The Meaning of John 14:21 Explained

John 14:21

KJV: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

YLT: he who is having my commands, and is keeping them, that one it is who is loving me, and he who is loving me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.'

Darby: He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

ASV: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He that hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it is  that loveth  me:  and  he that loveth  me  shall be loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will love  him,  and  will manifest  myself  to him. 

What does John 14:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Love for God makes the believer more obedient to God. Moreover obedience results in a more intimate relationship with God that God"s love for the believer and His self-disclosure to the believer identify.
The believer"s obedience does not make God love him or her more than He would otherwise. God"s love for all people is essentially as great as it can be. However in the family relationship that Jesus was describing the believer"s obedience results in God expressing His love for him or her without restraint. When there is disobedience, God does not express His love as fully because He chooses to discipline the believer (cf. Hebrews 12:4-13).
In the context ( John 14:18-20), this was a promise that Jesus would disclose Himself to the Eleven after His resurrection and an encouragement for them to continue obeying Him and loving Him. However that disclosure was only typical of many others that would come to believers who obey and love Jesus, including the one that happened on Pentecost.
Some believers love Jesus more than other believers do. This results in some believers obeying Him more than others and enjoying a more intimate relationship and greater understanding of Him than others enjoy. The way to become a great lover of Jesus is by learning to appreciate the greatness of His love for us (cf. Matthew 18:21-35; 1 John 4:19).

Context Summary

John 14:12-24 - The Spirit Of Truth
There is no adequate translation for the word Paraclete. It may be rendered "interpreter," "comforter," "advocate," but no one word suffices. The Greek means "one whom you call to your side in the battle or law-court." His advent depends upon the praying Christ (I will pray the Father), and upon the praying Church (ye shall ask). The Holy Spirit must be a person, or He could not be compared as "another" to Christ. It is characteristic of this dispensation that He shall be in us, and His indwelling brings with it that of the Father and the Son.
"We will"¦ make our abode." That word abode is the same Greek word as is rendered mansions in the former part of this chapter. God prepares a mansion for those who believe in Christ, and asks in return that we shall prepare our hearts as guest chambers for Him to dwell in. As He enters the loving, cleansed, and believing heart, we hear Him say: "This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it," Psalms 132:14. And what a word is that, my Father will love him. That He should love the world is wonderful, but that He should love us would be incredible, were He not infinite, and did He not see us in Jesus Christ our Lord. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 14

1  Jesus comforts his disciples with the hope of heaven;
5  professes himself the way, the truth, and the life, and one with the Father;
13  assures their prayers to be effectual;
15  requires obedience;
16  promises the Comforter;
27  and leaves his peace with them

Greek Commentary for John 14:21

He it is that loveth me [εκεινος εστιν ο αγαπων με]
Emphatic demonstrative pronoun εκεινος — ekeinos “that is the one who loves me.” And will manifest myself unto him Future active of εμπανιζω — emphanizō old verb from εμπανης — emphanēs (Acts 10:40; Romans 10:20). The Unseen and Risen Christ will be a real and spiritual Presence to the obedient and loving believer. [source]
Hath []
“Who has in memory and keeps in life” (Augustine). [source]
Will manifest [ἐμφανίσω]
Properly, of manifestation to the sight, as distinguished from δηλόω , to make evident to the mind (1 Corinthians 3:13; Colossians 1:8, etc.). A clear, conspicuous manifestation is indicated. Compare ye see me (John 14:19). “It conveys more than the disclosing of an undiscovered presence ( ἀποκαλύπτω ), or the manifesting of a hidden one ( φανερόω )” (Westcott). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 14:21

John 8:12 The light of the world [τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου]
Not λύχνος , a lamp, as John the Baptist (John 8:35). Light is another of John's characteristic terms and ideas, playing a most important part in his writings, as related to the manifestation of Jesus and His work upon men. He comes from God, who is light (1 John 1:5). “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). The Word was among men as light before the incarnation (John 1:9; John 9:5), and light came with the incarnation (John 3:19-21; John 8:12; John 12:46). Christ is light through the illuminating energy of the Spirit (John 14:21, John 14:26; John 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27), which is received through love (John 14:22, John 14:23). The object of Christ's work is to make men sons of light (John 12:36, John 12:46), and to endow them with the light of life (John 8:12). In John 8:20, we are told that Jesus spake these words in the Treasury. This was in the Court of the Women, the most public part of the temple. Four golden candelabra stood there, each with four golden bowls, each one filled from a pitcher of oil by a youth of priestly descent. These were lighted on the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is not unlikely that they may have suggested our Lord's figure, but the figure itself was familiar both from prophecy and from tradition. According to tradition, Light was one of the names of the Messiah. See Isaiah 9:1; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 60:1-3; Malachi 4:2; Luke 2:32. [source]
John 14:22 Not Iscariot [ουχ ο Ισκαριωτης]
Judas Iscariot had gone (John 13:30), but John is anxious to make it clear that this Judas (common name, two apostles also named James) was not the infamous traitor. He is also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus (Mark 3:17; Matthew 10:3) and the brother (or son) of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). This is the fourth interruption of the talk of Jesus (by Peter, John 13:36; by Thomas, John 14:5; by Philip, John 14:8; by Judas, John 14:22). And not to the world Judas caught at the word εμπανιζω — emphanizō in John 14:21 as perhaps a Messianic theophany visible to all the world as at the judgment (John 5:27.). He seems to suspect a change of plan on the part of Jesus (τι γεγονεν οτι — ti gegonen hoti = how has it happened that). [source]
John 16:26 I say not [ου λεγω]
“I speak not.” Christ did pray for the disciples before his death (John 14:16; John 17:9, John 17:15, John 17:24) and he prays also for sinners (Luke 23:34; 1 John 2:1). Here it is the special love of God for disciples of Jesus (John 14:21, John 14:23; John 17:23; 1 John 4:19). Note αιτεω — aiteō and ερωταω — erōtaō used in practically the same sense as in John 16:23. [source]
John 8:51 If a man keep my word [εαν τις τον εμον λογον τηρησηι]
Condition of third class with εαν — ean and constative aorist active subjunctive of τηρεω — tēreō Repeated in John 8:52. See John 8:43 about hearing the word of Christ. Common phrase in John (John 8:51, John 8:52, John 8:55; John 14:23, John 14:24; John 15:20; John 17:6; 1 John 2:5). Probably the same idea as keeping the commands of Christ (John 14:21). He shall never see death Spiritual death, of course. Strong double negative ου μη — ou mē with first aorist active subjunctive of τεωρεω — theōreō The phrase “see death” is a Hebraism (Psalm 89:48) and occurs with ιδειν — idein (see) in Luke 2:26; Hebrews 11:5. No essential difference meant between οραω — horaō and τεωρεω — theōreō See John 14:23 for the blessed fellowship the Father and the Son have with the one who keeps Christ‘s word. [source]
1 Timothy 6:14 Commandment [ἐντολὴν]
Usually of a single commandment or injunction, but sometimes for the whole body of the moral precepts of Christianity, as 2 Peter 2:21; 2 Peter 3:2. The reference may be explained by ἡ παραγγελία thecommandment, 1 Timothy 1:5, meaning the gospel as the divine standard of conduct and faith. Comp. 2 Timothy 1:14. The phrase τηρεῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν tokeep the commandment is Johannine. See John 14:15, John 14:21; John 15:10; 1 John 2:3, 1 John 2:4; 1 John 3:22, 1 John 3:24; 1 John 5:3. [source]
Hebrews 11:14 Declare plainly [ἐμφαμίζουσιν]
oP. See on John 14:21. Occasionally in lxx. Rend. “make it manifest.” [source]
Hebrews 9:24 Made with hands [χειροποιητα]
See Hebrews 9:11 for this word. Like in pattern to the true Late compound word, only twice in N.T. (here, 1 Peter 3:21). Polybius uses αντιτυπος — antitupos for infantry “opposite” to the cavalry. In modern Greek it means a copy of a book. Here it is the “counterpart of reality” (Moffatt). Moses was shown a τυπος — tupos (model) of the heavenly realities and he made an αντιτυπον — antitupon on that model, “answering to the type” (Dods) or model. In 1 Peter 3:21 αντιτυπος — antitupos has the converse sense, “the reality of baptism which corresponds to or is the antitype of the deluge” (Dods). Now to appear Purpose clause by the first aorist passive infinitive of εμπανιζω — emphanizō (Matthew 27:53; John 14:21.). For the phrase see Psalm 42:3. For this work of Christ as our High Priest and Paraclete in heaven see Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1. [source]
1 John 2:5 Keepeth His word [τηρῇ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον]
Note the changed phrase: word for commandments. The word is the revelation regarded as a whole, which includes all the separate commandments or injunctions. See the use of λόγος word, and ἐντολή preceptin John 14:21-24. [source]

What do the individual words in John 14:21 mean?

The [one] having the commandments of Me and keeping them he is loving Me now will be loved by the Father and I will love him will show to him Myself
ἔχων τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ τηρῶν αὐτὰς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ἀγαπῶν με δὲ ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός κἀγὼ ἀγαπήσω αὐτὸν ἐμφανίσω αὐτῷ ἐμαυτόν

  The  [one] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐντολάς  commandments 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ἐντολή  
Sense: an order, command, charge, precept, injunction.
μου  of  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
τηρῶν  keeping 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: τηρέω  
Sense: to attend to carefully, take care of.
ἀγαπῶν  loving 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀγαπάω  
Sense: of persons.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἀγαπηθήσεται  will  be  loved 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀγαπάω  
Sense: of persons.
Πατρός  Father 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
κἀγὼ  and  I 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative 1st Person Singular
Root: κἀγώ  
Sense: and I.
ἀγαπήσω  will  love 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἀγαπάω  
Sense: of persons.
ἐμφανίσω  will  show 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐμφανίζω  
Sense: to manifest, exhibit to view.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἐμαυτόν  Myself 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐμαυτοῦ  
Sense: I, me, myself etc.