John 14:28

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. YE HAVE HEARD HOW I SAID UNTO YOU, I GO AWAY, AND COME AGAIN UNTO YOU. IF YE LOVED ME, YE WOULD REJOICE, BECAUSE I SAID, I GO UNTO THE FATHER: FOR MY FATHER IS GREATER THAN I. This is one of the passages which have in all ages been most confidently appealed to by these who deny the supreme divinity of Christ, in proof that our Lord claimed no proper equality with the Father: here, they say, He explicitly disclaims it. But let us see whether, on their principles, it would yield any intelligible sense at all. Were some holy man on his deathbed to say as he beheld his friends in tears at the prospect of losing him, 'Ye ought rather to rejoice than weep for me, and if ye loved me ye would'-the speech would be quite...

28._If you loved me you would rejoice. _The disciples unquestionably _loved _Christ, but not as they ought to have done; for some carnal affection was mixed with their _love_, so that they could not endure to be separated from him; but if they had _loved _him spiritually, there was nothing which they would have had more deeply at heart, than his return to the Father. _For the Father is greater than I. _This passage has been tortured in various ways. The Aryans, in order to prove that Christ is some sort of inferior God, argued that _he is less than the Father _The orthodox Fathers, to remove all ground for such a calumny, said that this must have referred to his human nature; but as the Aryans wickedly abused this testimony, so the reply given by the Fathers to their objection was neither correct nor appropriate; for Christ does not now speak either of his human nature, or of his eternal...

28-31 Christ raises the expectations of his disciples to something beyond what they thought was their greatest happiness. His time was now short, he therefore spake largely to them. When we come to be sick, and to die, we may not be capable of talking much to those about us; such good counsel as we have to give, let us give while in health. Observe the prospect Christ had of an approaching conflict, not only with men, but with the powers of darkness. Satan has something in us to perplex us with, for we have all sinned; but when he would disturb Christ, he found nothing sinful to help him. The best evidence of our love to the Father is, our doing as he has commanded us. Let us rejoice in the Saviour's victories over Satan the prince of this world. Let us copy the example of his love and obedience....

Verse John 14:28. _I GO AWAY_] To the Father by my death: _AND COME AGAIN UNTO YOU._] By my resurrection. _YE WOULD REJOICE_] Because, as the _Messiah_, I am going to receive a kingdom, and power, and glory, for ever. Therefore as my friends ye should rejoice in my elevation, though for a while it may put you to the pain of being separated from me: besides, I am going that I may send you the Holy Spirit, which shall fill you with the fulness of God: on your _own account_, therefore, ye should have rejoiced and not mourned. _MY FATHER IS GREATER THAN I._] In John 14:24, Christ tells his disciples that the Father had _sent_ him: i.e. in his quality of _Messiah_, he was _sent_ by the Father to instruct

YE HAVE HEARD ... - John 14:2. IF YE LOVED ME - The expression is not to be construed as if they had then no love to him, for they evidently had; but they had also low views of him as the Messiah; they had many Jewish prejudices, and they were slow to believe his plain and positive declarations. This is the slight and tender reproof of a friend, meaning manifestly if you had proper love for me; if you had the highest views of my character and work; if you would lay aside your Jewish prejudices, and put entire, implicit confidence in what I say. YE WOULD REJOICE - Instead of grieving, you would rejoice in the completion of the plan which requires me to return to heaven, that greater blessings may descend on you by the influences of the Holy Spirit....

EXPOSITION JOHN 14:1 It is not necessary to follow Codex D and some of the versions, and here introduce into the text καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ._ _It is enough that the awful warning to Peter, which followed the announcement of the treachery of Judas and his departure, the solemnity of the Lord, and the clear announcement of his approaching death, had fallen like a thunderbolt into their company. Judas held the bag, and was their treasurer, their ἐπίσκοπος_ _(see Hatch's 'Bampt. Lect.'), and a referee on all practical subjects and details. He had turned against the Lord; and now their spokesman, their rock of strength, their most prominent and their boldest brother, the senior of the group, and with one exception the disciple most beloved and trusted by the Master, was actually warned against the most deadly sin—nay, more, a course o

YE HAVE HEARD HOW I SAID UNTO YOU,.... Christ had not only told his disciples that he should depart from them in a little time, but also that he should return again to them, and comfort them with his presence, and receive them to himself, to be with him in his Father's house for ever: and this he again suggests, I GO AWAY, AND COME AGAIN UNTO YOU; so that they had not so much reason to be troubled and afraid, as they were: had he only said to them that he should go away, without giving any hint of his coming again, they might well have been uneasy; what made the friends of the Apostle Paul so sorrowful at his departure, was most of all, because he had signified to them they should see his face no more; but Christ assured his disciples that in a little time they should see him again, to their unspeakable joy and comfort: IF YE LOVED ME, adds he, YE WOULD REJOICE; not but that the disci...

I suppose that many of you know this chapter by heart. I notice that, in all old Christians' Bibles, this leaf is well worn, sometimes worn out. We have here our Lord's homely talk to his disciples; it is full of sublimity, yet it is blessedly simple. There is a sort of unveiling of himself in this chapter. It is not so much like a public discourse as a private conversation and this tends to make the Saviour's speech appear the more condescending, and yet also the more sublime. John 14:1. _Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me._ There is no cure for heart-trouble but heart-trust. «Ye believe in God,» you do trust in Divine Providence, now trust in the Saviour's great atonement. You have come close to God already, come closer still to the Incarnate God, the Lord Jesus Christ; hear him say to you, «Ye believe in God, believe also in me.» Your fa

CHAPTER 14 1. Let not Your Heart be Troubled! (John 14:1 .) 2. I Am in the Father and the Father in Me. (John 14:8 .) 3. The Other Comforter Promised. (John 14:15 .) 4. I Go unto the Father. (John 14:28 .) There is no break between these two Chapter s. The Lord continues His discourse to the eleven disciples. “Let not your heart be troubled!” What precious words of comfort! How many hearts have been soothed by them and how many tears they have dried! And after His loving words He said again: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ...

John 14:1 takes up the thoughts of the previous paragraph, not of the last verse. The thoughts of separation and treachery had led to perplexity, if not despair. Jesus bids them trust God and Himself. There is plenty of room in His Father's house (_cf._ Genesis 24:23; Genesis 24:25). John 14:2_ b may_ be interpreted in three ways: (_a_) Even if not He would have found room for them. To _you_ I would have said I go to prepare a place: this suits the context, but is forced, (_b)_ If not, I would have told you, for the whole object of going is to prepare a place for you. I could not have withheld the truth from you. This also is unna