John 14:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

NIV: 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.

NASB: Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.

CSB: Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

NLT: Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

KJV: Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

NKJV: Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Philip asked to see God (John 14:8), to which Jesus responded with a claim to be God (John 14:9). Jesus then backs up this claim with three specific points—this is like His interaction with critics earlier in this gospel (John 5:30–40). Jesus specifically points to His character, His words, and His miracles (John 14:10). In the prior verse, the reference to belief was singular, aimed only at Thomas. Here, the verbs for "believe" are plural, expanding the instruction to everyone.

In this verse, Jesus repeats His reference to the character of God. Hebrews 1:3 refers to Christ as "the exact imprint of [God's] nature." That verse uses the Greek term charaktēr, which originally referred to a stamp or engraved mark. When Jesus says that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him, He's implying that same relationship: they are identical (John 10:30).

Jesus also makes another reference to "works." Depending on the context, Jesus' use of this idea most often means miracles (Matthew 13:58; John 7:21). However, it can also refer to behaviors and actions in general (Matthew 5:16; 23:3). John's gospel often calls supernatural acts "signs," since they are meant to point towards belief in God (John 2:11; 6:2; 7:31). Acts of divine power are the most obvious proofs that Jesus is operating with divine approval. However, miracles are not the only acts Jesus performed by the will of God. In the next verse, He will point out that those who follow Him have the opportunity for "works" even Jesus did not perform.

John 14:1–14 continues Jesus' discourse with the disciples at the last supper. He has recently mentioned a traitor in their midst and predicted Peter's denials. That leads Jesus to reassure these men—reminding them that He has told them the truth and has all things in hand. In this passage, Christ famously refers to Himself as ''the way, and the truth, and the life.'' That is the sixth of seven such ''I Am'' statements included in John's gospel. This section includes Jesus' words, personal experience, and evidence of His miracles as reasons to maintain trust.

Christ reassures His followers that faith in Him is faith in God. To know Christ is to know ''the way, and the truth, and the life'' (John 14:6). The words, actions, and miracles of Jesus should give Christians confidence to trust that He will make good on His promises. Among those are His guarantee that He is preparing to come for us, so we can be where He is. Jesus also predicts the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is only available to believers, and this Helper acts to guide, teach, and remind us. Both for the disciples, and for future Christians, these words are meant to be comforting during hard times. Since Christ knew, in advance, what would happen, we can be even more confident to trust Him.

After completing His public ministry in Jerusalem (John 12:36–38), Jesus has washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:3–5), predicted His betrayal (John 13:21), and foreseen Peter's denial (John 13:37–38). Chapter 14 begins a series of remarks meant to encourage the disciples, in the face of dire warnings. Among these are reminders that Jesus is planning to bring them to be where He is, assurance that He is ''the way,'' and the first explicit promises of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 15 will continue this address, beginning with Jesus' claim to be ''the true vine.''

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.