John 14:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.

NIV: All this I have spoken while still with you.

NASB: These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you.

CSB: "I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you.

NLT: I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.

KJV: These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

NKJV: “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

Jesus once again notes He will not always be physically with the disciples (John 12:8, 35–36). He notes that He has told them certain things in advance, which serves several purposes. One major reason is to give these men confidence in the face of what is to come (John 16:32–33). Difficult experiences are often helped when we're told, in advance, exactly what to expect (John 14:29).

Another reason for Jesus' comment is expanded in the following verse (John 14:26). Many of the lessons taught by Christ could only be understood in the full context of His earthly ministry. The disciples can understand the broad strokes of His words now, but full realization won't be possible until they've seen exactly how His role as Messiah will be accomplished (John 2:18–22; 12:16; Luke 24:6–8). After seeing His death and resurrection, and obtaining the Holy Spirit, the disciples will finally have the full picture needed to preach the gospel to others.

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.

Accessed 5/6/2024 9:08:02 PM