READ: Jn. 14:15–31: … Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you …
The Lord Jesus shows that loving Him means following His words, His commandments. We think of the Sermon on the Mount, the new commandment to love one another, and Matt. 22:37ff. with the double commandment of love as the summary of the Ten Commandments.
Jesus will ask the Father to send the great gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who will write God’s commandments on our hearts and give understanding. He is the great Comforter or Helper, Advocate and Teacher (v.26). He stands by us and even dwells in us.
In verse 18 Jesus says: I will come to you again! I will come to live in you through My Spirit.
The disciples receive His Spirit from the risen Christ, through whom they receive true life and experience Christ’s glory (v.19). Through the outpouring of the Spirit, their faith will grow, as will their knowledge of the Saviour, who is one with the Father and in fellowship with them (see Jn. 10:14,15; 15:5; 1 Cor. 12:12,13).
Keeping Christ’s commandments out of love for Him, as the work of the Spirit, will be answered by the Father and the Son with love: Father and Son will be near you in all things through the Holy Spirit. If you do not keep Jesus’s word, you show that you do not love Him; you reject not a human word, but the Word of God!
Then you will not experience God’s love. In verse 27 Jesus speaks of the peace He gives. Worldly peace is the end of conflict, but the peace of Christ, obtained by His atoning sacrifice, is first peace with God (Rom. 5:1). He then pours His peace into your heart as a peace that surpasses all understanding, giving rest through deep trust in God the Father and your Saviour (Phil. 4:7).
Then there is no reason to fear danger, for you know God governs all things and works them for good.
The disciples should therefore be glad, not troubled, that Jesus returns to His Father after completing His task (vv.27,28).
How do we experience and answer the love of God?
Sing: Ps. 66:6