What does John 14:30 mean?
Near the end of chapter 12, Jesus "cried out" in proclaiming His ministry to Jerusalem (John 12:44–48). After that, the public phase of His teaching was over. The gospel of John has focused chapters 13 and 14 on Jesus preparing the disciples for His impending arrest and crucifixion. Chapters 15, 16, and 17 will follow suit. In this context, when Jesus indicates that He "will no longer talk much with" these men, it's a very literal remark. Within hours, He will be captured by His enemies (John 18:12). Before the following sunset, Jesus will be dead (John 19:30–31).When Jesus was making His final appeal to Jerusalem, He mentioned both His upcoming death and the idea of "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31–32). That is a reference to Satan (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12), and "the world" is a concept used in Scripture when speaking of the fallen, godless system of humanity. Here, Satan is directly and personally involved (John 13:26–27), through his influence and possession of Judas (John 13:2).
The last comment of this verse is not cleanly translated into English. Jesus' remark is a reference to something Satan does not have, or cannot do. It's rendered alternately as "no claim on me" (ESV), "no hold over me" (NIV), "nothing in me" (NASB), or "no power over me" (CSB). The literal Greek words are en emoi ouk echei ouden. Different English translations each capture a facet of this statement, but Jesus' words seem to imply all of them. Satan has no control over Jesus, and Christ will submit to His fate voluntarily (John 10:18; 19:11). Satan has no valid accusation against Christ (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15). Satan has no authority to keep Jesus in a state of death (1 Corinthians 15:55–57). Nor does Satan share in Jesus' divine nature (Romans 16:20).
