Following that last Passover observance we find Jesus’ farewell message to His disciples recorded only in John’s Gospel in John 14 through 16. To set the context we have to go back to chapter 13 where Jesus says in verse 33, “Little children, I’m going to be with you just a little longer. You will look for Me and, and as I told the Jews, so I’m telling you now, you are not able to come where I am going.” Then in answer to Peter’s question in verse 36, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus said, “You are not able to follow Me now where I’m going, but you will follow Me later.”
Then beginning in chapter 14 we see this familiar passage: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in Me. In my Fathers house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you; and I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you with Me, that where I am you may be also.”
Now, there are two things here we must examine. The first is the “place” Jesus says He is going to prepare. The “place” Jesus refers to is from topos, a place of habitation or city. This is the heavenly city mentioned in Hebrews 11:10, 16:12:22-23 and 13:14. This is the city that comes down from heaven to the earth to become the permanent dwelling of God and His saints through all eternity (Revelation 21:1-3, 9-27, 22:1-6). The saints of God do not spend eternity with Him in heaven, but on the new earth. This will all be explained in future lessons.
The second thing is Jesus’ first mention of the rapture in verse 3 when He says, “I will come back again”. Of course the first thing that comes to mind regarding this event is when will this take place? We’ll look at that in a later lesson. But for now, let’s try to get a clear picture of what happen when Jesus comes back for His saints. This is not to be confused with His second Coming, when He comes back with His saints (Revelation 19:11-14).
We’ve already established where Jesus is at present – heaven. Where do believers go when they die? Their body goes to the grave, but their soul and spirit go to God (2Corinthians 5:6-8). So, then, at the rapture there are both the living and the dead that go to meet the Lord in the air. Paul explains what happens in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. Those who have died in Christ will come back with Him (verses 13-14). They will then experience the resurrection of their physical bodies (verse 16), uniting the soul and spirit with a new, eternal body (incorruptible and immortal). Then the living will be taken up with them to meet the Lord in the air. Both the living and the dead will receive this new body (I Corinthians 15:51- 54), a body that will be like Jesus’ body after His resurrection (Philippians 3:20-21). We’ll take a close look at what Jesus’ resurrection body was like when we get to that point later.
Then, as we go on in John 14 in verse 5 Thomas says, “Lord, we don’t know where You’re going, so how can we know the way?” To this Jesus answers, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.” (Verses 6-7) We have to stop and make sure we understand what Jesus says here. “Had known” in verse 7 is from ginisko, to know by experience, and defines personal relationship. Jesus is telling the disciples that as they have experienced Him and formed a relationship with Him, they have also come to “know” the Father in the same way. As you continue through verses 8-11 He explains that even further.
This is something every believer should understand: trusting in Christ is also trusting in the Father – to know Christ is to know the Father. This was always a part of Jesus’ message (John 5:30; 7:28-29; 8:16, 25-29, 38, 54-55; 10:30; 12:44-50; 13:20, see also Colossians 2:9).
In verse 12 Jesus clears any confusion the disciples may have had by telling them plainly where He was going. “I’m telling you the truth, anyone that trusts in Me will be able to do the things I do, and he will do even greater things, because I go to the Father.” And let’s make sure we’re not confused about the “greater things” promised in this verse. Here Jesus is not promising the disciples even greater supernatural powers than those He had demonstrated in His ministry. He’s getting ready to tell them about the coming of the Holy Spirit that will enable them to broaden the scope of a ministry that had been mostly limited to Judea, Samaria and Galilee. The Book of Acts records the beginning of what would eventually become a worldwide movement.
He continues in verses 13-14, “And I will do whatever you ask in My Name that the Father may be glorified through the Son. I will grant whatever you ask in My Name.”
Here, the meaning of “in My Name” must not be misunderstood. “Name” is from onoma and has a specific meaning. This is not permission for believers to ask whatever they want of Jesus, say “in Jesus name”, and expect Him to grant whatever they ask for. Onoma here represents the character and purpose of Jesus.
In the context of this statement Jesus is telling the disciples that in order for the scope of His ministry to grow it must be carried out in accordance with the Godly character and purpose He had displayed. “Jesus” is not just a name, it represents all that He is in character and purpose, and as He taught (in the references cited above from John) all that the Father had directed and appointed.
This is clear from the next verse (15) when He says, “If you really love Me, you will keep My commandments”. In other words, if you really love Me, you will obey the things I have taught you and what I have demonstrated in My life. That is the name of Jesus.
In the next lesson we’ll begin looking at what Jesus says about the coming of the Holy Spirit.