Christ comforts his disciples with the hope of heaven, 1-4; professes himself the way, the truth, and the life, and one with the Father, 5-12; assures their prayers to be effectual, 13, 14; requires obedience, 15; promises the Comforter, 16-26; and leaves his peace with them, 27-31.
1 "Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many places to reside. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be there also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas says to him, "Lord, we do not know where you go, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus says to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. And from now on you know him and have seen him."
8 Philip says to him, "Lord, show us the Father and it will be sufficient for us." 9 Jesus says to him, "Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known me Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How then do you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from myself. But the Father who dwells in me, he does the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he shall do also, and he shall do greater works than these, because I go to my Father. 13 And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
15 "If you love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Comforter so that he may abide with you forever, 17 Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him. But you know him because he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world no longer sees me, but you see me. Because I live, you shall live also. 20 At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." 22 Judas, not Iscariot, says to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my words. And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my sayings. And the word which you hear is not mine, but that of the Father who sent me.
25 "These things I have spoken to you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard that I said to you, 'I go away and come back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I go to the Father,' for my Father is greater than I am. 29 And now I have told you before it comes to pass, so that when it has come to pass, you may believe. 30 Hereafter, I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world comes and has nothing in me. 31 But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here."
Matthew Henry Commentary - John, Chapter 14[➚]
[v.2] - "places to reside" - Traditionally, this text is rendered as, "In my Father's house there are many mansions..." I am going to harp on the word, mansions, in this text. Mansions comes from the Latin word, mansiones. Using the word, mansions, does not convey a proper thought to current speakers of English. Granted, the Latin word can be translated into home or abode (that would be a long obsolete use of the word), but it is typically translated into mansion. A current definition of mansion is, a large, impressive house. I do not believe that was the original intent with the use of that word in the Latin Vulgate. I believe abode, or even the idea of a house, was intended. This seems to be more in line with the Greek word, mone (mon-ay'), which is used here. The Strong's Concordance gives this as the definition for mone: "a staying, i.e. residence (the act or the place)." When we go to the Lord, passing from this life to the next, we are not simply given a house, or even a large, impressive house. We are given a place to stay or reside for eternity. Therefore, I have updated the text to read as, "In my Father's house there are many places to reside..."
[v.9] - Reference, 2nd Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15.