirit (see note on Jn 14:17) God’s people experience his presence on a much more personal level than before (as suggested in Eze 36:27).
14:27 Peace I leave with you. Many Jewish teachers valued peace, especially in the wake of the Jewish-Roman war. The “Roman peace” promised by the empire was a hollow fiction in practice, at least in regions where Rome remained at war or in danger of it.
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