“Scottish theologian Thomas Torrance tells about how, as a young army chaplain, he held the hand of a dying nineteen-year-old soldier, and then, back in Aberdeen as a pastor, visited one of the oldest women in his congregation–and they both asked exactly the same question: ‘Is God really like Jesus?’ And he assured them both, Torrance writes, ‘that God is indeed really like Jesus, and that there is no unknown God behind the back of Jesus for us to fear; to see Jesus is to see the very face of God.'” – William Placher, ‘Jesus the Savior’
Immediately after talking about the glory of God, Jesus turns his face to the disciples and addresses them as his own children. He calls them “Teknia” (13:33) in Greek, adding an “-i-“ in the middle of the common word “tekna” (meaning children), kind of like we add a “-y” at the end of a son’s or daughter’s name. The only other place “teknia” is found in the New Testament is seven times in the letter of 1 John.
The Word was made flesh, and we are his “teknia” — not just children, but beloved children. This little word says so many things at once. When he addressed the disciples as his children, he says that he and the Father are one. And it reminds me that I must come to the Jesus as a child – but once I do, I will be safe in his arms, never turned away.
This “family scene” is part of the “Second Temple testament genre,” a genre of ancient literature in which a dying father addresses his “little children” and heirs. Examples can be found in many of the works written between Malachi and Matthew: similar farewell discourses are found in 1 Maccabees 2:49-70, Antiquities 12:279-284, and a book called Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.
The most famous farewell discourse is in the Torah, as the book of Deuteronomy. This is the farewell discourse of Moses to the country of Israel. The Israelites are about to go into the Promised Land, where Moses cannot follow. So Moses gives them the words of Deuteronomy to take with them, repeating five verbs over and over: “love,” “obey,” “live,” “know,” and “see.”
Jesus repeats these five verbs in his own farewell discourse in John 13-17. He follows the pattern of Moses in Exodus 33-34: seeing or declaring the glory of God, then giving a new law. Jesus gives a new commandment: “that you love one another.” (13:34) This commandment doesn’t require pages of legal statues and definitions. The one definition needed is to look at Jesus, how he loved his disciples to the end.
As usual, Peter ruins the mood but also allows for the next step. He sounds like a child asking his father “But where are you going?”, then is told he cannot follow. But Peter insists, and Jesus replies, “No, you can’t. You won’t even be able to get past sunrise without denying me three times.” (13:38 paraphrased) Peter must go ashen with shock at this, because Jesus tells him immediately, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” He repeats this again at the end of the chapter (14:1, 27).
Between these commands, I see three major themes at the heart of this chapter: 1. That Jesus is one with and is going to the Father (yes, these count as one thing); 2. Jesus is opening his heavenly home to us (14:2-3); and 3. the key to those homes is the little word “love.” This love is given unconditionally and invisibly, but like the wind/breath/spirit from John 3, it has visible and tangible consequences.
I have internalized John 14:15-17a through song, as “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” and it can sound at first like a quid pro quo. But look closer: most of Chapter 14 is about the Father giving rather than requiring. The disciples’ Pentecost gift will be the Spirit of Truth, who will comfort and teach, and will show how to “let not your heart be troubled.” The Trinity is completely present when Jesus speaks of the Father giving the Holy Spirit. The result is peace, even “good tidings” of peace (Isaiah 52:7), which will be to all people.
There’s another “If ye love me” that is more difficult to fit in a song: “If you had loved me you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” (14:28) Some people get hung up on the last part of this, but I think the first part is the real challenge. It’s hard to be happy when someone you love is taken away, even for a good reason.
Thomas Aquinas said when you love someone, you want two things: you want the best for them, and you want to be with them. But when those two things come into conflict, as they will, then you have to choose the first. When love chooses the second it starts to go wrong.
Parents must learn this as their own “little children”/teknia grow up and leave. The disciples had to learn this from the side of the little children. Even in the sadness of the farewell, there was comfort, and a comforter. Jesus promised them as heirs that he would leave them an inheritance: the very Spirit of Truth. The rest of the Bible after John is the result of this gift.
Loving neighbors means washing and wiping feet. Loving God means you pursue Him and His ways with all your heart, soul, and strength. This is the Pearl of Great Price for which you have to sell everything, even let your Teacher go, for whom you have left everything. The disciples have sorrow at night, but there will be joy on Easter morning.
The path that leads to the Father is a path the Son followed Himself. It goes to a cross before it goes to the Father. Faith is knowing that, despite the roadblock and scandal of the cross, the end point is much greater than a mere point, and in fact, is much greater than all earthly things. Yet we must grow young, and become small, to go there — as small as little children.
IMAGE: Moses sees the Promised Land from Mount Nebo.https://www.loc.gov/item/2016677437/?loclr=blogflt
