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The Marriage Motif in John 13 and 14, Part 3

 

JOHN 14:6-23

A– Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; v. 6a

B–No one comes (Gr. erchetai from the root, erchomai) to the Father but through Me.”  v. 6b

C– Believe Me that I am in the Father (Gr. ego en to Patri) and the Father is in Me. v. 11a

D– If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.  v. 15

C– In that day you will know that I am in My Father (Gr. ego en to Patri), and you in Me, and I in you. v. 20

D– He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. v. 21a

A– Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;  v. 23a

B–and My Father will love him, and We will come (Gr. eleusometha from the root, erchomai) to him and make Our abode (Gr. mon-ay) with him.”  v. 23b

Explaining the Chiasm

In our examination of John 14:3-6 in Part 2 of this series, we looked at those verses in the context of the Jewish wedding–a marriage motif. After departing to prepare a place for his bride–presumably at his father’s house–the bridegroom “comes back” to join the two together “so that where I am, you will be also.” That’s the message of verse 3. The verb, come–erchomai in Greek–repeats in verse 6b. “No one comes (erchomai) to the Father but  through Me,” states Jesus. In the marriage motif, it is the exclusive privilege of the bridegroom to “carry away” his bride to the Father’s abode. Verses 3 and 6b, when seen as a synonymous parallelism, suggests that it is equally the exclusive privilege of Jesus, the master, to “carry away” His disciples to His Father. The relationship of a bridegroom to his bride aligns with the relationship of a master to his disciple.

Continue reading The Marriage Motif in John 13 and 14, Part 3