John 14:25 - Meaning and Application

Christ comforts his disciples here in two ways.

First, he tells them they will be taught by his Spirit (John 14:25, John 14:26). He reminds them of the instructions he has already given: “These things I have spoken to you while I was still with you.” He means all the good teaching he had given them since they joined his school. This shows that he does not take back anything he has said. What he spoke, he still stands by. It also shows that he used his time with them well. As long as he was with them in person, he did not waste a moment. When our teachers are about to be taken from us, we should remember what they said while they were still with us.

He also encourages them to expect another teacher after he leaves, one through whom he will still speak to them (John 14:26). He had already told them that the Father would give them this other Comforter, and he speaks of it again here. The promised Messiah had been Israel’s comfort, and now the promised Spirit would be the same. The Father will send the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name, that is, for Christ’s sake, at his request, and as his representative. Christ came in his Father’s name as the Father’s messenger. The Spirit comes in Christ’s name as the one who stays after Christ’s departure, carries on his work, and prepares for his return. That is why he is called the Spirit of Christ, because he speaks for Christ and does his work.

The Holy Spirit has two tasks here. First, he will teach the disciples all things as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Christ had been their teacher, and if he left them when they had learned so little, what would become of them? The answer is that the Spirit would become their steady teacher. He would teach them all things they needed to know, both for their own learning and for teaching others. Anyone who wants to teach the things of God must first be taught by God. That is the Spirit’s work (Isaiah 59:21).

Second, the Spirit will bring to their remembrance everything Christ had said to them. Christ had taught them many good lessons that they had forgotten or would not remember when needed. Some things they did not hold onto because they did not yet understand them well. The Spirit would not give them a new gospel, but would bring back to mind what they had already been taught, and help them understand it. The apostles were to preach, and some of them were to write, the things Jesus did and taught, so that people far away and long after could hear them. If they had been left to themselves, they might have forgotten important things or told them wrongly because of weak memory. So the Spirit was promised to help them speak and write Christ’s words truthfully. The Spirit of grace does the same for all believers. He reminds us of what we hear and know, and we should trust him with the keeping of it through faith and prayer.

Second, Christ tells them they will live under the influence of his peace (John 14:27). “Peace I leave with you,” he says. As Christ was about to leave this world, he made his will. He gave his soul to his Father, his body to Joseph for burial, his clothes to the soldiers, and his mother to John’s care. But what would he leave to his poor disciples, who had given up everything for him? He had no silver or gold, but he left them something far better, his peace. He was not leaving in anger, but in love. This was his farewell gift, like a father leaving an inheritance to his children.

The gift itself is peace, his peace. Peace here stands for all good, and Christ has left us all the good we truly need, everything he has purchased and promised. Peace also stands for reconciliation and love, especially peace with God, peace with one another, and peace within ourselves. It means the calm of the mind that comes from knowing we are justified, that is, declared right with God through grace. It is the comfort that belongs to those whose sins are pardoned. Christ calls it his peace because he himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). It is the peace he bought for us, preached to us, and for which the angels praised God at his birth (Luke 2:14).

This peace is given to his disciples, those who would face trouble and need peace, and to those who are ready to receive it. It was left to them as the representatives of the church, to them and their successors, and to all true Christians in every age. Christ says he gives it “not as the world gives.” That means he is not merely speaking a polite form of words. He is not giving empty wishes, but a real blessing. It also means that the peace he gives cannot be created by the world’s praise or destroyed by the world’s anger. The world’s gifts touch only the body and this life. Christ’s gifts enrich the soul for eternity. The world gives empty things that deceive us, but Christ gives lasting blessings that never fail. The world gives and takes away, but Christ gives a portion that can never be taken from us.

Christ’s peace is also far better than the world’s peace. The world’s peace begins in ignorance, can live alongside sin, and ends in lasting trouble. Christ’s peace begins in grace, cannot live with any allowed sin, and ends in everlasting peace. The difference is like that between a deadly sleep and a healthy, refreshing rest. Because of this gift, they are not to let their hearts be troubled by anything already happened or by anything still to come. Those who belong to the covenant of grace, and who have Christ’s peace, should not give themselves over to crushing fear or grief. This is the conclusion of the whole matter. He had already said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1), and now he says it again, after giving them enough reason to trust him.