John 14:23

John 14:23 . To this Jesus replies ἐάν τις … ποιήσομεν . The answer explains that the manifestation, being spiritual, must be individual and to those spiritually prepared. “It contemplates not a public discovery of power, but a sort of domestic visitation of love.” Bernard, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλευσόμεθα , “to him we will come”; Jesus without scruple unites Himself with the Father. μονὴν … ποιησόμεθα , a classical expression see Thuc., i. 131, μονὴν … ποιούμενος . “We will make our abode with him, will be daily his guests, yea, house and table companions.” Luther in Meyer, μονή is here used in a sense different from that of John 14:2 , where it means a place to abide in.

23. we will come and make our abode with him—Astonishing statement! In the Father's "coming" He "refers to the revelation of Him as a Father to the soul, which does not take place till the Spirit comes into the heart, teaching it to cry, Abba, Father" [Olshausen]. The "abode" means a permanent, eternal stay! (Compare Le 26:11, 12; Eze 37:26, 27; 2Co 6:16; and contrast Jer 14:8).

If any man love Christ, he will keep Christ’s words; that is, he will study and endeavour to keep the commandments of Christ; for if nothing evidenced a true love to Christ but a perfect obedience to his will, none could comfort himself from his obedience, or conclude his love to Christ from it; but he that loveth Christ, will make it his business to be obedient to him in those things first he hath commanded, and are within his power. And my Father will love him; and my Father will manifest his love to him in further dispensations of his grace; for it cannot be understood of God’s eternal love, nor yet of his love in justification and regeneration; for till the man or woman be justified and regenerated, he will never study and endeavour obedience to the will of God. This love of God is the cause, not the effect of our obedience; but love in this verse must be expounded by manifesting in the former verse; and this is certain, that the manifestations of Divine love to our souls depend upon our walking with God. This is also meant by God the Father and Christ’s coming to those that love him, and keep his commandments; viz. a coming in the sweet influences of Divine grace, suited to the soul’s various necessities: nay, our Lord promises, not only his and his Father’s coming to, but their making an abode with such as love him, and keep his commandments.

Here the abiding of the First and Second Person in the Trinity with believers; the abiding of the Third Person with them is also promised, John 14:16 ; which all make that presence of God with them, so often promised to them in holy writ. Thus our Saviour answereth one part of what Judas said, How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us? Because, saith our Saviour, you love me, and keep my words: for though no love, no works of ours, foreseen or seen, be the cause of eternal love, or the first grace; yet it is so much a cause of further grace, especially in the sensible manifestations of it, that no soul must expect it that doth not love Christ, and keep his words. He also further gives them a reason, as to the second thing he asked, why he did not manifest himself to the world?

John 14:23 . Τὸν λόγον μου , My word ) [Not as Engl. Vers., words ]. The word is represented as one (Singular) in this verse, in reference to believers, who keep it whole: in John 14:24 ( τοὺς λόγους μου ) more words than one (Plural) are mentioned, in reference to unbelievers, who rend them in sunder: “ keepeth not My words.” Comp. ch. John 15:12 , note [“This is My commandment ( ἡ ἐντολὴ ), That ye love one another.” He had previously used the Plural, commandments . All of them are comprised in the one, love ]; and 1 John 2:4-5 , “He that keepeth not His commandments (Plur.), etc.; but whoso keepeth His word ” (Sing.), etc.— τηρήσει , he will keep ) Keeping His commandments is put before love in John 14:21 , “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me:” now love is put before keeping His word. Love , in a certain respect, and that a primary one, goes before keeping of the commandments ; see John 14:15 , “If ye love Me, keep My commandments ;” but in a certain respect it also follows, since by keeping of the commandments love the more in proportion increases, and acquires new vigour. Therefore to keep His word is a middle term between the love towards Jesus Christ, and the love of the Father towards him who loves Jesus Christ.— ἐλευσόμεθα , We will come ) I and the Father.

The Singular number ἐμφανίσω , I will manifest , advances onward to the Plural, we will come .— μονὴν , abode ) See the correlative to this in John 14:2 , μοναἰ , mansions .[352] Comp. Revelation 3:20 , at the end, “ I will come into him , and sup with him , and he with Me .”— μονὴν ποιήσομεν , We will make our lasting abode [mansion]) Either the architect or the inhabitant is said to make an abode (mansion): but in this place it is restricted to the inhabitants ( the indwelling Father and Son). This is a very sublime view. It is therefore cut short at John 14:25 . [352] He now makes His mansion (lasting abode) with believers: and they hereafter shall have their mansions with Him: ver. 2, 23.—E. and T.

23 . Judas ] Excluding the genealogies of Christ we have six persons of this name in the N.T. 23 . Jesus answered ] The answer is given, as so often in our Lord’s replies, not directly, but by repeating and developing the statement which elicited the question. Comp. John 3:5-8 , John 4:14 , John 6:44-51 ; John 6:53-58 , &c. The condition of receiving the revelation is loving obedience; those who have it not cannot receive it. This shews that the revelation cannot be universal, cannot be shared by those who hate and disobey ( John 15:18 ). my words ] Rather, My word ; the Gospel in its entirety. we will come ] For the use of the plural comp. John 10:30 . abode ] See on John 14:2 . The thought of God dwelling among His people was familiar to every Jew ( Exodus 25:8 ; Exodus 29:45 ; Zechariah 2:10 ; &c.). This is a thought far beyond that,—God dwelling in the heart of the individual; and later Jewish philosophy had attained to this also. But the united indwelling of the Father and the Son by means of the Spirit is purely Christian. In these two verses (23, 24) the changes ‘words’ … ‘sayings’ … ‘word’ give a wrong impression: they should run—‘word’ … ‘words’ … ‘word.’ In the Greek we have the same substantive, twice n the singular and once in the plural.

(23) If a man love me, he will keep my words. —Our Lord repeats the condition necessary on the part of man in order that the manifestation of God to him may be possible. This is an answer to the question of Judas, the world in its unbelief and rejection of Christ’s words, and without the spirit of love, could not receive this manifestation. We will come unto him, and make our abode with him.—For the plural, comp. Note on John 10:30. For the word “abode,” comp. Note on John 14:2. The thought of God as dwelling in the sanctuary and among the people was familiar to the disciples from the Old Testament Scriptures (see, e.g., Exodus 25:8; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:11-12; Ezekiel 37:26), and the thought of the spiritual temple in the heart of man was not unknown to contemporary writers. Philo has a remarkable parallel in his treatise, De Cherubim, p. 124, “Since therefore He (God) thus invisibly enters into the region of the soul, let us prepare that place, in the best way the case admits of, to be an abode worthy of God; for if we do not, He, without our being aware of it, will quit us and migrate to some other habitation which shall appear to Him to be more excellently provided” (Bohn’s ed., vol. i., p. 199. See the whole of chap. 29).

Will keep my words - See John 14:15 . We will come to him - We will come to him with the manifestation of pardon, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It means that God will manifest himself to the soul as a Father and Friend; that Jesus will manifest himself as a Saviour; that is, that there will be shed abroad in the heart just views and proper feelings toward God and Christ. The Christian will rejoice in the perfections of God and of Christ, and will delight to contemplate the glories of a present Saviour. The condition of a sinner is represented as one who has gone astray from God, and from whom God has withdrawn, Psalm 58:3; Proverbs 28:10; Ezekiel 14:11. He is alienated from God, Ephesians 2:12; Isaiah 1:4; Ephesians 4:18; Colossians 1:21. Religion is represented as God returning to the soul, and manifesting himself as reconciled through Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:21. Make our abode - This is a figurative expression implying that God and Christ would manifest themselves in no temporary way, but that it would be the privilege of Christians to enjoy their presence continually. They would take up their residence in the heart as their dwelling-place, as a temple fit for their abode.