JOHN 14:21-24
LOVE’S RESPONSE
[John 14:15-27 & 15:7-14]
This passage concerning our love for Christ is bound before and aft with teachings concerning the Holy Spirit. There is significant reason for this. We are to obey Christ’s word and live for Him. In fact, our love for Christ is declared in our revealing Him through our life to the world (CIT). There is no way that one can truly disclose Christ to the world without living in power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Truth confirms to us whom our Father is and where our home is. The Helper teaches us and brings to our remembrance what we have need of. The Holy Spirit abides within the believer so that they have the enabling needed to prove their love for Jesus. For Christ has said, “If you love Me you will keep My commandment.” What is impossible with man is possible with God. Those that demonstrate their love for Christ find Christ disclosing Himself to them.
I. LOVE FOR CHRIST DISPLAYED, 21.
II. LOVE’S DISCLOSURE, 22.
III. LOVE’S DWELLING PLACE, 23-24.
First, Our LOVE FOR CHRIST DISPLAYED, 21.
The entire line of promises from verse 15 on rest on the condition “If you love Me.” We have many misconceptions about what real love for Jesus is. But I trust that these words from the mouth of our Lord Himself will make us wise unto salvation. Christian love is manifested as a believer keeps or obeys the Lord’s words as verse 21 states. “He who has My commandments and keep them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
The man who loves Christ is the one who “has” His commandments and who “keeps” them. The meaning appears to be to make the commandments one’s own, by taking them into and making them part of one’s inner being.
To have or possess the commandments one must have a firm intellectual grasp of their content. This comes through hearing them, reading them, meditating on them, studying them and memorizing them.
But simply knowing the commandments is not proof of love, one must also obey them. Keeping the commandments means to observe them in daily life. Obedience is the mark of true love and the proof of genuine discipleship. Love is demonstrated by obedience and obedience is the outgrowth of love.
What Jesus is saying is that love for Him is not simply a thing of words. Love is more than lovely words; it is commitment and conduct If love is real it is shown in deeds. The lover keeps the commandments of the loved one. If you love Christ, then prove it by obeying what He says in His Word.
Notice also that the Father is not indifferent about the attitude men take to the Son. Love calls for love. And when love is returned it calls forth more love. Deep calls unto deep.
Not only does the Father’s love precede our love (1 Jn. 4:19) but it will also follow our returning of love to Him. When we stop running from God and accept His love for us it creates within us the eager desire to keep Christ’s commands. His love then rewards us for keeping them by loving us! What a beautiful arrangement!
Oh what gracious blessings are given to those who prove their love for the Son by obeying His commandments. He gives them the most blessed of all rewards. He gives them intimate knowledge, relationship and fellowship with the One they love. This intelligent and purposeful love is made manifest by the Spirit (Who was yet to be revealed).
What a sparking crown He gives those who give their own poor rusting crown to Him.
II. LOVE’S DISCLOSURE (22).
First Christ says we prove our love for Him when we do what He has asked us to do. And if we love Him He will love us and disclose Himself to us. But what about the multitudes that don’t love Him? So Judas asks that question. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that you are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
This question is from Judas, who is expressly distinguished from Iscariot. (He was probably the half brother of Jesus, the brother of James Lk. 6:16, Acts 1:13). He expresses the surprise and perplexity of the whole group.
How wonderful it is that the divine Teacher allows Himself to be interrupted to entertain our questions. Yet the questions are not allowed to change the subject but are made to blend in with what He is teaching.
Judas frame of reference was that Christ had been disclosing Himself through public teachings, miracle working, healing, casting out demons and confrontation with the Pharisees. Would He not continue so outwardly disclosing Himself? And beyond that would He not reveal Himself as Who He is to the whole world that they might understand that He is the Messiah?
Judas expected Christ to reveal or disclose Himself for who He is to the whole world. Should not the Messiah stand forth in all His glory before all mankind? Why just disclose Himself to His disciples who are obedient to His teachings?
Judas expected Christ to do all the disclosing of Himself. But Christ’s desire was to make servant leaders of them that they might disclose Him to the world. Still today we desire Christ to do all the disclosing of Himself to lost humanity but Christ is disclosing Himself to saved humanity, to those who obey Him. For Christ desires those who love Him to join Him in His redemptive plan and disclose Him to others. For it is by this very obedience that the door is opened for Him to love us more thoroughly. He discloses Himself not to those who love Him secretly but blesses those who love Him openly, unashamedly.
An older man from the countryside visited London for the first time. In a great ART GALLERY, he looked at different paintings. He was especially impressed with a picture of Christ dying on the Cross. As he gazed fixedly upon it, a deeper love for the Savior flooded his heart. With great feeling, he exclaimed, “Bless Him! I love Him! I love Him!
Those standing nearby heard him. They saw tears glistening on his careworn face as he stood completely oblivious of the presence of others. Four of them came close to him and said, “We, too, love Him, brother.” Though strangers to each other, they were drawn together in love and adoration for the Savior who had disclosed Himself to them and there they disclosed Him to all those around them.
III. LOVE’S DWELLING PLACE, 23-24
Verse 23 declares that the rewards of loving Jesus are great. Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone love Me, he will keep my Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode beside him.”
The answer to Judas question is love. Because He loves them He will disclose Himself to them. And because they love Him they will disclose Him to the world.
So again (14:15,21) Jesus insists that love to Him will be expressed in deeds of obedience to His word. The deeds He is obviously referring to by the context must be the deeds of disclosing Him as the Christ to the world.
Notice the number is no longer plural but singular, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word.” The responsibility is placed upon anyone who loves Him. Do you love Him? If you do, you are keeping His Word and disclosing Him to the world.
If (eav) + subjective is a 3rd class condition or a very conditional statement. The emphasis is if you love Me, and you very likely may not. Some may say they love Jesus but don’t keep His Word.
But for those who do love Jesus, for those who obey His Word there is great reward. The reward for loving Jesus are the Father will show His love to him, and the Son will love him and show Himself to him
Those that keep the Word will experience the abiding presence and peace of the Spirit of God. They will be able to keep their heart from being troubled or fearful (14:27). Jesus gives constant disclosure of Himself to those who love and obey His Word. Oh the blessing of comfort, cheer, and help which are extended to those with a close and intimate relationship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit. What request, to keep His word, yet what a promise, the abiding presence and power of God Almighty within us. This should be the desire of your heart. The abiding presence of Christ, what more precious promise could be given than God giving Himself, in greater and greater fulness to His obedient servants?
The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit; the Holy Spirit ushers to us the presence of Father and Son to indwell us and to share fellowship with us. Hence, as God was at work on the cross in Christ to save us, so now God is at work in the Spirit to transform us. I cannot underscore sufficiently how important this is. God is on our side. He is at work renewing us and loving us. This is the gospel.
The license plate on my NEIGHBOR’S CAR across the street says “Yes Lord.” While driving to work those words stayed in my mind. Was there any situation to which Yes Lord did not hold the key? I could think of none. What great joy it would bring Jesus if I began every day with those two words!
Yes, Lord. I’ll be content where I am instead of wishing I were somewhere else.” “Yes Lord, I’ll trust You for the outcome of the uncertainty gnawing at my mind.” “Yes, Lord, I’ll open my heart and hand with the joyous generosity of Your love. The resolution of every trouble we face today begins with this trusting response to our Savior: “Yes, Lord!” You never go wrong when you choose to obey Christ.
In verse 24 Jesus again makes His Word the every word of God. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
Christ now expresses the same teaching from the negative view point. Since the one who keeps His Word loves Him it logically follows that the man who does not love Christ does not keep His Word. Love is not regarded in this Gospel as an abstract emotion. Love is something intensely practical. Love involves obedience to the Word.
The seriousness of the necessity to be obedient to the Word is brought out by the reminder that the Word of Jesus is not His own but that of the Father (7:16; 8:28; 12:49).
Characteristically, the Father is spoken of as the One who sent the Son (3:17). The mission of Christ is never far from the view of Christ. For He came to show by deeds His redemptive love for man. Jesus will later say (17:18) that as the Father has sent Him into the world, even so He sends them or us into the world.
CONCLUSION
Christ gives us His whole self when we transfer our trust to Him and His atonement for our salvation. But He can live through us only as we keep his Word. He puts Himself into our hands and into our hearts when we humbly trust Him and imperfectly try to love Him. We are then like the bud of a flower which once the light is focused upon it, its lovely and fragrant petals are disclosed. And once our obedience to His Word begins to flow from a heart warmed by the reception of His love something beautiful unfolds in our life also.
Is the beauty and fragrance of Christ’s love for mankind being lived out, being disclosed to the world through you?
Four-year-old Martha, hugging a doll in each of her pudgy little arms, looked wistfully up at her mother and said, “Mamma, I love them and love them and love them, but they never love me back.”
Christ has taught that My love is proven by My obedience and that love for Him produces obedience to His Word. You have proven and are now proving and will prove how much you love Christ.
Read Jn 14:21
