John 14: 12 - 31
How come my prayers aren’t answered?
12 “Most assuredly, 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 My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I AM in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 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. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
Even if you are not active in church ministry I am sure if others know that you are a believer in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, you are asked this question - How come my prayers aren’t answered?
Well if a person has not submitted his or her life to the finished sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, then it stands to reason why their prayers are not answered. And if someone is a believer and they have turned away from our Lord’s Commandments I think you would also agree that this position would also result in our prayer requests being denied. So, what do I need to do for our Holy God to listen to my petitions and answer them in the positive? Well, today’s scripture covers this situation.
Having made known to them Who He Is in a way that He had not done before The Lord Jesus now tells His disciples of the provision He Is making as they carry out His work. These are chosen men, men who have put everything aside for Him. They want nothing other than to do what He wants them to do, and their goal is the establishment of His Rule on earth at whatever cost.
They are learning not to consider their own advantage and gain, but to be single-minded in pursuit of His will. And they have a task never to be repeated, the task of laying the foundation for the belief of the early church, and in the end for the formation of the New Testament writings. It is thus to His Apostles, as such, that He makes these promises.
It has often been asked why these chapters of Jesus’ words in the Upper Room did not form a part of the teaching of the early church and thus find their way into the first three Gospels. The answer would seem to lie in the very nature of the words. They were private instructions specific only to the Apostles. Thus it was only when the Apostles were dying out that they were written down by one who was probably the last of the Apostles to die, so that the early church would know how secure the foundations of their faith were.
12 “Most assuredly, 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 My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
In the light of what was to happen that night The Lord Jesus promised that if they would have continual faith in Him, they would accomplish works like those that He had accomplished, and would indeed do greater works for they would occur worldwide. We need not doubt that this included miracles. However, the main part of the ‘greater works’ was probably to be found in the success of their preaching which would have great worldwide effects. Our Lord Jesus gives His ambassadors the assurance that in their mission for Him, they could be sure that whatever they asked in His Name - He would do it - because it was His mission too.
This statement from our Holy Lord and Savior is not a general promise that all Christians can demand to see fulfilled in their own lives whatever they wish for, in a multitude of ways, for that is clearly not the case. Heaven is not one huge superstore. It was a promise to dedicated, chosen men that, as they carried out their ‘impossible’ task, all the resources of Heaven would be at their disposal. They would come and ‘ask in His name’, and Jesus Himself would do it, because they were doing His work. He would do it because what they were doing they were doing for Him, in fulfillment of His command. So these “works” include the totality of their ministry, both in practical ministry and in powerful words.
A question I hope that you are thinking about is ‘how could the Apostles do greater works than The Lord Jesus? - Certainly not in the field of the miraculous. Rather it was in the fact that they would reach out to many nations with the Good News, while our Lord Jesus had been restricted to the nation of Israel and the surrounding areas.
Success would accompany the Lord’s called ones on every hand. This would now be possible because He was going to His Father by way of the cross. The work of the Holy Spirit, which began in Israel in the ministry of The Lord Jesus, will reach out to the ends of the earth through the work of His Apostles and their helpers.
Central to what the disciples are to receive is their obedience. We should note that it is an obedience based on love. Jesus had full confidence in their love for Him. Furthermore He stresses that that love is revealed not by flowing and flowery words, but by obedience to His requirements.
His point is clear for us also. Our love for Him will be revealed in the fact that we seek to do what pleases Him. If we truly love Him we will do what He says. The corollary is that if we do not seek to do in our lives what pleases Him it is evidence that we do not truly love Him. Profession is one thing, reality is another. Of course, we may sometimes fail, but if we love Him our intent will be constant. And in return, not as something to be earned but as a gift, He will impart to us the Spirit of Truth, the One Who will be with us and will be in us as our Helper and guide.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Our Lord Jesus specifically says that if they love Him they will do those works He has commanded them. His commandments to them included preaching the Good News and healing the sick. To assist them in their work at our Lord Jesus’ request The Holy Father will give them, ‘ Another’ ideal companion, to replace His earthly presence. Whom we know is The Precious Holy Spirit.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
When our Lord Jesus returns to Heaven He will be replaced with Another Who will perform the functions for the disciples that He has performed, One Who Is sent by the Father. The word ‘another’ means ‘another of the same kind’. This Holy One will be permanently with them. He will never leave them. They will know Him and recognize Him, for He will be with them as a constant companion, and He will indeed be in them. He will be the closest friend and helper anyone could ever have. And He Is The Spirit of truth.
Please note that the world cannot receive this Helper. It neither recognizes Him nor knows Him. The Holy Spirit works through His own. Here the world is in contrast to the people of God. The one is outside His kingdom. The other is His kingdom.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I AM in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
It is true that very soon He will leave them. It will seem to be the end of Him. As far as the world will be concerned He will have gone for good. But it will not be so for the Apostles and for His people. He will come to them in their desolation. They will not be left unprotected and with no one to watch over them, (literally ‘as orphans’).
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
A good question to ask ourselves is this, ‘Are we all in?’ The words spoken by our King and Master are spoken to all those who are in earnest, who hold His words closely in their hearts and live by them and by them alone. This promise is for all who are His, but there is no room for the half-hearted here. This is the real test of whether we love Him. Do we fully do what He said? Are we really committed to Him? Are we all in?
We may sing, dance, and shout ‘praise to the Lord’, and that is good. But it means little by itself. The test of love is obedience and a desire to do what He wants. Along with that, and only along with that, the other has meaning. ‘He who says “I know Him” and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him’ John teaches us in his 1st letter chapter 2 verse 4.
The result will be that the Father will love them. This is a very different love from that which God had for the world (John 3.16). That love was a general benefit that is among other things such as the giving of sun and rain. What is highlighted here is a personal, individual love, as a Father to His children. His people are His children in a way that the world is not. That is why our Lord Jesus taught them to pray - ‘Our Father’.
Please take note of what else they will receive. They not only enjoy the special love of the Father, for He adds “and I will love him and will make myself known to him”. They will thus also enjoy the personal love of the Son. Again we have to ask, who could say this but One Who was God? To link His own love for them as parallel with the Father’s love for them, and indeed to add it on as adding something extra, can only indicate a claim to be of equal stature with the Father. So the one who believes fully in Him and fully observes His commands will receive the Spirit of truth, will enjoy the special, personal love of the Father, and will be equally loved by Jesus, Who will make Himself known to him in the fullness of His glory. Here we see three Who are clearly of equal stature, Who come to those who fully believe.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Like all the disciples the other Judas (‘Judas of James’ not Judas Iscariot) was puzzled. He wants to know in what way will the Lord’s revelation of Himself to believers will be different that what the world will receive?
This is a great gift of our Lord Jesus that only comes to us who believe in Him. It is for all who respond to God and are chosen by God. We come to God as God reveals Himself in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Himself had said that only the minority would enter the ‘narrow’, the ‘pressed in’, way (Matthew 7.14). God works in individuals. He has a personal relationship with each and everyone who are His sheep.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 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.
Our Lord Jesus wants those who were hearing His words and for us as well to recognize that the coming of the Kingdom of God is not to be revealed by outward show but by inward and personal response. It is something which is among them and within them (Luke 17.21). It is revealed in the obedience of men who love Him to His word and teaching.
Let us understand firmly that the man or woman who loves Him will hold firmly to what he has learned from what our Lord Jesus has taught, absorbing it and letting it be fulfilled through his life.
We read in the Gospel of Luke 6.46 “‘why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?’. Those who will not hold firmly to His words and obey them, whatever their profession might be will be proof that they do not love Him.
We should thus note how important our obedience is as evidence that we are truly His. We are saved by faith but it is by our fruits that we will be known. Faith that does not produce fruits is not saving faith. Then our Blessed Savior Jesus stresses again that His word is not only His but also the Father’s word, emphasizing its eternal importance, and underlining that He and His Father speak as One.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Drawing attention to what He has taught them during His earthly ministry The Lord Jesus now promises that the Holy Spirit will continue that teaching and will also enable them to remember all that He has taught them.
They need not fear therefore that they will forget or misinterpret His words in the future. His words are too important for that. The coming Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, will teach them the full truth from beginning to end and will bring to their memory all His words. Thus does He ensure the preservation of His word (only possible to Hs disciples Who had heard it), and put His seal on their interpretation of His death and resurrection.
These words are vitally important as stressing, on Jesus’ authority, that His truth will be reliably and accurately preserved by Divine assistance. The Apostles, and those who wrote under their guidance, will fully preserve the truth. It is probable that some among them such as Matthew the ex-tax collector had already recorded some in writing (it would have been instinctive to Matthew to record what was spoken). Thus does Jesus lay His personal seal on the New Testament, and these words explain why the early church only accepted as divinely authoritative writings with Apostolic connections.
Now our Lord Jesus ends these words of strengthening and encouraging with further assurances. They will enjoy His peace, and are to recognize that it is good that He is going away because it means a greater and a wider work, and will also result in His once again enjoying His Father’s presence in the fullness of His Being.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
Our Holy Teacher Lord Jesus now assures them of peace in mind and heart, which He will give to them, indeed is now giving to them. His Spirit will not only teach them but will give them peace within, It is a peace which is permanent, not dependent on the change of circumstances or fortune of the world. It is a peace that nothing can touch
While it is true that He is leaving them, they must not let it get them down. For if they only think about it they will realize that it is both for His and their good. They may want Him to stay, but if they love Him they will rejoice at His going for they will realize that He is going to the Father, and what could be more wonderful than that? He is receiving again the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. He will once more enjoy the fullness of the Father’s ‘presence’ unalloyed by physical things Here on earth He is tried and tested, often weary, the object of enmity, scorn and ridicule, but there He will share the Father’s glory, the glory which was once also His, and will rejoice in the Father’s love, as the Father will rejoice in His love.
In His present manhood He is as One Who has stepped down from that glory. Although being Himself of the nature of Godhood from all eternity, He had emptied Himself and become in the nature of servitude, not counting equality with God as something to be grasped and held on to, but as something to be let go so that He may become ‘obedient to death’ on a cross (Philippians 2.6-8).
Thus while He is in this present position of servitude and humility His Father is greater than He, for His Father has retained His status and glory in full. The Father Is not restricted by human weakness. So they should rejoice that He will now return to that glory and that untrammeled state, and take His rightful place, being exalted and given the Name above every Name (the name of YHWH, the name by which God was known in the Old Testament), and therefore being declared ‘Kurios’ (LORD) which in the Greek Old Testament is the translation of YHWH (Philippians 2.9-11).
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
He Is telling them here that, before it happens, He is preparing them for the amazing change that will take place in His status. Then when they see Him resurrected, and ascending to the glory of the Father, they will remember what He has told them and recognize the truth for what it is.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
He now lets them know that He feels that He has said almost all that needs to be said for their encouragement, and that now He will prepare Himself for what He must face. He does not, He says, have much more to say. What He does have to say, however, will be important for it concerns the very purpose of His coming, and we find it in chapters 15-16. But He recognizes that time is short because ‘the ruler of this world’ was on his way, already gathering his contingents so that he can arrest The Holy Son of God Jesus Christ and put Him to death.
Satan had probably been confident that once he had our Lord Jesus at his mercy on the cross some chink would appear through which he could attack Him. How he must therefore have gloried when he saw Jesus’ anguish in Gethsemane, and the battered broken figure at the cross. It would have appeared to him that victory was at hand. But when the final moment came he found that he had failed, and that it was he himself who was defeated. There proved to be no chink in our Lord Jesus’ armor, and so he himself, together with his minions, was bound and made captive Our Holy Lord Jesus not only proved Himself beyond their power, but also over them in power.
