John 14:23-29

This passage occurs in the Revised Common Lectionary, 6C, most recently May 22, 2022
 
Summary:  Like many passages in John, this passage at first seems like a sequence of fairly random phrases; the preachers job is to pick the best one and run with it.  (Likely my peace I give you!)  If we take a look at the whole of verse 14, we realize that Jesus here is trying to calm his disciples down, as they are growing agitated and disbelieving in light of the coming death.  It makes me wonder -- over and against what fears and anxieties should we preach the promise of peace and God's presence?

(I think I prefer the paired Acts passage (16:9-16) for preaching, but there are some fascinating elements to the Greek here!)

Key words
μονη(ν) (meaning "dwelling", 14:23; as a participle this root word appears in 14:25):  One of the most important ways of understand the work of God in John's Gospel is "dwelling."  In the beginning of the Gospel, we learn that the word dwelt among us (different root word).  In fact, Jesus begins this section by offering that in his Father's house there are many "dwellings" (14:2, same word, but in plural form).  If we interpret 14:2 in light of 14:23, we get a really interesting concept.  In the father's house there are many dwelling places because in each and every person God can make a dwelling!  A dwelling place is a place of peace -- truly home.  This is what Jesus has come to offer!

This passage also establishes the criteria for God making his dwelling:  keeping his word and love.  So let's look at what is happening with those two criteria in this passage --

τηρεω (various forms in 14:21,23 and 24):  This means to guard, protect.  Interestingly, Jesus calls his disciples to guard:  his commandments (22), his word (23), his words (24).  Each of these connotes a different aspect of Jesus' teaching ministry.  It is also worth considering, if we just had John's Gospel, what are the commandments?  Believe in God (14.1) and love one another (14.34) stand out.  I would be curious to see what other commandments we could distill from John's Gospel besides these two foundational words, for John's Gospel offers less moral advice than the other Gospels.  Jesus does tell the woman to sin no more; other than this, what commandments do you find in John's Gospel?

ει αν (markers of conditional phrases): 
Heavy Greek lifting you can skip: 
These two words can work together to set up an IF...THEN...clause in Greek.  Depending on the tenses and moods used, it defines what kind of IF...THEN statement you get.  In the case of verse  14:28, "If you love me, then you would rejoice that I am going to the Father..." you have an ει+indicative imperfect followed by an αν+indicative aorist.  This type of phrase means IF (but it is not true) THEN (therefore this is not true).  So for example, in John 11:21 and 11:32:  If you had been there, my brother would not have died.  (But you weren't there, so my brother did die.).  See also John 18:30 and Acts 18:14 for examples. 

Based on the verbs, Jesus is actually saying in verse 28:  "If you have been loving me (which you haven't), then you would rejoice that I am going to the Father (which you aren't)!  I think this drastically changes the understanding of Jesus words.  He knows his disciples are distressed.  He tells them in the beginning (14:1) and at the end of the passage (14:27) not to be worried (ταρασσεσθω, from ταρασσω). 
 

While it may seem harsh that Jesus is telling his disciples they don't love him, he is actually speaking loving truth here:  They don't get it why Jesus had to die.  The other Gospels make the struggle of the disciples clear; this is the part of the Gospel when the disciples are showing they are struggling to understand and believe.  So what does Jesus do?  He offers them the promise of his presence and his peace.  Sometimes this is all we can do for people!

αφιημι and διδωμι ("leave" and "give", 14:27)  The word αφιημι is fascinating here, but I want to focus more on the fact that we are in the present tense.  This means that Jesus will continually leave and give; this is not a one time transference, but a ministry commitment for Jesus.

I want to borrow from another blogpost I have about the paraclete

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παρακλητος (paraclete, 15.26 and throughout John 15 and 16) The word parakletos for the Holy Spirit is a tough one to crack! The noun literally means "one called along side of." Originally it meant a "legal assistant." Hence the affinity for the term advocate.

Yet, the whole field of words related to parakletos pushes against a cold, judicial term, especially in terms of our relationship with God.

14.16 The parakletos is a gift from God
14.17 The parakletos will be with us, even abide in us forever
14.26 The parakletos will teach you and cause you to remember the words of Jesus
15.26 The parakletos will witness about Jesus
16.8 The parakletos will prove the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.
16.13 The parakletos will guide you on the way
16.13 The parakletos will listen to the Father and Son
16.14 The parakletos will glorify Jesus 
16.14 The parakletos will make Jesus known

Interestingly, the Vulgate does not even use the term advocate to translate parakletos, instead transliterating the word "paracletus." In fact, the Latin does translate the word "parakletos" from the Greek into the Latin "advocatum" once, and this is from 1 John 2.1, where the sense is different. Indeed, here the idea is Jesus interceding for us against the judge of the Father concerning our sins; in John's Gospel the idea of the parakletos has nothing to do with a legal metaphor before God the Father, but the enabler of Christian before the world of unbelievers.

Furthermore, a look at the verb παρακαλεω, the related verb for the noun παρακλητος, really brings home that this word (really word field) is not primarily about legal matters:
Isaiah 40.1 "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God."
Psalm 23 "Your rod and staff, they comfort me."
Proverbs 8:4 "To you, O people, I call and my cry is to all that live."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation,  who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God."