John 14:8-27

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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit:
    • Peace
    • The Living Presence
    • The Person and Character of the Founder
    • The Name of God
  • "Ask, Seek, Knock," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
  • XLV.36-48; XLVI.1-7; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
  • III.XIII.2, V.XVIII.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • Chapter IX, Adversus Judaeos, Tertullian (c. 198)
  • Chapter VIII, Chapter XX, Chapter XXIV, Chapter XXV, Against Praxeas,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • I.II.6, I.III.4, II.IV.3, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
  • VI.2, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230)
  • VII.XLIII, VIII.XII, VIII.XIV, Against Celsus, Origen. (c.246)
  • XII.8, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
  • On the Unity of the Church, Paragraph 2, Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
  • From Augustine's Tractates on John:
    • Tractate 70 (John 14:7-10)    
      • "When He says, therefore, "That where I am, there ye may be also," where else were they to be but in Himself?"
    • Tractate 71 (John 14:10-14)
      • "And yet He said not, Greater works than these shall ye do, to lead us to suppose that it was only the apostles who would do so."
    • Tractate 72 (John 14:10-14)
      • "Here, then, you see, He did greater works when preached by believers, than when speaking Himself to hearers."
    • Tractate 73 (14:10-14)
      • "What one, therefore, wishes to receive, in order to turn to an improper use, God in His mercy rather refuses to bestow."
    • Tractate 74 (14:15-17)
      • "How can we love so as to receive Him, without whom we cannot love at all? or how shall we keep the commandments so as to receive Him, without whom we have no power to keep them?"
    • Tractate 77 (14:25-27)
      • "Peace He leaveth with us, that we may not judge one another of what is secret to each, while here on earth: His own peace will He give us, when He 'will make manifest the counsels of the heart; and then shall every man have praise of God'."
  • Chapter XI, Historia Calamitatusm: The Story of My Misfortunes, Pierre Abélard / Peter Abelard, c. 1140.
  • "The Self-Communication of God," John 14:23, Meister Eckhart.
  • Sermon for Pentecost Sunday, John 14:23-31, Martin Luther, c. 1525.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Christ's power is not only shown within his own person, but it is spread through the body of his entire Church."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Whatever we ask in Christ's name, that shall be for our good, and suitable to our state, he shall give it to us."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Greater works than these shall he do - So one apostle wrought miracles merely by his shadow, Acts 5:15; another by handkerchiefs carried from his body, Acts 19:12; and all spake with various tongues. But the converting one sinner is a greater work than all these."
  • "The Personality of the Holy Ghost," John 14:16,17, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1855.
  • "The Comforter," John 14:26, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1855.
  • "Christ Manifesting Himself to His People," John 14:22, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1855.
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "I will come to you--"I come" or "am coming" to you; that is, plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His departure to be no bereavement."
  • "Life in Christ," John 14:19, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1871.
  • The Absent Present Christ, Alexander MacLaren, c. 1880.
    • "'I come to you.' 'Then, and only then, will you cease to be desolate and orphans. My presence will change everything and turn winter into glorious summer' ."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "Those who believe shall have power given to do works, in some respects greater; not greater miracles, but to effect greater moral and spiritual revolutions."
  • "Sharing Christ's Life," John 14:19, Charles H. Spurgeon, 1914.
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, John 14:8-17, 25-27, Mary Hinkle Shore, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
    • "While most seminarians learn that John 13-17 is 'he farewell discourse' in John, Gordon Fee refers to these chapters more simply as 'table talks.'"
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "First Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Whether in the company of Jesus or, in his absence, in the company of the Spirit, what ultimately matters is recognising God’s action and becoming part of it. All else is subordinate to that."
  • Philip Asks to See the Father, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2010.
  • "A Ministry of Presence," Amy Wilson, HopeandHealing.org, 2010.
    • "I believe that love can heal our pain, not so that we never feel hurt or that we don’t remember every time we see the scars of our wounds, but so we continue to live with risk-taking compassion, trusting that we will be with each other, able to heal each other, when the pain comes."
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
    • "Sometimes the Presence can seem very close and other times we may feel forsaken. It is to be noted that our feelings do not determine the reality of the Presence in our lives, but they do affect our perception of reality."
  • Lectionary Blogging, John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2010.
    • "Asking in Jesus' name is not, of course, a flinging about of Jesus' name as some kind of magic charm in order to get what a person wants.  That is mere egocentrity."
  • "'Peace I Leave with You,' War & Conflicts," Resources for Prophetic Worship, Speaking to North Carolina Justice Issues, North Carolina Council of Churches.
  • Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, John 10:22-30, David Ewart, 2010.
    • "Jesus gives his peace, not in the way the world gives. But in the way the Father gives: whole-heartedly, freely, totally devoted to the good of the other, nothing held back, nothing expected in return, just because that's the kind of person God is: God SO loved the world ..."
  • First Look, John 14:8-27, Lee Koontz, reflectious, 2010.
  • Laterally Luke, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
  • "'If You Ask Me Anything in My Name, I Will Do It!'" Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
    • "Jesus would have probably used the Hebrew term for name, “shem [HSN8034],” a legal and binding term which carried a great deal of weight with the nomadic tribes in the era of the Patriarchs.  Your name was the accumulated testimony of your character, which bore enough weight to cement political and economic agreements between nations. A person was literally “as good as his name.”"
  • "The Spirit in John," Expository Essay, John 14:8-17, Dr. William R. Long. Part 2.
    • "Rather than healing or powerful sermons resulting from the presence of the Spirit (as in Acts), we have here a quieter, more ruminative, more full-orbed view of the Spirit in our midst."
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, John 14:8-17, (25-27), Wesley White. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
  • "Help for Troubled Hearts (John 13:31 - 14:31)," by J. Hampton Keathley III at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "People everywhere want peace, do they not? But they are looking for it in all the wrong places."
  • "Facing the Future: A Prescription for Peace (John 14)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "He urged them to consider the final chapter of history before drawing hasty conclusions about the events of the immediate future."
  • Reflection on John 14:8-17, Rev. Tom Harries. At Environmental Reflections, Lectionary Year A, Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, Environmental Stewardship Commission.
    • "Don't’ forget that Creation is redeemed and sanctified along with humanity according to Paul."
  • "First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Easter 6," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "The passage is framed by human anxiety about the absence of Jesus and ultimately about the absence of God (14:1; 14:27). It does not deny the anxiety and distress, but offers a promise of presence and sense of meaning embedded in sharing God’s life and participating in God’s action in the world, recognisable by its ‘Jesus-shape’."
  • The Promise/Works of the Paraclete, Easter to Trinity with the Gospel of John: Bearing Witness to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Paul S. Berge, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1995.
    • "Jesus' words promise that God's living presence in this world remains as always."
  • "The Command to Love," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "How do we know we are loved?"
• Articles & Background:
  • "Worship in the Fourth Gospel: A Cultural Interpretation of John 14-17," Jerome H. Neyrey, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2006. Part 2.
    • "...the personnel of worship are clearly defined: the Patron Father who bestows benefaction on his clients by means of Jesus, the Broker. Jesus, in turn, brokers the concerns of the clients to the Patron. Finally, the household with many rooms is not space out of the world, but relationships brokered by Jesus."
  • "The Actualization of Christ's Achievement in our Historical Existence: Breaking Out of the New Babylonian Captivity," Herman C. Waetjen. At Religion On-Line. (The fulfillment of the promise of John 14:12)
    • "Not only has the church subjected its members to a hierarchical relationship of dependency vis a vis the Christ that would preclude the actualization of such a divine potentiality, but as a participant in the culture of the Western world, the church has been captive to a five-hundred-year trajectory of material rationality that has eclipsed the reality of possibility."
  • "The Sociology of Secrecy and the Fourth Gospel." Jerome H. Neyrey, in What Is John? Vol. II: Literary and Social Readings of the Fourth Gospel, 79-109. F. Segovia, ed. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998.
    • "Once we start to pull back the veil, we notice numerous instances of hiding-revealing, secrecy, ambiguity and even lying. The following is an attempt to catalogue the primary and related instances of secrecy and "information control" in the document."
  • "Wind, Wind," a reflection on the Spirit by William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • "The 'Greater Works' of the Believer according to John 14:12," Dr. Andreas J. Koestenberger, Didaskalia, 1995.
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
  • Anderson, Paul N., "The Having-Sent-Me Father: Aspects of Agency, Encounter, and Irony in the Johannine Father-Son Relationship," Semeia, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Bammel, Ernst, "The Farewell Discourse of the Evangelist John and its Jewish Heritage," Tyndale Bulletin, 1993.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Bock, Darrell, "Dribbling Circles around Jesus," Christianity Today, 2006.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • D'Angelo, Mary Rose, "Imitating Deity in the Gospel of John: Theological Language and 'Father' in 'Prayers of Jesus'," Semeia, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Fee, Gordon D., "Expository Article: John 14:8-17," Interpretation, 1989.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Köstenberger, Andreas J., "The 'Greater Works' of the Believer according to John 14:12," Didaskalia, 1995.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • O'Day, Gail R., "'Show Us the Father, and We Will Be Satisfied' (John 14:8)," Semeia, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Segovia, Fernando F., "The Structure, Tendenz, and Sitz im Leben of John 13:31-14:31," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1985.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Somerville, James G., "Who Will Take Care of Us?" The Christian Century, 1998.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Taylor, Barbara Brown, "God's Breath," Journal for Preachers, 2003.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wakefield, Andrew H., "What Happens When We Pray?" Review & Expositor, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Reviews:
  • Review: L. Scott Kellum, The Unity of the Farewell Discourse: The Literary Integrity of John 13.31-16.33. T&T Clark, 2004. Review by Joseph Matos in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
  • Review: George L. Parsenios, Departure and Consolation: The Johannine Farewell Discourse in Light of Greco-Roman Literature. Brill, 2005. Review by Jan van der Watt, Review of Biblical Literature, 2007.
• Sermons:
  • "A New Way to Live - The Spirit's Way," Hubert Beck / "You Haven't Seen Anything Yet," David Zersen, Pentecost, May 27, 2007, Goettinger Predigten: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • "The Holy Spirit," Sigurd Grindheim, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
  • "Claim the Promise," Maxie Dunnam, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club.
  • "Doing Greater Things," The Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1996.
  • "God Will Give Us Anything If We Ask in Jesus' Name?" Easter 6 (St. Philip & St James, Apostles) - 1 May 2005, Hubert Beck, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
• With Children:
  • "Three In One," "Show Your Love," and "The Security Blanket," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
  • "The Greatest Wish," "Trinity," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
  • Crossword on John 13 & 14, Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles.
• Drama:
  • "Ups and Downs," Walt Scheiman, dramatix.
  • "Duckshearer: Private Eye," Glenn A. Hascall, dramatix.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, John 14:16, John 14:18, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • John 14:21-26, John 14:15-21, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: John 14:8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 26, 27. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • "His Spirit Dwells in Me," Brenton Prigge, NewHymn, a new, relevant hymn set to traditional tunes.
  • Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • Praise Ye the Father
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of John