John 14:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

NIV: but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.

NASB: but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let’s go from here.

CSB: On the contrary, so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do as the Father commanded me. "Get up; let’s leave this place.

NLT: but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

KJV: But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

NKJV: But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

In several statements, Jesus emphasized that everything He did was according to the explicit will of God (John 3:35; 5:30; 12:49). In those remarks, Christ was mostly speaking of His teaching and miracles (John 5:36). Here, the words flow directly from the comment Jesus made in verse 30. There, He said that Satan—"the ruler of this world" was coming for Him (John 14:30). However, Jesus also made it clear that Satan had no actual power over Him.

The first phrase of this verse, then, is a continuation of the last phrase in verse 30. Satan has no control over Jesus, rather, Jesus acts according to His own will and His own power. That means obeying the will of God the Father (John 12:49–50), even when it conflicts with the human aspects of Jesus' nature (John 12:27; Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42).

Once again, Jesus connects the ideas of love and obedience (John 14:15, 21). His submission to the will of God is evidence that His message is true (John 5:19).

Jesus' instruction to go probably refers to leaving the upper room, heading back to the disciples' camp site on the Mount of Olives. This is where Judas plans to bring authorities to arrest Jesus (John 11:57; 13:2). John doesn't include explicit information about where Jesus was during each phase of His discourse. However, the start of chapter 18 suggests that what's contained in chapters 15, 16, and 17 is stated before the group gets to Gethsemane (John 18:1).

John 14:15–31 contains a prediction about the Holy Spirit. Jesus refers to this as the Spirit of Truth, and promises that the Spirit will arrive to help the disciples carry on after Jesus is ascended to heaven. Throughout this section, a person's love for Christ, their obedience to His teachings, and the indwelling of the Spirit are intertwined. As in prior statements, Jesus is focused on comfort and encouragement. He will continue to highlight the need to maintain faith, based on all He has said and done so far. Later, after advance warnings about what Christians will face, Jesus will return to describing the work and purpose of the Holy Spirit under the new covenant.

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.