John 14
Jesus loves you.
Within this chapter, we see a few different ways that Jesus displays His love to us, undeserving sinners. Before we dive in, I want to note a key verse. In verses 9-11, Jesus gently rebukes Philip for not fully understanding Jesus’ nature yet. Philip had not yet seen the love of Jesus displayed on the cross or the power that came from the resurrection. Philip didn’t fully understand that the Father was in Jesus and Jesus in the father. This oneness is exactly what Jesus prayed the Church would have with one another (John 17).
The love of God is not accepting and affirming of all the decisions we make. It is God’s love that rebukes, corrects, and disciplines when we fall into a sinful lifestyle. How can that be loving? He created you and wants what is best for you. His best for you is a relationship with God where you are growing more and more into the image of His Son. So, that means He is actively correcting us when we act in a way that is contrary to the absolute truth we find in God’s Word. This brings us to some key points of how God loves according to John 14.
The first point is that Jesus provided a way to bridge the gap between God and man (John 14:6). Sometimes man will want to be inclusive because we tend to want to be nice and not hurt other’s feelings. We will hear phrases like, “all religions lead to heaven”, “be more open-minded, you are too closed off”, or “If God really loves, then He wouldn’t be so exclusive”. The truth of this passage is that the path to God, and salvation, is very exclusive. It is God’s love that He even provides a way to take care of the sin that separates us from Him. We shouldn’t ask so many questions about how God bridged the gap, instead we should be in awe and amazement that He bridged the gap between man and Himself.
The second point is that Jesus loves us by giving us a Helper and a Comforter who indwells believers (John 14:16,26). This is an amazing gift and blessing that every believer experiences. Elsewhere in the NT, we see that the Holy Spirit is what seals us and is the guarantee (or deposit) of our salvation. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin, give us gifts to edify the Church, and bless us with the fruit of the Spirit.
The last point of Jesus displaying His love to us in this passage, is the truth that He is preparing a place for us and is coming back (John 14:28). God will not just leave us as orphans. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell Christians and to come upon them with power to serve. He will come back.
So, what is our response to His love? What do you take away from this chapter? Read verse 21 with me, “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.” It is quite simple. You love God by loving His Word, rightly dividing it, and staying obedient.