John 14:1

Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. ¹  You believe in God; ²  believe also in me.

John 14:27

14:27 “Peace I leave with you; ³  my peace I give to you; I do not give it ⁴  to you as the world does. ⁵  Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. ⁶ 

John 20:19-20

Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples

20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together ⁷  and locked the doors ⁸  of the place ⁹  because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. ¹⁰  Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20:20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ¹¹ 

John 21:7

21:7 Then the disciple whom ¹²  Jesus loved ¹³  said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, tucked in his outer garment (for he had nothing on underneath it), ¹⁴  and plunged ¹⁵  into the sea.

Isaiah 25:9

25:9 At that time they will say, ¹⁶ 

“Look, here ¹⁷  is our God!

We waited for him and he delivered us.

Here ¹⁸  is the Lord! We waited for him.

Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

Isaiah 65:13-14

65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!

Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!

Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!

65:14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! ¹⁹ 

But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; ²⁰ 

you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. ²¹ 

Isaiah 66:9-14

66:9 “Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”

asks the Lord.

“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”

asks your God. ²² 

66:10 Be happy for Jerusalem

and rejoice with her, all you who love her!

Share in her great joy,

all you who have mourned over her!

66:11 For ²³  you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; ²⁴ 

you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts. ²⁵ 

66:12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. ²⁶ 

You will nurse from her breast ²⁷  and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

66:13 As a mother consoles a child, ²⁸ 

so I will console you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, ²⁹ 

and you will be revived. ³⁰ 

The Lord will reveal his power to his servants

and his anger to his enemies. ³¹ 

Matthew 28:8

28:8 So ³²  they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Luke 24:41

24:41 And while they still could not believe it ³³  (because of their joy) and were amazed, ³⁴  he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ³⁵ 

Luke 24:51-53

24:51 Now ³⁶  during the blessing ³⁷  he departed ³⁸  and was taken up into heaven. ³⁹  24:52 So ⁴⁰  they worshiped ⁴¹  him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁴²  24:53 and were continually in the temple courts ⁴³  blessing ⁴⁴  God. ⁴⁵ 

Acts 2:46

2:46 Every day ⁴⁶  they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, ⁴⁷  breaking bread from ⁴⁸  house to house, sharing their food with glad ⁴⁹  and humble hearts, ⁵⁰ 

Acts 13:52

13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy ⁵¹  and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:1

The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: ⁵²  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, ⁵³  Lucius the Cyrenian, ⁵⁴  Manaen (a close friend of Herod ⁵⁵  the tetrarch ⁵⁶  from childhood ⁵⁷ ) and Saul.

Acts 1:8

1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts ⁵⁸  of the earth.”

[14:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.”

[14:27]  ³ sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.

[14:27]  ⁴ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[14:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”

[14:27]  ⁶ tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”

[20:19]  ⁵ tn Although the words “had gathered together” are omitted in some of the earliest and best mss, they are nevertheless implied, and have thus been included in the translation.

[20:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “the doors were shut”; “locked” conveys a more appropriate idea for the modern English reader.

[20:19]  ⁷ tn Grk “where they were.”

[20:19]  ⁸ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders.

[20:20]  ⁷ sn When the disciples recognized Jesus (now referred to as the Lord, cf. Mary’s words in v. 18) they were suddenly overcome with joy. This was a fulfillment of Jesus’ words to the disciples in the Farewell Discourse (16:20-22) that they would have sorrow while the world rejoiced, but that their sorrow would be turned to lasting joy when they saw him again.

[21:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “the disciple, that one whom.”

[21:7]  ¹⁰ sn On the disciple whom Jesus loved see 13:23-26.

[21:7]  ¹¹ tn Grk “for he was naked.” Peter’s behavior here has been puzzling to many interpreters. It is usually understood that the Greek word γυμνός (gumnos, usually translated “naked”) does not refer to complete nudity (as it could), since this would have been offensive to Jewish sensibilities in this historical context. It is thus commonly understood to mean “stripped for work” here (cf. NASB, NLT), that is, with one’s outer clothing removed, and Peter was wearing either a loincloth or a loose-fitting tunic (a long shirt-like garment worn under a cloak, cf. NAB, “for he was lightly clad”). Believing himself inadequately dressed to greet the Lord, Peter threw his outer garment around himself and dived into the sea. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 580-81) offered the explanation that a greeting was a religious act and thus could not be performed unless one was clothed. This still leaves the improbable picture of a person with much experience around the water putting on his outer garment before diving in. R. E. Brown’s suggestion (John [AB], 2:1072) seems much more probable here: The Greek verb used (διαζώννυμι, diazwnnumi) does not necessarily mean putting clothing on, but rather tying the clothing around oneself (the same verb is used in 13:4-5 of Jesus tying the towel around himself). The statement that Peter was “naked” could just as well mean that he was naked underneath the outer garment, and thus could not take it off before jumping into the water. But he did pause to tuck it up and tie it with the girdle before jumping in, to allow himself more freedom of movement. Thus the clause that states Peter was naked is explanatory (note the use of for), explaining why Peter girded up his outer garment rather than taking it off – he had nothing on underneath it and so could not remove it.

[21:7]  ¹² tn Grk “threw himself.”

[25:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”

[25:9]  ¹² tn Heb “this [one].”

[25:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “this [one].”

[65:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”

[66:9]  ¹⁵ sn The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “Of course not!”

[66:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “in order that”; ASV, NRSV “that.”

[66:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you will suck and be satisfied, from her comforting breast.”

[66:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “you will slurp and refresh yourselves from her heavy breast.”

[66:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”

[66:12]  ²⁰ tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).

[66:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”

[66:14]  ²³ tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”

[66:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”

[66:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”

[28:8]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s instructions to tell the disciples.

[24:41]  ²⁷ sn They still could not believe it. Is this a continued statement of unbelief? Or is it a rhetorical expression of their amazement? They are being moved to faith, so a rhetorical force is more likely here.

[24:41]  ²⁸ sn Amazement is the common response to unusual activity: 1:63; 2:18; 4:22; 7:9; 8:25; 9:43; 11:14; 20:26.

[24:41]  ²⁹ sn Do you have anything here to eat? Eating would remove the idea that a phantom was present. Angelic spirits refused a meal in Jdt 13:16 and Tob 12:19, but accepted it in Gen 18:8; 19:3 and Tob 6:6.

[24:51]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[24:51]  ³⁰ tn Grk “while he blessed them.”

[24:51]  ³¹ tn Grk “he departed from them.”

[24:51]  ³² tc The reference to the ascension (“and was taken up into heaven”) is lacking in א* D it sy^s, but it is found in Ì⁷⁵ and the rest of the ms tradition. The authenticity of the statement here seems to be presupposed in Acts 1:2, for otherwise it is difficult to account for Luke’s reference to the ascension there. For a helpful discussion, see TCGNT 162-63.

[24:52]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of Jesus’ ascension and the concluding summary of Luke’s Gospel.

[24:52]  ³² tc The reference to worship is lacking in the Western ms D, its last major omission in this Gospel.

[24:52]  ³³ sn Joy is another key theme for Luke: 1:14; 2:10; 8:13; 10:17; 15:7, 10; 24:41.

[24:53]  ³³ tn Grk “in the temple.”

[24:53]  ³⁴ tc The Western text (D it) has αἰνοῦντες (ainounte", “praising”) here, while the Alexandrian mss (Ì⁷⁵ א B C* L) have εὐλογοῦντες (eulogounte", “blessing”). Most mss, especially the later Byzantine mss, evidently combine these two readings with αἰνοῦντες καὶ εὐλογοῦντες (A C² W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat). It is more difficult to decide between the two earlier readings. Internal arguments can go either way, but what seems decisive in this instance are the superior witnesses for εὐλογοῦντες.

[24:53]  ³⁵ tc The majority of Greek mss, some of which are important witnesses (A B C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï lat), add “Amen” to note the Gospel’s end. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, since significant witnesses lack the word (Ì⁷⁵ א C* D L W 1 33 pc it co ), it is evidently not original.

[2:46]  ³⁵ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[2:46]  ³⁶ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[2:46]  ³⁷ tn Here κατά (kata) is used as a distributive (BDAG 512 s.v. B.1.d).

[2:46]  ³⁸ sn The term glad (Grk “gladness”) often refers to joy brought about by God’s saving acts (Luke 1:14, 44; also the related verb in 1:47; 10:21).

[2:46]  ³⁹ tn Grk “with gladness and humbleness of hearts.” It is best to understand καρδίας (kardias) as an attributed genitive, with the two nouns it modifies actually listing attributes of the genitive noun which is related to them.

[13:52]  ³⁷ sn The citizens of Pisidian Antioch were not discouraged by the persecution, but instead were filled with joy.

[13:1]  ³⁹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[13:1]  ⁴⁰ sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”

[13:1]  ⁴¹ sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.

[13:1]  ⁴² sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39, who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who is mentioned a number of times in the gospels.

[13:1]  ⁴³ tn Or “the governor.”

[13:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”

[1:8]  ⁴¹ tn Or “to the ends.”