Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” 22 Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. 25 “I have told you this while I am with you. 26 The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.
Jesus continues speaking to His disciples before His Passion. He is preparing them for the time when they will no longer see Him in the same visible way, but He also teaches them that His presence among them will remain real and active.
Jesus says, “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me” (v. 21). In John’s Gospel, love for Christ is shown by receiving His word and living according to it. To observe Christ’s commandments is to receive His word into the heart, trust Him as Lord, and allow His teaching to govern both our outward actions and our inward desires. A person may appear obedient while still being ruled by pride, resentment, selfishness, or love for the world. Jesus speaks here of a deeper obedience, one that flows from love for Him and turns the whole person toward the Father. As Saint John later writes, love is shown “in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).
Jesus then gives a promise: the one who loves Him “will be loved by my Father,” and Jesus Himself will love him and reveal Himself to him (v. 21). Judas, not the Iscariot, asks why Jesus will reveal Himself to the disciples and not to the world (v. 22). His question likely reflects the expectation that the Messiah would reveal Himself publicly in power and glory. Jesus answers by pointing to another kind of revelation. He makes Himself known to those who love Him and keep His word.
Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (v. 23). This is one of the clearest statements in the Gospel about God dwelling in the believer. In the Old Testament, God promised to dwell among His people: “I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and will be their God” (Exodus 29:45). Through the prophet Ezekiel, God also promised, “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27). Jesus now speaks of this divine presence dwelling personally in the one who loves Him.
This dwelling is the presence of the Father and the Son in the faithful person through grace. Saint Paul teaches the same truth when he says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Christian life is therefore lived in communion with God. Christ does not reveal Himself only as someone to be studied from a distance. He draws the faithful into living union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus also says, “the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me” (v. 24). His teaching comes from the Father because the Son is sent by the Father and perfectly reveals Him. Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). His words and works reveal the Father because He is the Son who comes from the Father and speaks the Father’s word.
Jesus then promises the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in His name (v. 26). The word “Advocate” means one who is called to someone’s side to help, defend, strengthen, and guide. The Holy Spirit will teach the disciples and remind them of all that Jesus told them. This promise is first given to the apostles, who would hand on Christ’s teaching to the Church. The Spirit would lead them to understand more fully the words and deeds of Jesus after His Resurrection. John’s Gospel gives examples of this when it says that, after Jesus was raised, His disciples remembered and understood what He had said and what Scripture meant (John 2:22; 12:16).
The Holy Spirit does not give a message separate from Christ. He teaches the Church to understand the truth already revealed in Jesus. This is why the faith handed on by the apostles remains centered on Christ, His words, His works, His death, and His Resurrection. The Spirit keeps the Church in living contact with the Lord who promised, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Lord Jesus Christ, help us to love You by keeping Your word. Make our hearts a dwelling place for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Send Your Spirit to teach us, remind us of Your truth, and keep us faithful to You. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. John 14:21–26 and notes. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010, 190.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008, 423–424.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, 975, §§186–187.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018, 1162.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022, 1428.
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