John 11:26

11:26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. ¹  Do you believe this?”

John 12:30

12:30 Jesus said, ²  “This voice has not come for my benefit ³  but for yours.

John 14:1

Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. ⁴  You believe in God; ⁵  believe also in me.

John 15:18

The World’s Hatred

15:18 “If the world hates you, be aware ⁶  that it hated me first. ⁷ 

John 17:20

Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere

17:20 “I am not praying ⁸  only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe ⁹  in me through their testimony, ¹⁰ 

John 18:8

18:8 Jesus replied, ¹¹  “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for ¹²  me, let these men ¹³  go.” ¹⁴ 

[11:26]  ¹ tn Grk “will never die forever.”

[12:30]  ² tn Grk “Jesus answered and said.”

[12:30]  ³ tn Or “for my sake.”

[14:1]  ³ sn The same verb is used to describe Jesus’ own state in John 11:33, 12:27, and 13:21. Jesus is looking ahead to the events of the evening and the next day, his arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death, which will cause his disciples extreme emotional distress.

[14:1]  ⁴ tn Or “Believe in God.” The translation of the two uses of πιστεύετε (pisteuete) is difficult. Both may be either indicative or imperative, and as L. Morris points out (John [NICNT], 637), this results in a bewildering variety of possibilities. To complicate matters further, the first may be understood as a question: “Do you believe in God? Believe also in me.” Morris argues against the KJV translation which renders the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative on the grounds that for the writer of the Fourth Gospel, faith in Jesus is inseparable from faith in God. But this is precisely the point that Jesus is addressing in context. He is about to undergo rejection by his own people as their Messiah. The disciples’ faith in him as Messiah and Lord would be cast into extreme doubt by these events, which the author makes clear were not at this time foreseen by the disciples. After the resurrection it is this identification between Jesus and the Father which needs to be reaffirmed (cf. John 20:24-29). Thus it seems best to take the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative, producing the translation “You believe in God; believe also in me.”

[15:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “know.”

[15:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “it hated me before you.”

[17:20]  ⁵ tn Or “I do not pray.”

[17:20]  ⁶ tn Although πιστευόντων (pisteuontwn) is a present participle, it must in context carry futuristic force. The disciples whom Jesus is leaving behind will carry on his ministry and in doing so will see others come to trust in him. This will include not only Jewish Christians, but other Gentile Christians who are “not of this fold” (10:16), and thus Jesus’ prayer for unity is especially appropriate in light of the probability that most of the readers of the Gospel are Gentiles (much as Paul stresses unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Eph 2:10-22).

[17:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “their word.”

[18:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “if you are seeking.”

[18:8]  ⁸ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.

[18:8]  ⁹ sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.