Jesus Encourages His Friends And
Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many homes; if it were not so, I
would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me
that where I am, you may be also; and you know the way to the place
where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not
know where you are going; how
then can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life; no man comes to the Father except through me. If you had
learned to know me, you would have known my Father also; from now on you
know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him, "Master, let us see the Father and we will be
satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been all this time with you and
yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father;
then how can you say, 'Let us see the Father'? Do you not believe that I
am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak do not
come from me but from the Father who lives in me. Believe me, that I am
in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me because of the
work itself. I say to you, he who believes in me will do the work which
I do and still greater works than these, for I go to the Father. And
whatever you shall ask in my name I will do, that the Father may be
glorified through the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
"If you love me you will keep my commands, and I shall ask the Father
and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the
Spirit of truth.
"In a little while the world will see me no more; but you shall see me,
because I live and you shall live also. He who has my commands and obeys
them is the one who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my
Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.
"I have told you all this while I am still with you; but the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you
everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.
"Peace I leave with you, my own peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled nor afraid. You
have heard me tell you that I go away and am coming back to you. If you
love me you will be glad because I am going to the Father, for the
Father is greater than I. I have told you this now, before it takes
place, that when it does you may believe.
"I am the true vine and my Father is the vine-dresser. He cuts away each
of my branches that does not bear fruit, and cleans every branch that
bears fruit so as to make it bear more. You are already clean because of
the word which I have spoken to you. Remain united with me and I will
remain with you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains
united with the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain
united with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains
united with me and I with him bears much fruit, but apart from me you
can do nothing.
"If you remain united with me and my words remain in you, ask whatever
you will and you shall have it. It is by your bearing much fruit and
being my true disciples that my Father is glorified. As the Father has
loved me, so have I also loved you; continue in my love. If you keep my
commands, you will continue in my love, even as I have kept my Father's
commands and continue in his love.
"I have told you all this that my joy may be yours, and that your joy
may be complete. This is my command: 'Love one another even as I have
loved you.' No man has greater love than that which leads him to lay
down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I
command you. I call you servants no longer, for the servant does not
know what his master does; but I call you friends, for I have told you
everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but
I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain, so that
whatever you ask of the Father in my name he will give you."