“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

1) What is the greater context of this verse?
John chapter 14 tells of the last night of Jesus’ life. In the chapter before this, He has washed His disciples’ feet and then He begins to teach them. He knows His life is about to end and His earthly ministry is done. He wants the disciples to remember what He has taught them and this is one piece of that teaching.

2) What “things” were spoken and who spoke them?
Jesus is speaking to the disciples in this passage. He is preparing them for His departure and giving them the promise of what is to come. They have been following Him for the last three years in ministry. Everywhere He went, they went. In the verse preceding this passage, He tells them this time, they cannot come. He will be leaving them, but not abandoning them alone. He will be leaving a Helper, the Holy Spirit.

3) What promises are we given in this passage?
There are two main promises given in this passage. First, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit who will be a helper to teach and bring to remembrance all that they have been taught by the Savior. The second promise given is peace that only Jesus can offer. This peace is not like any other and it cannot be found in earthly form, but rather is the kind of peace from the Heavenly realm.

1) What is the greater context of this verse?
I find it interesting that Jesus in his last moments, with his closest followers, continues to teach them. He knows the task that lay ahead for them and is giving them encouragement in His last hours so that the gospel would be in the forefront of their minds. He has told them what must happen and is entrusting them with the continuation of his ministry, just as He has to us today!

2) What “things” were spoken and who spoke them?
For the first time the disciples will be without Jesus in an earthly human form. His entire ministry has led up to this moment when He hands the ministry of reconciliation on Earth over to His followers. He wants them to remember in the raw moments of the cross, which up to this point they had not experienced yet, all they knew about Him, all they knew about the Father, and what they knew about their role in the ministry of the gospel.

3) What promises are we given in this passage?
Without Jesus on Earth, God gifts His followers with a Helper, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides, reminds, instructs, convicts, and encourages the believer. When Jesus left, He did not leave us alone but rather with the power to fulfill the ministry He started. In the gospel pursuit we are given peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7) to march onward in this troubled world. We know that His peace and His Spirit reside within us.

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Guarding The Gospel!
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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