What does John 14:29 mean?

Teachers know that repetition is an important part of the learning process. Students don't always listen. The message must be repeated to make sure it's heard at least once. In other cases, repetition serves as emphasis; hearing a theme over and over demonstrates its importance. In this discourse, Jesus has frequently said His words are meant to prepare the disciples to maintain faith when tested (John 13:19; 14:25–26). It's a point He'll continue to stress in upcoming verses (John 15:11, 20; 16:1, 4, 33).

These statements will accomplish two things for the disciples, and for all believers. In the short term, the disciples will come to realize that everything happening was known, in advance, by Jesus. The fact that He accurately predicts these events is proof that His message is true. That, in turn, leads to confidence in His other predictions. We can trust that Christ's words are true because we've already seen Him verified. This is the essence of biblical faith: trust based on prior experience (Hebrews 11:1–2). Seeing God's promises fulfilled deepens our understanding (John 12:16) and gives us strength to endure hard times (John 16:33).