Discovery BoxJohn 14:1
Context14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. 1 You believe in God; 2 believe also in me.
John 13:1--15:27
Context13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time 3 had come to depart 4 from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. 5 13:2 The evening meal 6 was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart 7 of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray 8 Jesus. 9 13:3 Because Jesus 10 knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, 11 and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 13:4 he got up from the meal, removed 12 his outer clothes, 13 took a towel and tied it around himself. 14 13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. 15
13:6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter 16 said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash 17 my feet?” 13:7 Jesus replied, 18 “You do not understand 19 what I am doing now, but you will understand 20 after these things.” 13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” 21 Jesus replied, 22 “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 23 13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash 24 not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 13:10 Jesus replied, 25 “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, 26 but is completely 27 clean. 28 And you disciples 29 are clean, but not every one of you.” 13:11 (For Jesus 30 knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is 31 clean.”) 32
13:12 So when Jesus 33 had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table 34 again and said to them, “Do you understand 35 what I have done for you? 13:13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, 36 for that is what I am. 37 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. 13:15 For I have given you an example 38 – you should do just as I have done for you. 13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, 39 the slave 40 is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger 41 greater than the one who sent him. 13:17 If you understand 42 these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
13:18 “What I am saying does not refer to all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, 43 ‘The one who eats my bread 44 has turned against me.’ 45 13:19 I am telling you this now, 46 before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe 47 that I am he. 48 13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, 49 whoever accepts 50 the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 51
13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed 52 in spirit, and testified, 53 “I tell you the solemn truth, 54 one of you will betray me.” 55 13:22 The disciples began to look at one another, worried and perplexed 56 to know which of them he was talking about. 13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, 57 was at the table 58 to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. 59 13:24 So Simon Peter 60 gestured to this disciple 61 to ask Jesus 62 who it was he was referring to. 63 13:25 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved 64 leaned back against Jesus’ chest and asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 13:26 Jesus replied, 65 “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread 66 after I have dipped it in the dish.” 67 Then he dipped the piece of bread in the dish 68 and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. 13:27 And after Judas 69 took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. 70 Jesus said to him, 71 “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 13:28 (Now none of those present at the table 72 understood 73 why Jesus 74 said this to Judas. 75 13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, 76 or to give something to the poor.) 77 13:30 Judas 78 took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.) 79
13:31 When 80 Judas 81 had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 13:32 If God is glorified in him, 82 God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him right away. 83 13:33 Children, I am still with you for a little while. You will look for me, 84 and just as I said to the Jewish religious leaders, 85 ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ 86 now I tell you the same. 87
13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love 88 one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 89 13:35 Everyone 90 will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”
13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, 91 “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” 13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” 92 13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? 93 I tell you the solemn truth, 94 the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!
14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. 95 You believe in God; 96 believe also in me. 14:2 There are many dwelling places 97 in my Father’s house. 98 Otherwise, I would have told you, because 99 I am going away to make ready 100 a place for you. 101 14:3 And if I go and make ready 102 a place for you, I will come again and take you 103 to be with me, 104 so that where I am you may be too. 14:4 And you know the way where I am going.” 105
14:5 Thomas said, 106 “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 14:6 Jesus replied, 107 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 108 No one comes to the Father except through me. 14:7 If you have known me, you will know my Father too. 109 And from now on you do know him and have seen him.”
14:8 Philip said, 110 “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” 111 14:9 Jesus replied, 112 “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known 113 me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? 114 The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, 115 but the Father residing in me performs 116 his miraculous deeds. 117 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, 118 believe because of the miraculous deeds 119 themselves. 14:12 I tell you the solemn truth, 120 the person who believes in me will perform 121 the miraculous deeds 122 that I am doing, 123 and will perform 124 greater deeds 125 than these, because I am going to the Father. 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, 126 so that the Father may be glorified 127 in the Son. 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
14:15 “If you love me, you will obey 128 my commandments. 129 14:16 Then 130 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate 131 to be with you forever – 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, 132 because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides 133 with you and will be 134 in you.
14:18 “I will not abandon 135 you as orphans, 136 I will come to you. 137 14:19 In a little while 138 the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. 14:20 You will know at that time 139 that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. 14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys 140 them is the one who loves me. 141 The one 142 who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal 143 myself to him.”
14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) 144 said, 145 “what has happened that you are going to reveal 146 yourself to us and not to the world?” 14:23 Jesus replied, 147 “If anyone loves me, he will obey 148 my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. 149 14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey 150 my words. And the word 151 you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.
14:25 “I have spoken these things while staying 152 with you. 14:26 But the Advocate, 153 the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you 154 everything, 155 and will cause you to remember everything 156 I said to you.
14:27 “Peace I leave with you; 157 my peace I give to you; I do not give it 158 to you as the world does. 159 Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. 160 14:28 You heard me say to you, 161 ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad 162 that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 163 14:29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. 164 14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, 165 for the ruler of this world is coming. 166 He has no power over me, 167 14:31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know 168 that I love the Father. 169 Get up, let us go from here.” 170
15:1 “I am the true vine 171 and my Father is the gardener. 172 15:2 He takes away 173 every branch that does not bear 174 fruit in me. He 175 prunes 176 every branch that bears 177 fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 15:3 You are clean already 178 because of the word that I have spoken to you. 15:4 Remain 179 in me, and I will remain in you. 180 Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, 181 unless it remains 182 in 183 the vine, so neither can you unless you remain 184 in me.
15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains 185 in me – and I in him – bears 186 much fruit, 187 because apart from me you can accomplish 188 nothing. 15:6 If anyone does not remain 189 in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, 190 and are burned up. 191 15:7 If you remain 192 in me and my words remain 193 in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. 194 15:8 My Father is honored 195 by this, that 196 you bear 197 much fruit and show that you are 198 my disciples.
15:9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain 199 in my love. 15:10 If you obey 200 my commandments, you will remain 201 in my love, just as I have obeyed 202 my Father’s commandments and remain 203 in his love. 15:11 I have told you these things 204 so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 15:12 My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you. 205 15:13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life 206 for his friends. 15:14 You are my friends 207 if you do what I command you. 15:15 I no longer call you slaves, 208 because the slave does not understand 209 what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything 210 I heard 211 from my Father. 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you 212 and appointed you to go and bear 213 fruit, fruit that remains, 214 so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 15:17 This 215 I command you – to love one another.
15:18 “If the world hates you, be aware 216 that it hated me first. 217 15:19 If you belonged to the world, 218 the world would love you as its own. 219 However, because you do not belong to the world, 220 but I chose you out of the world, for this reason 221 the world hates you. 222 15:20 Remember what 223 I told you, ‘A slave 224 is not greater than his master.’ 225 If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed 226 my word, they will obey 227 yours too. 15:21 But they will do all these things to you on account of 228 my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. 229 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. 230 But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. 15:23 The one who hates me hates my Father too. 15:24 If I had not performed 231 among them the miraculous deeds 232 that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. 233 But now they have seen the deeds 234 and have hated both me and my Father. 235 15:25 Now this happened 236 to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ 237 15:26 When the Advocate 238 comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he 239 will testify about me, 15:27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
[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.”
[13:1] 4 tn Grk “that he should depart.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause in Koine Greek frequently encroached on the simple infinitive (for the sake of greater clarity).
[13:1] 5 tn Or “he now loved them completely,” or “he now loved them to the uttermost” (see John 19:30). All of John 13:1 is a single sentence in Greek, although in English this would be unacceptably awkward. At the end of the verse the idiom εἰς τέλος (eis telos) was translated literally as “to the end” and the modern equivalents given in the note above, because there is an important lexical link between this passage and John 19:30, τετέλεσται (tetelestai, “It is ended”).
[13:2] 5 tn Or “Supper.” To avoid possible confusion because of different regional English usage regarding the distinction between “dinner” and “supper” as an evening meal, the translation simply refers to “the evening meal.”
[13:2] 6 sn At this point the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. C. K. Barrett (St. John, 365) thought this was a reference to the idea entering the devil’s own heart, but this does not seem likely. It is more probable that Judas’ heart is meant, since the use of the Greek article (rather than a possessive pronoun) is a typical idiom when a part of one’s own body is indicated. Judas’ name is withheld until the end of the sentence for dramatic effect (emphasis). This action must be read in light of 13:27, and appears to refer to a preliminary idea or plan.
[13:2] 7 tn Or “that he should hand over.”
[13:2] 8 tn Grk “betray him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:3] 7 tn Grk “Because he knew”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:3] 8 tn Grk “had given all things into his hands.”
[13:4] 9 tn Grk “and removed”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.
[13:4] 10 tn The plural τὰ ἱμάτια (ta Jimatia) is probably a reference to more than one garment (cf. John 19:23-24). If so, this would indicate that Jesus stripped to a loincloth, like a slave. The translation “outer clothes” is used to indicate that Jesus was not completely naked, since complete nudity would have been extremely offensive to Jewish sensibilities in this historical context.
[13:4] 11 tn Grk “taking a towel he girded himself.” Jesus would have wrapped the towel (λέντιον, lention) around his waist (διέζωσεν ἑαυτόν, diezwsen Jeauton) for use in wiping the disciples’ feet. The term λέντιον is a Latin loanword (linteum) which is also found in the rabbinic literature (see BDAG 592 s.v.). It would have been a long piece of linen cloth, long enough for Jesus to have wrapped it about his waist and still used the free end to wipe the disciples’ feet.
[13:5] 11 tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”
[13:6] 13 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:6] 14 tn Grk “do you wash” or “are you washing.”
[13:7] 15 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[13:7] 16 tn Grk “You do not know.”
[13:7] 17 tn Grk “you will know.”
[13:8] 17 tn Grk “You will never wash my feet forever.” The negation is emphatic in Greek but somewhat awkward in English. Emphasis is conveyed in the translation by the use of an exclamation point.
[13:8] 18 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
[13:8] 19 tn Or “you have no part in me.”
[13:9] 19 tn The word “wash” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Here it is supplied to improve the English style by making Peter’s utterance a complete sentence.
[13:10] 21 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
[13:10] 22 tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”
[13:10] 24 sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).
[13:10] 25 tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.
[13:11] 23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:11] 24 tn Grk “Not all of you are.”
[13:11] 25 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[13:12] 25 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:12] 26 tn Grk “he reclined at the table.” The phrase reflects the normal 1st century Near Eastern practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.
[13:12] 27 tn Grk “Do you know.”
[13:13] 28 tn Grk “and I am these things.”
[13:15] 29 sn I have given you an example. Jesus tells his disciples after he has finished washing their feet that what he has done is to set an example for them. In the previous verse he told them they were to wash one another’s feet. What is the point of the example? If it is simply an act of humble service, as most interpret the significance, then Jesus is really telling his disciples to serve one another in humility rather than seeking preeminence over one another. If, however, the example is one of self-sacrifice up to the point of death, then Jesus is telling them to lay down their lives for one another (cf. 15:13).
[13:16] 31 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:16] 32 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[13:16] 33 tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).
[13:17] 33 tn Grk “If you know.”
[13:18] 35 tn Grk “But so that the scripture may be fulfilled.”
[13:18] 36 tn Or “The one who shares my food.”
[13:18] 37 tn Or “has become my enemy”; Grk “has lifted up his heel against me.” The phrase “to lift up one’s heel against someone” reads literally in the Hebrew of Ps 41 “has made his heel great against me.” There have been numerous interpretations of this phrase, but most likely it is an idiom meaning “has given me a great fall,” “has taken cruel advantage of me,” or “has walked out on me.” Whatever the exact meaning of the idiom, it clearly speaks of betrayal by a close associate. See E. F. F. Bishop, “‘He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me’ – Jn xiii.18 (Ps xli.9),” ExpTim 70 (1958-59): 331-33.
[13:19] 37 tn Or (perhaps) “I am certainly telling you this.” According to BDF §12.3 ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι (ap’ arti) should be read as ἀπαρτί (aparti), meaning “exactly, certainly.”
[13:19] 38 tn Grk “so that you may believe.”
[13:19] 39 tn Grk “that I am.” R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:555) argues for a nonpredicated ἐγώ εἰμι (egw eimi) here, but this is far from certain.
[13:20] 39 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:20] 40 tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.
[13:20] 41 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
[13:21] 41 tn Or “greatly troubled.”
[13:21] 42 tn Grk “and testified and said.”
[13:21] 43 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:21] 44 tn Or “will hand me over.”
[13:22] 43 tn Grk “uncertain,” “at a loss.” Here two terms, “worried and perplexed,” were used to convey the single idea of the Greek verb ἀπορέω (aporew).
[13:23] 45 sn Here for the first time the one Jesus loved, the ‘beloved disciple,’ is introduced. This individual also is mentioned in 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Some have suggested that this disciple is to be identified with Lazarus, since the Fourth Gospel specifically states that Jesus loved him (11:3, 5, 36). From the terminology alone this is a possibility; the author is certainly capable of using language in this way to indicate connections. But there is nothing else to indicate that Lazarus was present at the last supper; Mark 14:17 seems to indicate it was only the twelve who were with Jesus at this time, and there is no indication in the Fourth Gospel to the contrary. Nor does it appear that Lazarus ever stood so close to Jesus as the later references in chaps. 19, 20 and 21 seem to indicate. When this is coupled with the omission of all references to John son of Zebedee from the Fourth Gospel, it seems far more likely that the references to the beloved disciple should be understood as references to him.
[13:23] 46 tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.
[13:23] 47 tn Grk “was reclining in the bosom (or “lap”) of Jesus” (according to both L&N 17.25 and BDAG 65 s.v. ἀνάκειμαι 2 an idiom for taking the place of honor at a meal, but note the similar expression in John 1:18). Whether this position or the position to the left of Jesus should be regarded as the position of second highest honor (next to the host, in this case Jesus, who was in the position of highest honor) is debated. F. Prat, “Les places d’honneur chez les Juifs contemporains du Christ” (RSR 15 [1925]: 512-22), who argued that the table arrangement was that of the Roman triclinium (a U-shaped table with Jesus and two other disciples at the bottom of the U), considered the position to the left of Jesus to be the one of second highest honor. Thus the present translation renders this “a position of honor” without specifying which one (since both of the two disciples to the right and to the left of Jesus would be in positions of honor). Other translations differ as to how they handle the phrase ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ (en tw kolpw tou Ihsou; “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” KJV; “lying close to the breast of Jesus,” RSV; “reclining on Jesus’ breast,” NASB; “reclining next to him,” NIV, NRSV) but the symbolic significance of the beloved disciple’s position seems clear. He is close to Jesus and in an honored position. The phrase as an idiom for a place of honor at a feast is attested in the Epistles of Pliny (the Younger) 4.22.4, an approximate contemporary of Paul.
[13:24] 47 sn It is not clear where Simon Peter was seated. If he were on Jesus’ other side, it is difficult to see why he would not have asked the question himself. It would also have been difficult to beckon to the beloved disciple, on Jesus’ right, from such a position. So apparently Peter was seated somewhere else. It is entirely possible that Judas was seated to Jesus’ left. Matt 26:25 seems to indicate that Jesus could speak to him without being overheard by the rest of the group. Judas is evidently in a position where Jesus can hand him the morsel of food (13:26).
[13:24] 48 tn Grk “to this one”; the referent (the beloved disciple) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:24] 49 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:24] 50 sn That is, who would betray him (v. 21).
[13:25] 49 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the disciple Jesus loved) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:26] 51 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
[13:26] 52 sn The piece of bread was a broken-off piece of bread (not merely a crumb).
[13:26] 53 tn Grk “after I have dipped it.” The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.
[13:26] 54 tn The words “in the dish” are not in the Greek text, but the presence of a bowl or dish is implied.
[13:27] 53 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:27] 54 tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.
[13:27] 55 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”
[13:28] 55 tn Grk “reclining at the table.” The phrase reclining at the table reflects the normal practice in 1st century Near Eastern culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.
[13:28] 57 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:28] 58 tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:29] 57 tn Grk “telling him, ‘Buy whatever we need for the feast.’” The first clause is direct discourse and the second clause indirect discourse. For smoothness of English style, the first clause has been converted to indirect discourse to parallel the second (the meaning is left unchanged).
[13:29] 58 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[13:30] 59 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:30] 60 sn Now it was night is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment is more than just a time indicator, however. With the departure of Judas to set in motion the betrayal, arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death of Jesus, daytime is over and night has come (see John 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35-36). Judas had become one of those who walked by night and stumbled, because the light was not in him (11:10).
[13:31] 61 tn Grk “Then when.”
[13:31] 62 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:32] 63 tc A number of early
[13:32] 64 tn Or “immediately.”
[13:33] 65 tn Or “You will seek me.”
[13:33] 66 tn 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 residents of Jerusalem in general, or to the Jewish religious leaders in particular, who had sent servants to attempt to arrest Jesus on that occasion (John 7:33-35). The last option is the one adopted in the translation above.
[13:33] 67 sn See John 7:33-34.
[13:33] 68 tn The words “the same” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
[13:34] 67 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.
[13:34] 68 sn The idea that love is a commandment is interesting. In the OT the ten commandments have a setting in the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai; they were the stipulations that Israel had to observe if the nation were to be God’s chosen people. In speaking of love as the new commandment for those whom Jesus had chosen as his own (John 13:1, 15:16) and as a mark by which they could be distinguished from others (13:35), John shows that he is thinking of this scene in covenant terminology. But note that the disciples are to love “Just as I have loved you” (13:34). The love Jesus has for his followers cannot be duplicated by them in one sense, because it effects their salvation, since he lays down his life for them: It is an act of love that gives life to people. But in another sense, they can follow his example (recall to the end, 13:1; also 1 John 3:16, 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet). In this way Jesus’ disciples are to love one another: They are to follow his example of sacrificial service to one another, to death if necessary.
[13:35] 69 tn Grk “All people,” although many modern translations have rendered πάντες (pantes) as “all men” (ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV). While the gender of the pronoun is masculine, it is collective and includes people of both genders.
[13:36] 71 tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”
[13:37] 73 tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”
[13:38] 75 tn Or “Will you die willingly for me?”
[13:38] 76 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[14:1] 77 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] 78 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.”
[14:2] 79 tn Many interpreters have associated μοναί (monai) with an Aramaic word that can refer to a stopping place or resting place for a traveler on a journey. This is similar to one of the meanings the word can have in secular Greek (Pausanius 10.31.7). Origen understood the use here to refer to stations on the road to God. This may well have been the understanding of the Latin translators who translated μονή (monh) by mansio, a stopping place. The English translation “mansions” can be traced back to Tyndale, but in Middle English the word simply meant “a dwelling place” (not necessarily large or imposing) with no connotation of being temporary. The interpretation put forward by Origen would have been well suited to Gnosticism, where the soul in its ascent passes through stages during which it is gradually purified of all that is material and therefore evil. It is much more likely that the word μονή should be related to its cognate verb μένω (menw), which is frequently used in the Fourth Gospel to refer to the permanence of relationship between Jesus and the Father and/or Jesus and the believer. Thus the idea of a permanent dwelling place, rather than a temporary stopping place, would be in view. Luther’s translation of μοναί by Wohnungen is very accurate here, as it has the connotation of a permanent residence.
[14:2] 80 sn Most interpreters have understood the reference to my Father’s house as a reference to heaven, and the dwelling places (μονή, monh) as the permanent residences of believers there. This seems consistent with the vocabulary and the context, where in v. 3 Jesus speaks of coming again to take the disciples to himself. However, the phrase in my Father’s house was used previously in the Fourth Gospel in 2:16 to refer to the temple in Jerusalem. The author in 2:19-22 then reinterpreted the temple as Jesus’ body, which was to be destroyed in death and then rebuilt in resurrection after three days. Even more suggestive is the statement by Jesus in 8:35, “Now the slave does not remain (μένω, menw) in the household forever, but the son remains (μένω) forever.” If in the imagery of the Fourth Gospel the phrase in my Father’s house is ultimately a reference to Jesus’ body, the relationship of μονή to μένω suggests the permanent relationship of the believer to Jesus and the Father as an adopted son who remains in the household forever. In this case the “dwelling place” is “in” Jesus himself, where he is, whether in heaven or on earth. The statement in v. 3, “I will come again and receive you to myself,” then refers not just to the parousia, but also to Jesus’ postresurrection return to the disciples in his glorified state, when by virtue of his death on their behalf they may enter into union with him and with the Father as adopted sons. Needless to say, this bears numerous similarities to Pauline theology, especially the concepts of adoption as sons and being “in Christ” which are prominent in passages like Eph 1. It is also important to note, however, the emphasis in the Fourth Gospel itself on the present reality of eternal life (John 5:24, 7:38-39, etc.) and the possibility of worshiping the Father “in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24) in the present age. There is a sense in which it is possible to say that the future reality is present now. See further J. McCaffrey, The House With Many Rooms (AnBib 114).
[14:2] 81 tc A number of important
[14:2] 83 tn Or “If not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” What is the meaning of the last clause with or without the ὅτι? One of the questions that must be answered here is whether or not τόπος (topos) is to be equated with μονή (monh). In Rev 12:8 τόπος is used to refer to a place in heaven, which would suggest that the two are essentially equal here. Jesus is going ahead of believers to prepare a place for them, a permanent dwelling place in the Father’s house (see the note on this phrase in v. 2).
[14:4] 83 tc Most
[14:5] 85 tn Grk “said to him.”
[14:6] 87 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
[14:6] 88 tn Or “I am the way, even the truth and the life.”
[14:7] 89 tc There is a difficult textual problem here: The statement reads either “If you have known (ἐγνώκατε, egnwkate) me, you will know (γνώσεσθε, gnwsesqe) my Father” or “If you had really known (ἐγνώκειτε, egnwkeite) me, you would have known (ἐγνώκειτε ἄν or ἂν ἤδειτε [egnwkeite an or an hdeite]) my Father.” The division of the external evidence is difficult, but can be laid out as follows: The
[14:8] 91 tn Grk “said to him.”
[14:8] 92 tn Or “and that is enough for us.”
[14:9] 93 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
[14:10] 95 tn The mutual interrelationship of the Father and the Son (ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστιν, egw en tw patri kai Jo pathr en emoi estin) is something that Jesus expected even his opponents to recognize (cf. John 10:38). The question Jesus asks of Philip (οὐ πιστεύεις, ou pisteuei") expects the answer “yes.” Note that the following statement is addressed to all the disciples, however, because the plural pronoun (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is used. Jesus says that his teaching (the words he spoke to them all) did not originate from himself, but the Father, who permanently remains (μένων, menwn) in relationship with Jesus, performs his works. One would have expected “speaks his words” here rather than “performs his works”; many of the church fathers (e.g., Augustine and Chrysostom) identified the two by saying that Jesus’ words were works. But there is an implicit contrast in the next verse between words and works, and v. 12 seems to demand that the works are real works, not just words. It is probably best to see the two terms as related but not identical; there is a progression in the idea here. Both Jesus’ words (recall the Samaritans’ response in John 4:42) and Jesus’ works are revelatory of who he is, but as the next verse indicates, works have greater confirmatory power than words.
[14:10] 96 tn Grk “I do not speak from myself.”
[14:10] 98 tn Or “his mighty acts”; Grk “his works.”
[14:11] 97 tn The phrase “but if you do not believe me” contains an ellipsis; the Greek text reads Grk “but if not.” The ellipsis has been filled out (“but if [you do] not [believe me]…”) for the benefit of the modern English reader.
[14:11] 98 tn Grk “because of the works.”
[14:12] 99 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[14:12] 101 tn Grk “the works.”
[14:12] 102 tn Or “that I do.”
[14:12] 104 tn Grk “greater works.”
[14:13] 101 tn Grk “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.”
[14:13] 102 tn Or “may be praised” or “may be honored.”
[14:15] 103 tn Or “will keep.”
[14:15] 104 sn Jesus’ statement If you love me, you will obey my commandments provides the transition between the promises of answered prayer which Jesus makes to his disciples in vv. 13-14 and the promise of the Holy Spirit which is introduced in v. 16. Obedience is the proof of genuine love.
[14:16] 105 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the implied sequence in the discourse.
[14:16] 106 tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). Finding an appropriate English translation for παράκλητος is a very difficult task. No single English word has exactly the same range of meaning as the Greek word. “Comforter,” used by some of the older English versions, appears to be as old as Wycliffe. But today it suggests a quilt or a sympathetic mourner at a funeral. “Counselor” is adequate, but too broad, in contexts like “marriage counselor” or “camp counselor.” “Helper” or “Assistant” could also be used, but could suggest a subordinate rank. “Advocate,” the word chosen for this translation, has more forensic overtones than the Greek word does, although in John 16:5-11 a forensic context is certainly present. Because an “advocate” is someone who “advocates” or supports a position or viewpoint and since this is what the Paraclete will do for the preaching of the disciples, it was selected in spite of the drawbacks.
[14:17] 107 tn Or “cannot receive.”
[14:17] 108 tn Or “he remains.”
[14:17] 109 tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì66c,75vid א A D1 L Θ Ψ Ë13 33vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì66 and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.
[14:18] 110 tn The entire phrase “abandon you as orphans” could be understood as an idiom meaning, “leave you helpless.”
[14:18] 111 sn I will come to you. Jesus had spoken in 14:3 of going away and coming again to his disciples. There the reference was both to the parousia (the second coming of Christ) and to the postresurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples. Here the postresurrection appearances are primarily in view, since Jesus speaks of the disciples “seeing” him after the world can “see” him no longer in the following verse. But many commentators have taken v. 18 as a reference to the coming of the Spirit, since this has been the topic of the preceding verses. Still, vv. 19-20 appear to contain references to Jesus’ appearances to the disciples after his resurrection. It may well be that another Johannine double meaning is found here, so that Jesus ‘returns’ to his disciples in one sense in his appearances to them after his resurrection, but in another sense he ‘returns’ in the person of the Holy Spirit to indwell them.
[14:19] 111 tn Grk “Yet a little while, and.”
[14:20] 113 tn Grk “will know in that day.”
[14:21] 116 tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”
[14:21] 117 tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.
[14:21] 118 tn Or “will disclose.”
[14:22] 117 tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.
[14:22] 118 tn Grk “said to him.”
[14:23] 119 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[14:23] 120 tn Or “will keep.”
[14:23] 121 tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.
[14:24] 121 tn Or “does not keep.”
[14:24] 122 tn Or “the message.”
[14:25] 123 tn Or “while remaining” or “while residing.”
[14:26] 125 tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in v. 16 for a discussion of how this word is translated.
[14:26] 126 tn Grk “that one will teach you.” The words “that one” have been omitted from the translation since they are redundant in English.
[14:26] 127 tn Grk “all things.”
[14:26] 128 tn Grk “all things.”
[14:27] 127 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] 128 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] 129 tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”
[14:27] 130 tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”
[14:28] 129 tn Or “You have heard that I said to you.”
[14:28] 130 tn Or “you would rejoice.”
[14:28] 131 sn Jesus’ statement the Father is greater than I am has caused much christological and trinitarian debate. Although the Arians appealed to this text to justify their subordinationist Christology, it seems evident that by the fact Jesus compares himself to the Father, his divine nature is taken for granted. There have been two orthodox interpretations: (1) The Son is eternally generated while the Father is not: Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Hilary, etc. (2) As man the incarnate Son was less than the Father: Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, Augustine. In the context of the Fourth Gospel the second explanation seems more plausible. But why should the disciples have rejoiced? Because Jesus was on the way to the Father who would glorify him (cf. 17:4-5); his departure now signifies that the work the Father has given him is completed (cf. 19:30). Now Jesus will be glorified with that glory that he had with the Father before the world was (cf. 17:5). This should be a cause of rejoicing to the disciples because when Jesus is glorified he will glorify his disciples as well (17:22).
[14:29] 131 sn Jesus tells the disciples that he has told them all these things before they happen, so that when they do happen the disciples may believe. This does not mean they had not believed prior to this time; over and over the author has affirmed that they have (cf. 2:11). But when they see these things happen, their level of trust in Jesus will increase and their concept of who he is will expand. The confession of Thomas in 20:28 is representative of this increased understanding of who Jesus is. Cf. John 13:19.
[14:30] 133 tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”
[14:30] 134 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
[14:30] 135 tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”
[14:31] 135 tn Or “may learn.”
[14:31] 136 tn Grk “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and just as the Father commanded me, thus I do.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to conform to contemporary English style.
[14:31] 137 sn Some have understood Jesus’ statement Get up, let us go from here to mean that at this point Jesus and the disciples got up and left the room where the meal was served and began the journey to the garden of Gethsemane. If so, the rest of the Farewell Discourse took place en route. Others have pointed to this statement as one of the “seams” in the discourse, indicating that the author used preexisting sources. Both explanations are possible, but not really necessary. Jesus could simply have stood up at this point (the disciples may or may not have stood with him) to finish the discourse before finally departing (in 18:1). In any case it may be argued that Jesus refers not to a literal departure at this point, but to preparing to meet the enemy who is on the way already in the person of Judas and the soldiers with him.
[15:1] 137 sn I am the true vine. There are numerous OT passages which refer to Israel as a vine: Ps 80:8-16, Isa 5:1-7, Jer 2:21, Ezek 15:1-8, 17:5-10, 19:10-14, and Hos 10:1. The vine became symbolic of Israel, and even appeared on some coins issued by the Maccabees. The OT passages which use this symbol appear to regard Israel as faithless to Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) and/or the object of severe punishment. Ezek 15:1-8 in particular talks about the worthlessness of wood from a vine (in relation to disobedient Judah). A branch cut from a vine is worthless except to be burned as fuel. This fits more with the statements about the disciples (John 15:6) than with Jesus’ description of himself as the vine. Ezek 17:5-10 contains vine imagery which refers to a king of the house of David, Zedekiah, who was set up as king in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah allied himself to Egypt and broke his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (and therefore also with God), which would ultimately result in his downfall (17:20-21). Ezek 17:22-24 then describes the planting of a cedar sprig which grows into a lofty tree, a figurative description of Messiah. But it is significant that Messiah himself is not described in Ezek 17 as a vine, but as a cedar tree. The vine imagery here applies to Zedekiah’s disobedience. Jesus’ description of himself as the true vine in John 15:1 ff. is to be seen against this background, but it differs significantly from the imagery surveyed above. It represents new imagery which differs significantly from OT concepts; it appears to be original with Jesus. The imagery of the vine underscores the importance of fruitfulness in the Christian life and the truth that this results not from human achievement, but from one’s position in Christ. Jesus is not just giving some comforting advice, but portraying to the disciples the difficult path of faithful service. To some degree the figure is similar to the head-body metaphor used by Paul, with Christ as head and believers as members of the body. Both metaphors bring out the vital and necessary connection which exists between Christ and believers.
[15:1] 138 tn Or “the farmer.”
[15:2] 139 tn Or “He cuts off.”
[15:2] 140 tn Or “does not yield.”
[15:2] 141 tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
[15:2] 142 tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.
[15:2] 143 tn Or “that yields.”
[15:3] 141 sn The phrase you are clean already occurs elsewhere in the Gospel of John only at the washing of the disciples’ feet in 13:10, where Jesus had used it of the disciples being cleansed from sin. This further confirms the proposed understanding of John 15:2 and 15:6 since Judas was specifically excluded from this statement (but not all of you).
[15:4] 144 tn Grk “and I in you.” The verb has been repeated for clarity and to conform to contemporary English style, which typically allows fewer ellipses (omitted or understood words) than Greek.
[15:4] 145 sn The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains connected to the vine, from which its life and sustenance flows. As far as the disciples were concerned, they would produce no fruit from themselves if they did not remain in their relationship to Jesus, because the eternal life which a disciple must possess in order to bear fruit originates with Jesus; he is the source of all life and productivity for the disciple.
[15:4] 147 tn While it would be more natural to say “on the vine” (so NAB), the English preposition “in” has been retained here to emphasize the parallelism with the following clause “unless you remain in me.” To speak of remaining “in” a person is not natural English either, but is nevertheless a biblical concept (cf. “in Christ” in Eph 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 11).
[15:4] 148 tn Or “you reside.”
[15:5] 147 tn Grk “in him, this one bears much fruit.” The pronoun “this one” has been omitted from the translation because it is redundant according to contemporary English style.
[15:6] 148 sn Such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire. The author does not tell who it is who does the gathering and throwing into the fire. Although some claim that realized eschatology is so prevalent in the Fourth Gospel that no references to final eschatology appear at all, the fate of these branches seems to point to the opposite. The imagery is almost certainly that of eschatological judgment, and recalls some of the OT vine imagery which involves divine rejection and judgment of disobedient Israel (Ezek 15:4-6, 19:12).
[15:6] 149 tn Grk “they gather them up and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
[15:7] 151 sn Once again Jesus promises the disciples ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. This recalls 14:13-14, where the disciples were promised that if they asked anything in Jesus’ name it would be done for them. The two thoughts are really quite similar, since here it is conditioned on the disciples’ remaining in Jesus and his words remaining in them. The first phrase relates to the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus. The second phrase relates to their obedience. When both of these qualifications are met, the disciples would in fact be asking in Jesus’ name and therefore according to his will.
[15:8] 151 tn Grk “glorified.”
[15:8] 152 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause is best taken as substantival in apposition to ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) at the beginning of the verse. The Father is glorified when the disciples bring forth abundant fruit. Just as Jesus has done the works which he has seen his Father doing (5:19-29) so also will his disciples.
[15:8] 154 tc Most
[15:11] 157 tn Grk “These things I have spoken to you.”
[15:12] 159 sn Now the reference to the commandments (plural) in 15:10 have been reduced to a singular commandment: The disciples are to love one another, just as Jesus has loved them. This is the ‘new commandment’ of John 13:34, and it is repeated in 15:17. The disciples’ love for one another is compared to Jesus’ love for them. How has Jesus shown his love for the disciples? This was illustrated in 13:1-20 in the washing of the disciples’ feet, introduced by the statement in 13:1 that Jesus loved them “to the end.” In context this constitutes a reference to Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross on their behalf; the love they are to have for one another is so great that it must include a self-sacrificial willingness to die for one another if necessary. This is exactly what Jesus is discussing here, because he introduces the theme of his sacrificial death in the following verse. In John 10:18 and 14:31 Jesus spoke of his death on the cross as a commandment he had received from his Father, which also links the idea of commandment and love as they are linked here. One final note: It is not just the degree or intensity of the disciples’ love for one another that Jesus is referring to when he introduces by comparison his own death on the cross (that they must love one another enough to die for one another) but the very means of expressing that love: It is to express itself in self-sacrifice for one another, sacrifice up to the point of death, which is what Jesus himself did on the cross (cf. 1 John 3:16).
[15:13] 161 tn Or “one dies willingly.”
[15:14] 163 sn This verse really explains John 15:10 in another way. Those who keep Jesus’ commandments are called his friends, those friends for whom he lays down his life (v. 13). It is possible to understand this verse as referring to a smaller group within Christianity as a whole, perhaps only the apostles who were present when Jesus spoke these words. Some have supported this by comparing it to the small group of associates and advisers to the Roman Emperor who were called “Friends of the Emperor.” Others would see these words as addressed only to those Christians who as disciples were obedient to Jesus. In either case the result would be to create a sort of “inner circle” of Christians who are more privileged than mere “believers” or average Christians. In context, it seems clear that Jesus’ words must be addressed to all true Christians, not just some narrower category of believers, because Jesus’ sacrificial death, which is his act of love toward his friends (v. 13) applies to all Christians equally (cf. John 13:1).
[15:15] 165 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[15:15] 166 tn Or “does not know.”
[15:15] 167 tn Grk “all things.”
[15:16] 167 sn You did not choose me, but I chose you. If the disciples are now elevated in status from slaves to friends, they are friends who have been chosen by Jesus, rather than the opposite way round. Again this is true of all Christians, not just the twelve, and the theme that Christians are “chosen” by God appears frequently in other NT texts (e.g., Rom 8:33; Eph 1:4ff.; Col 3:12; and 1 Pet 2:4). Putting this together with the comments on 15:14 one may ask whether the author sees any special significance at all for the twelve. Jesus said in John 6:70 and 13:18 that he chose them, and 15:27 makes clear that Jesus in the immediate context is addressing those who have been with him from the beginning. In the Fourth Gospel the twelve, as the most intimate and most committed followers of Jesus, are presented as the models for all Christians, both in terms of their election and in terms of their mission.
[15:16] 168 tn Or “and yield.”
[15:16] 169 sn The purpose for which the disciples were appointed (“commissioned”) is to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. The introduction of the idea of “going” at this point suggests that the fruit is something more than just character qualities in the disciples’ own lives, but rather involves fruit in the lives of others, i.e., Christian converts. There is a mission involved (cf. John 4:36). The idea that their fruit is permanent, however, relates back to vv. 7-8, as does the reference to asking the Father in Jesus’ name. It appears that as the imagery of the vine and the branches develops, the “fruit” which the branches produce shifts in emphasis from qualities in the disciples’ own lives in John 15:2, 4, 5 to the idea of a mission which affects the lives of others in John 15:16. The point of transition would be the reference to fruit in 15:8.
[15:17] 169 tn Grk “These things.”
[15:18] 172 tn Grk “it hated me before you.”
[15:19] 173 tn Grk “if you were of the world.”
[15:19] 174 tn The words “you as” are not in the original but are supplied for clarity.
[15:19] 175 tn Grk “because you are not of the world.”
[15:19] 176 tn Or “world, therefore.”
[15:19] 177 sn I chose you out of the world…the world hates you. Two themes are brought together here. In 8:23 Jesus had distinguished himself from the world in addressing his Jewish opponents: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” In 15:16 Jesus told the disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” Now Jesus has united these two ideas as he informs the disciples that he has chosen them out of the world. While the disciples will still be “in” the world after Jesus has departed, they will not belong to it, and Jesus prays later in John 17:15-16 to the Father, “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The same theme also occurs in 1 John 4:5-6: “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.” Thus the basic reason why the world hates the disciples (as it hated Jesus before them) is because they are not of the world. They are born from above, and are not of the world. For this reason the world hates them.
[15:20] 175 tn Grk “Remember the word that I said to you.”
[15:20] 176 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[15:20] 177 sn A slave is not greater than his master. Jesus now recalled a statement he had made to the disciples before, in John 13:16. As the master has been treated, so will the slaves be treated also. If the world had persecuted Jesus, then it would also persecute the disciples. If the world had kept Jesus’ word, it would likewise keep the word of the disciples. In this statement there is the implication that the disciples would carry on the ministry of Jesus after his departure; they would in their preaching and teaching continue to spread the message which Jesus himself had taught while he was with them. And they would meet with the same response, by and large, that he encountered.
[15:20] 178 tn Or “if they kept.”
[15:20] 179 tn Or “they will keep.”
[15:21] 177 tn Or “because of.”
[15:21] 178 tn Jesus is referring to God as “the one who sent me.”
[15:22] 179 tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).
[15:24] 181 tn Or “If I had not done.”
[15:24] 182 tn Grk “the works.”
[15:24] 183 tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).
[15:24] 184 tn The words “the deeds” are supplied to clarify from context what was seen. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
[15:24] 185 tn Or “But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.” It is possible to understand both the “seeing” and the “hating” to refer to both Jesus and the Father, but this has the world “seeing” the Father, which seems alien to the Johannine Jesus. (Some point out John 14:9 as an example, but this is addressed to the disciples, not to the world.) It is more likely that the “seeing” refers to the miraculous deeds mentioned in the first half of the verse. Such an understanding of the first “both – and” construction is apparently supported by BDF §444.3.
[15:25] 183 tn The words “this happened” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to complete an ellipsis.
[15:25] 184 sn A quotation from Ps 35:19 and Ps 69:4. As a technical term law (νόμος, nomos) is usually restricted to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT), but here it must have a broader reference, since the quotation is from Ps 35:19 or Ps 69:4. The latter is the more likely source for the quoted words, since it is cited elsewhere in John’s Gospel (2:17 and 19:29, in both instances in contexts associated with Jesus’ suffering and death).
[15:26] 185 tn Or “Helper” or “Counselor”; Grk “Paraclete,” from the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklhto"). See the note on the word “Advocate” in John 14:16 for discussion of how this word is translated.
