9Comfort for Troubled Hearts  (John 14:1–14)

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (14:1–14)

Life in this fallen, sin-cursed world is packed with trouble and trials. Instead of pretending they do not exist, Scripture faces the hardships of life directly. Job, no stranger to suffering, declared, “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil” (Job 14:1). Eliphaz, one of Job’s would-be counselors, noted that “man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). In Jeremiah 20:18 the prophet lamented, “Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow, so that my days have been spent in shame?” Knowing that His followers would face trouble in this life, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded them, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). In John 16:33 He reiterated the reality, saying, “In the world you have tribulation.” Paul and Barnabas reminded believers in Asia Minor that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

But the blessed promise of Scripture is that God, “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3; cf. Isa. 51:12), will comfort His children. As Paul went on to write, He “comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (vv. 4–5). God comforts because He is “compassionate and gracious” (Ex. 34:6; cf. Deut. 4:31; 2 Chron. 30:9; Neh. 9:17, 31; Pss. 78:38; 103:8; 111:4; 116:5; Lam. 3:22; Dan. 9:9; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; James 5:11).

God initially comforts His people by granting them forgiveness, salvation, and the Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter (14:16, 26). Jesus promised that “those who mourn” over their sin, “shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4; cf. Isa. 12:1–2; 40:1–2; 51:11–12; 52:9). That eternally decreed comfort (2 Thess. 2:16) will culminate in the perfect peace and eternal bliss of heaven (Isa.25:8; Rev. 7:17; 21:4).

God not only promises comfort to believers in the future, but also in the trials and difficulties of this present life. In the most beloved of the Psalms, David wrote confidently, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). In Psalm 86:17 he exulted, “You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Speaking from his own experience, Paul wrote that “God … comforts the depressed” (2 Cor. 7:6). The apostle reminded the Thessalonians that God would “comfort and strengthen [their] hearts in every good work and word” (2 Thess. 2:17).

God comforts His people when they cry out to Him in prayer. The psalmist prayed, “O may Your lovingkindness comfort me … My eyes fail with longing for Your word, while I say, ‘When will You comfort me?’” (Ps. 119:76, 82). The Word also is a source of comfort: “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me…. I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O Lord, and comfort myself” (Ps. 119:50, 52). The Holy Spirit, the divine Comforter (NASB, “Helper;” John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), also comforts Christians: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase” (Acts 9:31).

On the night before His death, the Lord Jesus Christ addressed the eleven remaining disciples (minus Judas) in the upper room. Though the cross, with its sin-bearing (2 Cor. 15:21) and separation from the Father (Matt. 27:46), was imminent, Jesus’ focus was not on His own ordeal. Instead, He was concerned for the disciples, whose world was about to be shattered. They were already hurting, confused, and anxious because of the impending loss of their beloved Master. Soon He would be gone, and they would “weep and lament” (16:20). Because of His perfect and complete love for the disciples (cf. the discussion of 13:1 in chapter 6 of this volume), Jesus sought to comfort them in the face of His departure. The first fourteen verses of chapter 14 lay the foundation for that comfort—not only for the disciples gathered in the upper room but also for all believers. Comfort comes from trusting Jesus Christ’s presence, preparation, proclamation, person, power, and promise.

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S PRESENCE

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (14:1)

The last few days had been an emotional roller coaster for the disciples. Their fervent messianic hopes had reached an apex during the dizzying excitement of the triumphal entry—only to be dashed when Jesus publicly announced His impending death: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24), and then repeated that prediction privately to them: “Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’” (13:33).

Like their fellow Jews, the disciples saw the Messiah as a conquering king. He would, they passionately believed, free Israel from bondage to Rome, restore her sovereignty and glory, and extend it over the world. The concept of a dying Messiah had no place in their theology (cf. Luke 24:21). On a more personal note, the disciples had forsaken everything to follow Jesus (Matt. 19:27); now He apparently was forsaking them.

Other events of that evening in the upper room had added to the emotional turmoil that the disciples felt. They had been shamed by their prideful refusal to wash each other’s feet, which prompted Jesus to humbly do what they refused to do (13:3–5). They were dumbfounded to hear Jesus predict that one of them would betray Him (13:21–22) and appalled at the news that their stalwart leader Peter, seemingly the strongest and boldest of them all, would cravenly deny Christ (13:38). They were also no doubt unsettled because they sensed that the Lord Himself was troubled (13:21).

Thus when Jesus told them, Do not let your heart be troubled (cf. Gen. 15:1; 26:24; 46:3; Ex. 14:13; Num. 21:34; Deut. 1:21, 29; 20:1; 31:6; Josh. 1:9; 11:6; 1 Chron. 22:13; 28:20; Prov. 3:25; Isa. 37:6; 41:10, 13, 14; 43:1, 5; 44:2, 8; 51:7; Jer. 1:8; 42:11; 46:27–28; Lam. 3:57; Joel 2:21; Hag. 2:5; Zech. 8:13, 15; Matt. 10:31; Acts 18:9; 27:24; 1 Peter 3:14; Rev. 2:10), He was not telling them not to start being troubled. They were already troubled, and He was telling them to stop. Troubled translates a form of the verb tarasso (“to shake,” or “to stir up”). It is used to describe the literal stirring up of the pool of Bethesda (5:7) and, figuratively, of severe mental or spiritual agitation (Matt. 2:3; 14:26; Luke 1:12; 24:38; John 11:33; 13:21; Acts 15:24). As always, Jesus knew the disciples’ hearts; He understood their confusion and concerns. Ever the compassionate Savior, He sympathized with their sorrow and grief (Isa. 53:3–4; Heb. 4:15). Even though the disciples were oblivious to His pain, He felt theirs and sought to comfort them.

The Lord then added a second command. Just as the disciples believe in God, they are to believe also in Him. Christ affirmed His deity, placing Himself on a par with the Father as an appropriate object of faith. In calling them to hope in God, Jesus was calling His disciples to put their hope in Him.

Despite occasional lapses into idolatry, Israel had a heritage of faith and trust in God. Abraham “believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Moses’ charge to the nation, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4), captures the essence of Old Testament faith. David cried, “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust” (Ps. 25:1–2; cf. 42:5, 11). In another psalm he wrote, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God’” (Ps. 31:14). In a passage especially appropriate for the disciples’ situation, David declared confidently, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (Ps. 56:3; cf. vv. 4, 11). King Hezekiah was commended because “he trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5). In short, all “those who know [God’s] name will put their trust in [Him]” (Ps. 9:10; cf. 21:7; 22:4, 5, 9; 26:1; 28:7; 31:6, 14; 32:10; 33:21; 37:3, 5; 40:4; 52:8; 55:23; 62:8; 84:12; 86:2; 91:2; 112:7; 115:9–11; 125:1; 143:8; Prov. 3:5; 16:20; 22:19; 28:25; 29:25; Isa. 12:2; 26:3–4; 50:10; Jer. 17:7; Dan. 6:23).

Many in Israel believed in God despite never having seen Him. Even Moses “endured, as seeing Him who is unseen” (Heb. 11:27), since, as God Himself declared to him, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Ex. 33:20; cf. Deut. 4:12; John 1:18; 6:46; 1 Tim. 6:16). The disciples needed to have that same kind of faith in Jesus when He was no longer visibly present with them. The Lord was not calling the disciples to believe savingly in Him; they had already done so (13:10–11). The present tense form of the verb pisteuō (believe) refers instead to an ongoing trust in Him. Though they genuinely believed in Jesus, the disciples’ faith was already beginning to waver. Soon, when He was taken from them and they faced the traumatic events of His betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion, it would reach its lowest ebb.

But Christ did not need to be visibly present for the disciples to receive comfort and strength from Him. In fact, Jesus commended the faith of those who had not seen Him (John 20:29; cf. 1 Peter 1:8). Though He would no longer be visibly present with the disciples, Christ’s promise, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb. 13:5; cf. Gen. 28:15; Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5; 1 Sam. 12:22; 1 Chron. 28:20; Ps. 37:25, 28; Isa. 41:10), would still hold true.

It is the post-Pentecost ministry of the Holy Spirit to make believers aware of Christ’s comforting presence. Later in this chapter Jesus promised,

In 15:26 He told the disciples, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me” (cf. 16:7, 13–14).

The presence of Christ is enough to calm the believing heart in whatever perplexing, troubling situation it finds itself. As the godly Puritan John Owen noted, “A sense of God’s presence in love is sufficient to rebuke all anxiety and fears; and not only so, but to give, in the midst of them, solid consolation and joy” (The Forgiveness of Sin [repr.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977], 17).

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S PREPARATION

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (14:2–3)

Another offering to comfort the disciples was the revelation that their separation from Him would not be permanent. Jesus’ words, if it were not so, I would have told you, assured the disciples that He was telling them the truth. He was going away in part to prepare a place for them where they would be reunited with Him in His heavenly glory (John 17:24).

The Father’s house is another name for heaven, which is variously described as a country (Heb. 11:16), due to its vastness; a city (Heb. 12:22), emphasizing its large number of inhabitants; a kingdom (2 Tim. 4:18), because God is its King (Dan. 4:37; cf. Matt. 11:25; Acts 17:24);paradise (Luke 23:43;2 Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7), because of its indescribable beauty; and a place of rest (cf. Heb. 4:1–11), where the redeemed are free from the wearying conflict with sin, Satan, and the evil world system that hates those who love Christ (John 15:19; 17:14).

The dwelling places of which the Lord spoke must not be pictured as separate buildings, as if heaven were a giant housing tract. The picture is rather of a father building additional rooms onto his house for his sons and their families, as was often done in Israel. In modern terms, the dwelling places might be pictured as rooms or apartments in the Father’s spacious house. The emphasis is on heaven’s intimacy where “the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Rev. 21:3). That there will be many such dwelling places means there will be room for all whom God, in His infinite love and mercy, has chosen to redeem. According to Revelation 21:16, “The city [the New Jerusalem] is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.” In terms of modern measurements, the base of the city alone is over two million square miles—more than half the size of the United States. Its height adds exponentially to its living space.

The place the Lord Jesus Christ is preparing for believers is a place of dazzling, inexpressible beauty:

Jesus’ promise, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also, refers to the rapture of the church (1 Cor. 15:51–54; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; Rev. 3:10). The absence of any reference to judgment indicates that the Lord was not referring here to His second coming to earth to judge and establish His kingdom (Matt. 13:36–43, 47–50; 24:29–44; 25:31–46; Rev. 19:11–15), but rather to the catching up of the believers into heaven (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 Cor. 15:51–57). Further differences between the two events reinforce that truth. At the second coming angels gather the elect (Matt. 24:30–31), but here Jesus told the disciples He would personally come for them. At the second coming the saints will return with Christ (Rev. 19:8, 14) as He comes to set up His earthly kingdom (Rev. 19:11–20:6); here He promises to return for them. Between the rapture and the second coming, the church will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7–10), and believers will receive their rewards (1 Cor. 3:10–15; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10). When He returns in judgment and kingdom glory, the saints will come with Him (Rev. 19:7, 11–14).

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S PROCLAMATION

And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (14:4–6)

Since He had already told them that He was returning to the Father (e.g., 7:33; 13:1, 3), Jesus expected the disciples to know the way where He was going. But by this time their minds were so rattled (cf. the discussion of v. 1 above) that they were not sure of anything. Thomas vocalized their perplexity when he said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (cf. Peter’s similar question in 13:36). By now they understood that Jesus was going to die. But their knowledge stopped at death; they had no firsthand experience of what lay beyond the grave. Furthermore, Jesus Himself had told them that at this time they could not go where He was going (13:33, 36). If they did not know where the Lord was going, how could they know the way to get there?

Jesus’ reply, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” is the sixth “I AM” statement in John’s gospel (cf. 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; the seventh comes in 15:1, 5). Jesus alone is the way to God (10:7–9; Acts 4:12) because He alone is the truth (John 1:14, 17; 18:37; Rev. 3:7; 19:11) about God and He alone possesses the life of God (John 1:4; 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 1:1; 5:20). The purpose of this gospel is to make those things known, so they are repeated throughout the book so as to lead people to faith and salvation (20:31).

The Bible teaches that God may be approached exclusively through His only-begotten Son. Jesus alone is the “door of the sheep” (10:7); all others are “thieves and robbers” (v. 8), and it is only the one who “enters through [Him who] will be saved” (v.9). The way of salvation is a narrow path entered through a small, narrow gate, and few find it (Matt. 7:13–14; cf. Luke 13:24). “There is salvation in no one else,” Peter boldly affirmed, “for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Thus, it is “he who believes in the Son [who] has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36), and “no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11), because “there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).

The postmodern belief that there are many paths to religious truth is a satanic lie. F. F. Bruce writes,

Jesus alone reveals God (John 1:18; cf. 3:13; 10:30–38; 12:45; 14:9; Col. 1:15, 19; 2:9; Heb. 1:3), and no one who rejects His proclamation of the truth can legitimately claim to know God (John 5:23; 8:42–45; 15:23; Matt. 11:27; 1 John 2:23; 2 John 9). It was because the early Christians taught that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation that Christianity became known as “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S PERSON

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. (14:7–11)

To bolster the disciples’ wavering faith, vocalized by Thomas (v. 5), Jesus pointed them back to the truth that He is God incarnate. “If you had known Me,” He chided them (the verbs in v. 7 are plurals, indicating that the Lord was no longer addressing Thomas alone as in v. 6, but all the disciples), “you would have known My Father also.” If the disciples had fully grasped who Jesus was, they would have known the Father as well.

The Lord’s statement was nothing less than a claim to full deity and equality with the Father. He is the way to God (v. 6) because He is God. He is not merely a manifestation of God; He is God manifested. That truth, a constant theme in John’s gospel (e.g., 1:1–3, 14, 17, 18; 5:18; 8:58; 10:30–33; 19:7; 20:28–29), is the watershed that divides true from false views of Christ. Many throughout history and today have regarded Jesus as nothing more than a good man; an exemplary, virtuous moral or religious teacher. But that is impossible. No one who claimed to be God incarnate, if his claim were false, could be a good man. If he knew his claim was false, he would be an evil deceiver; if he sincerely believed it was true when it was not, he would be a raving lunatic. But the evidence conclusively shows that Christ was neither a liar nor insane. Rather He was God, exactly as He claimed to be. (For a further defense of this truth, see John MacArthur, John 1–11, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2006], chapters 7, 15, 24.) How each person reacts to Christ’s claim determines his or her eternal destiny (John 8:24).

It is possible to interpret the phrase from now on you know Him, and have seen Him as referring to that very moment in the upper room. However Philip’s question in verse 8, suggesting that the disciples still did not understand Jesus’ point, argues against an immediate fulfillment of His words. It was only after Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost (John 14:17, 26; 15:26; 16:13) that the disciples would finally understand Jesus’ deity and relationship to the Father (John 20:28; Acts 2:22ff.; 3:12ff.; 4:8–12; 5:29–32). Because that understanding would certainly come in the future, Jesus spoke of it as if it were a present reality.

Thomas was silenced by Jesus’ reply to his question, but Philip was still not satisfied. Expressing the disciples’ continuing lack of understanding, Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father.” He was not content with indirect knowledge of God, even that given by Jesus Himself. Instead, he wanted a visible manifestation of the Father’s presence to sustain his faith. Perhaps he had in mind the experiences of Jacob (Gen. 32:30), Samson’s parents (Judg. 13), Moses (Ex. 33:18–23; 34:6–7), the elders of Israel (Ex. 24:9–10), Isaiah (Isa.6:1–4), and Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:1ff.). Such a theophany, Philip added, would be enough to reassure them (the plural pronoun us suggests that Philip spoke for the others as well).

The Lord’s reply, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?” was a rebuke both to Philip for his faithless request and, by extension, the rest of the disciples for their wavering faith. (The first occurrence of you in the English translation reflects a plural pronoun in the Greek text.) Reiterating the truth of His deity and oneness with the Father (v. 7), Jesus told Philip and the others plainly, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (cf. v. 20; 1:18; 10:38; 12:45; 15:24; 17:11, 21–23).

Christ’s words are tinged with sadness. Such ignorance on the part of unbelievers (cf. John 1:10; 8:19; 16:3) was deplorable, but expected. But the Lord had poured His life into these men. They had lived day in and day out with the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4); the one in whom “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9); the “radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3). Yet despite being with Him for so long, the disciples still did not fully comprehend the truth about Jesus and His union with the Father. This confusion seems to be related to Jesus’ failure to live up to their messianic expectations. They were still wondering after the resurrection (Acts 1:6). That was both inexcusable for them and disappointing to Jesus.

The Lord’s further question in verse 10, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father?” and His command in verse 11, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me,” suggest the cure for the disciples’ confusion and turmoil. Faith is not only the means of appropriating salvation (Eph. 2:8; cf. Acts 15:9; 20:21; 26:18; Rom. 3:22, 25–28, 30; 4:5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:7–9, 24, 26; Phil. 3:9; 2 Thess. 2:13;2 Tim. 3:15), it is also the very essence of sustaining the Christian life (Acts 6:5; 11:24; 2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 6:16; 1 Thess. 5:8; 1 Tim. 4:12; 6:11;2 Tim. 2:22; Heb. 13:7).

But the Christian faith is neither a blind, irrational, “leap in the dark” nor a vague, mystical faith in faith itself. It rests on the solid ground of overwhelming evidence. Jesus shored up the disciples’ sagging faith by reminding them first of His words, which He did not speak on His own initiative, but through the abiding power of the Father. John the Baptist testified of Christ, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God” (John 3:34). Jesus declared in John 7:16, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” In 12:49 He added, “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.” So powerful were the Lord’s words that at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, “when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28–29). Explaining to their superiors why they failed to seize Him, those sent to arrest Jesus said in awe, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks” (John 7:46). The powerful, divine words of Jesus Christ, which penetrate the heart and mind, are the answer to the cry of the redeemed, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5; cf. 2 Cor. 10:15).

Not only is faith based on the words of Christ, but also on the unprecedented (John 15:24; cf. 9:32; Matt. 9:33; Mark 2:12), undeniable (John 3:2; 7:31; 11:47) miraculous works He performed. Therefore, He challenged the disciples, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.” In John 5:36 Jesus declared, “The works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me,” while in 10:25 He added, “The works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me” (cf. vv. 32, 37–38; Matt. 11:2–5; Acts 5:22–23). His claim to be equal with God (cf. John 5:18) was not only established by His own self-testimony (and the testimony of John the Baptist [5:31–34] and of the Old Testament Scriptures [5:39–46]), but confirmed by the mighty and extensive supernatural works that the Spirit enabled Him to accomplish in the will of the Father (John 5:36–37).

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S POWER

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (14:12)

The astonishing promise to the one who believes in Christ is that the works that He does, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do. The greater works to which Jesus referred were not greater in power than those He performed, but greater in extent. The disciples would indeed perform miraculous works, as Jesus had (cf. Acts 5:12–16; Heb. 2:3–4). But those physical miracles were not primarily what Jesus had in mind, since the apostles did not do more powerful miracles than He had. When the Lord spoke of His followers performing greater works, He was referring to the extent of the spiritual miracle of salvation. Jesus never preached outside of Palestine, yet His followers would spread the gospel throughout the world. Jesus had only a limited outreach to Gentiles (cf. Mark 7:26ff.), but the disciples (particularly Peter and later Paul) would reach the Gentile world with the gospel. The number of believers in Christ would also grow far beyond the hundreds (Acts 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:6) that were numbered during His lifetime.

The power to perform those greater works would only be available because Jesus was going to the Father. It was only then that He would send the Holy Spirit (John 7:39; cf. 14:16–17, 26; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 1:5) to indwell believers (Rom. 8:9–11) and empower them for ministry (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:4–11; cf. Eph. 3:20).

Christ’s promise to send the Holy Spirit offered further comfort to the disciples. Though Jesus would no longer be visibly present with them, the Spirit would provide them with all the power they needed to extend the work He had begun (cf. Acts 1:8).

COMFORT COMES FROM
TRUSTING CHRIST’S PROMISE

Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (14:13–14)

As if His pledge to send the Holy Spirit to empower them was not enough, the Lord gave the disciples another incredible pledge. During their time with Him, they had depended on Jesus to supply all their needs (cf. Luke 22:35). He had provided food for them (Luke 5:4–6; John 21:5–12), and on one occasion even paid Peter’s taxes (Matt. 17:24–27). Now He was about to leave them, and they, having left everything to follow Him (Matt. 19:27), must have wondered where their resources would come from.

Anticipating their concern, Jesus promised that even after He was gone, He would continue to supply the disciples’ needs from heaven. Repeating it twice for emphasis, the Lord reassured them, Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do … If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. Prayer would bridge the gap between their needs and His abundant, limitless, undepleted resources (cf. Phil. 4:19). The ultimate purpose for Christ’s gracious provision, as is true of everything that God does, is that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

To ask in Jesus’ name does not mean to frivolously tack the words “in Jesus’ name” onto the end of a prayer. It is not a magic formula that obligates God to grant every selfish request that people make. To pray in Jesus’ name has a far more profound and serious meaning.

First, it means to make requests consistent with God’s will and the purposes of His kingdom. In His model prayer, Jesus taught His followers to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Second, it is to acknowledge one’s spiritual poverty, lack of self-sufficiency, and utter unworthiness to receive anything from God based on one’s own merits (Matt. 5:3). It is to approach God based on the merits of Jesus Christ (cf. John 16:26–28) and to acknowledge one’s complete dependence on Him to supply every need (Matt. 6:25–32; Phil. 4:19).

Finally, it is to express a sincere desire that God would be glorified in His answer. It is to align one’s requests with the Father’s supreme goal of glorifying the Son. When believers pray in this way, they pray in keeping with Jesus’ name—His person, His purposes, and His preeminence.

So in readying the disciples for His departure, the Lord emphasized His continual care for them—concerning Himself with their comfort even in the face of His own imminent suffering. Out of His profound love for them and for all who would follow them in faith, He gave them tangible and reliable reasons to hope.

Christ’s message of comfort and hope is as applicable today as it was in the upper room two millennia ago. This world is full of false hopes. But apart from the Spirit-given assurance of Christ’s continuing presence, the confidence that He is preparing a place in heaven, the conviction that He is the only way to God, the realization that He is God incarnate, the recognition of His sustaining power, and the certain expectation that He will perfectly fulfill His promises with heavenly supply and regularity, all other sources of comfort and hope are nothing more than “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). They will ultimately disappoint, whereas Jesus never fails.