John – Chapter 14

New Testament31 Verses

Chapter Summary

John 14 opens with the words: "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me." The chapter centers on Philip, Thomas and Judas. Across its 31 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and love and charity. Taken as a whole, the chapter forms one movement in the account, preparing what follows and completing what came before.

1Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me.

2In my Father's house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you.

3And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself: that where I am, you also may be.

4And whither I go you know: and the way you know.

5Thomas saith to him: Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And how can we know the way?

6Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

7If you had known me, you would without doubt have known my Father also: and from henceforth you shall know him. And you have seen him.

8Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father; and it is enough for us.

9Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou: Shew us the Father?

10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself. But the Father who abideth in me, he doth the works.

11Believe you not that I am in the Father and the Father in me?

12Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen, I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do: and greater than these shall he do.

13Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do.

15If you love me, keep my commandments.

16And I will ask the Father: and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever:

17The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him. But you shall know him; because he shall abide with you and shall be in you.

18I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you.

19Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more. But you see me: because I live, and you shall live.

20In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in me, and I in you.

21He 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.

22Judas saith to him, not the Iscariot: Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world?

23Jesus answered and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him and we will come to him and will make our abode with him.

24He that loveth me not keepeth not my words. And the word which you have heard is not mine; but the Father's who sent me.

25These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you.

26But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.

27Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: nor let it be afraid.

28You have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come unto you. If you loved me you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I.

29And now I have told you before it come to pass: that when it shall come to pass, you may believe.

30I will not now speak many things with you. For the prince of this world: cometh: and in me he hath not any thing.

31But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I. Arise, let us go hence.

Important Verses in John 14

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me.

John 14:1

Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him. But you shall know him; because he shall abide with you and shall be in you.

John 14:17

But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I. Arise, let us go hence.

John 14:31

Historical Context

As a New Testament book, John was written with the Church at the close of the apostolic age, led into the mystery of Christ's divinity in view. Chapter 14 of 21 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 31 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Philip, Thomas and Judas, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. It opens with the line: "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me." The chapter ends with: "But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I. Arise, let…" Read against its original backdrop, The fourth Gospel begins before creation: 'In the beginning was the Word. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of John around About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

Who Wrote It

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition

When It Was Written

About AD 90-100, at Ephesus

Catholic Commentary

The literal sense of John 14 presents a concrete episode in the history of Jesus as the eternal Word and source of life. A pivotal line is verse 1: "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 1095). Here, John's Gospel reveals Christ's divinity most clearly (CIC 241). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize family and covenant relationships as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that I am the way, the truth, and the life. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, John 14 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.
  • Faith is a gift and a decision: entrusting ourselves entirely to God and to His promises.

People in This Chapter

Philip2 mentionsThomas1 mentionJudas1 mention

Reflection for Today

Catholic exegesis approaches John Chapter 14 with reverence, seeking both the literal sense and the spiritual meaning ordered to Christ.

Catholic theology recognizes that Jesus as the eternal Word and source of life is not an abstract idea but a reality encountered in prayer, sacraments, and charity. This chapter contributes to that vision by stressing forgiveness and reconciliation.

Consider praying with this chapter again at day's end, offering God gratitude for one insight received. The Church encourages daily contact with Scripture (CIC 2683) so that Christ's mind may be formed in us.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is John Chapter 14 about?

John 14 contains 31 verses. It opens with "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me." and closes with "But that the world may know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandments, so do I. Arise, let…". The book as a whole is gospel.

What is a key verse in John 14?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God: believe also in me." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in John Chapter 14?

This chapter mentions Philip, Thomas, Judas.

Who wrote John and when?

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition. About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

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