Jesus' Farewell Discourse Pt. 2

John 14:1-14.......

The Last Supper is over, Judas has left to betray Jesus, the disciples are considerably confused. Jesus has just told Peter that he would deny Jesus 3 times before cock crows.

This was extreme these disciples, they had left everything to follow Jesus, the Messiah.

However, they were arguing earlier that night of who would be the greatest.

Luke 22:24 “And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.”

There was so much going on, Jesus as He sat with them was troubled in spirit according to John.

No one there offered comfort, support, yet He offers them comfort in this discourse.

This all seems so far from Monday when Jesus entered Jerusalem and everyone was praising Him.

John 1:1-6............

Verse 1 Jesus begins with comfort through trusting Him!

You could say that Jesus is saying “Stop being troubled.....”

The next part could read “what you believe about God, believe also about Me....”

Do you remember what Andrew said to Peter after he had heard John the Baptist in John 1:41 “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”

They all knew the promise from God of the Messiah, Jesus is simply saying that the belief about God that brought them to Jesus as the Messiah (The Christ), believe that the promise of God will be fulfilled through Jesus, stop worrying, although all looks out of whack, nothing is.

They believed God, but have never seen Him, Jesus is just telling them to continue in what they believe in a visible Christ, no matter what they saw happen.

Peter gets it later on on: 1 Peter 1:6-9 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

Verse 2-3......this is a statement that carries their (our) minds to the fulfillment of God’s promise through Jesus.

In the Father’s house: Hebrews 9:23-24 “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”

Paraphrase of verse 23......“That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.”

Jesus appeared in the presence of God for us, so that we will be able to enter in the presence of God.

I will also repeat that in the presence of God is what makes Heaven, Heaven.

There are some discussions about “mansions”, a lot of translations change that to “dwelling places”.

The Greek word that was use in the original is “mone’” which means dwelling place or rooms.

I am not sure of whether or not that word can be translated another way, as far as the KJV translators was concerned, but I will say this, as far as I am concerned, that any dwelling place or room in the presence of God can truthfully be considered a mansion, the way I define mansion!

Jesus now assures the disciples in what they had already believed, that He was completely the Truth and that He always told the truth!

No exaggeration, nothing but the truth!

If it were not true, do you think I would of told you?

Now, Jesus tells them that He will have to leave and prepare that dwelling place with God for them and us.

That is through the cross, through the burial, through the resurrection!

We talked about this a few studies back about the word if......it implies that it is conditional, but it also has the meaning: “when”......You could read it “when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.....”

We all know that Jesus fulfilled the preparation of our Home with God and by His faithful completion of that promise, inserts another promise, that He will come again....

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Where I am, there you may be also......Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Verses 4-5.............Jesus declares to them that they both know the way to go and where it is He goes.

Thomas is known, as one writer describes him, for his misapprehension and doubts. He is real confused and maybe all of them were, but he was the only one willing to speak up......

How can we know the way if we don’t know where you go?

Jesus has already answered one of their doubts......He goes to the Father....God!

The disciples, should have, from His continuous teaching, how they would get to the Father, but mercifully Jesus tells them again.

Verse 6......

Jesus is the Way to Go

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

The Spirit being everything about Jesus!

1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

Lastly Romans 5:2 “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

The Truth to believe

Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Jesus is the reality of God and the reality of what life is supposed to be and how it was to be lived.

Adam failed at it and so have we, but Jesus did not!

Therefore He is the Truth to believe above any other thing!

The Life to live.......Romans 5:21 “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Enough said!

There is the destination in the previous verses and the way is given in verse 6, if you want to get to Father God, then the way is through Jesus Christ!

Verse 8.........At one level Philip (cf. notes on 1:44; 11:21, 22) and the others truly do know Jesus, and therefore in the Son they have seen the Father. But they do not recognize this yet. As highly as they think of Jesus, they do not yet grasp that in Jesus God has made himself known. To the extent that this is still beyond them, they do not know Jesus himself very well.

So Philip asks for direct access, as it were, an immediate display of God himself.

This is similar to the request of Moses in Exodus 33:18 “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.”

Verses 9-11.......Jesus answers Philipp.......you can almost here on of those exasperated blows from Jesus.... “have I been so long with you?”

People asks this of the Lord all the time....”if you just do this for me, I will serve you all of my days.”

Jesus’ answer here should bring shame to those requests.

Jesus’ answer is marvelous, you have been with Jesus all this time and you still do not know Him?

That is a good question, do you know Him? That you can tell Him from false claims, that you are sure? How much do you know?

Where do I find this knowledge? Jesus says that those who have seen Him, has seen the Father!

Where is this show me the Father come from? You mean you still don’t know?

Jesus answer goes back to some of what we discussed last Sunday, Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him!! If you have seen Jesus, if you have taken God’s Word and let It teach you about Jesus then you know about God!

You have seen what Moses saw and what the disciples saw! The perfect representation of God!

Everything Jesus speaks is from the Father, Everything He does is from the Father!

If you are having trouble working out what I have said, look to the works that Jesus did......Not only the miracles but the acts of mercy and how He lived!

Verses 12-14........Greater works will the disciples do, because Jesus goes to the Father.

This could certainly mean the affects of the Holy Spirit in the disciples could do great works not in kind but possibly in amount.

However, by Jesus stating these great things happens because He goes to the Father, seems to suggest that whatever work that is done would lead people to the understanding of Jesus’ complete and finished work..

The atonement for sin once for all, which has never been considered by anyone

And the resurrection unto eternal life in the presence of God!

Those 2 works are greater than any physical work that could ever be done, even the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus has made a way for us, who once was eternally dead, to be made eternally alive!

Whatever is asked in Jesus’ name.....

Is that a tag line we put on the end of a prayer to get at God?

No, in the name of Jesus Christ is meaning that our prayer is in direction with the purposes of the Father’s will and not for selfish reasons!

This does not mean that He does not heal folks.....Jesus is speaking to the disciples about what they are fixing to be faced with and the challenge of lighting up a dark world.

Whatever they ask for in a desire for the purposes of God will be given unto them. He will do it!

This is seen by the statement: that the Father be glorified in the Son!

It seems Jesus is speaking of the Gospel message!

Jesus repeats it “I will do it”......if it is in His Name for His purpose!

When Jesus sent the 12 out in Luke 9, He told them to not take anything for their journey......He will provide, He will be there for your journey whatever is needed to fulfill His mission.

We have some that proclaim this is a license to claim, speak, or declare anything....some of the declarations, speakings, claims, has nothing to do with the purposes and will of God but has everything to do with selfish needs and desires!

I often wondered about some of these preachers that ask for a jet to travel in and use the money given to the church to obtain these jets, why don’t they practice what they preach and speak it into existence! Why? Because they can’t! Truth is that if God needed them in these other places He would of provided them with one!

These disciples are going on a spiritual journey with numerous battles, Jesus tells them in Matthew 10:16-20 “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”

That is why Jesus said whatever you ask in His Name, He will do it!