John 14:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

NIV: On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

NASB: On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you.

CSB: On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.

NLT: When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

KJV: At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

NKJV: At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

In this passage, Jesus has promised the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17). That reference implied that this Spirit of Truth "would be" in believers, presumably looking forward to Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). This event will occur after Jesus' resurrection, and will mark the beginning of the Holy Spirit's indwelling ministry.

The reference to "that day" here has been interpreted in various ways. Some connect this to Jesus' prior comments about the Holy Spirit, making it a reference to Pentecost. Supporting this view is the fact that Jesus continues to speak of being "in" believers, and Christ being "in" God. Another strong possibility is that "that day" refers to the moment when the disciples "will see [Christ]" after His resurrection (John 14:19), as mentioned in the last verse.

Taken along with verse 16, this statement also continues to provide support for the doctrine of the Trinity. Jesus promised that the Helper "will be in you" (John 14:17), while here Jesus says "I [will be] in you." This is the consistent pattern of the Bible, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are spoken of with the same attributes.

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.