John 14:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

NIV: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

NASB: I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

CSB: "I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.

NLT: No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you.

KJV: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

NKJV: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Some of the predictions Jesus has made leading up to this passage are troubling. These include reminders of His impending death (John 12:23–24), warnings about a traitor in their midst (John 13:21), and prophesying that Peter would deny even knowing Jesus that very night (John 13:38). To bolster their courage and faith, Jesus has also offered extensive reassurance. He has comforted them with promises that He will return, having made preparations for them (John 14:2–3), and that by knowing Him they know the way to salvation (John 14:5–6). Most recently, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to permanently live within those who have faith in Christ (John 14:16–17).

Here, again, Jesus notes that He will come to those who believe. In context, this seems to refer to His resurrection (John 14:19; 16:16), rather to the rapture or a person's death. Upcoming comments will hint at how the disciples will be among the first on earth to see Jesus after He rises from the dead.

In the ancient world, being an orphan was even more tragic than it is today. Fatherless children were effectively homeless and penniless, dependent entirely on the charity of strangers. When Jesus promises not to leave believers—the disciples in particular—as orphans, He is reassuring them that this is not the end of their relationship with Him. They will not be abandoned or left without help.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.