John 14:4-7
The brief exchange in Jn 14:4-7, especially the statement by Jesus in v. 7, is part of the block of material spanning chapters 13-17, a major section of the Gospel of John often referred to as the Last (or, Upper Room) Discourse. It actually represents a series of discourses, joined together in a literary framework, and which may not have been delivered by Jesus all on a single occasion. Jn 13:31-14:31 forms a distinct unit, made up of three parts, each of which follows the basic pattern for the discourses of Jesus in John. I would divine this section as follows:
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- 13:31-38—First Part (Introduction)
Statement by Jesus, vv. 31-35
Disciples’ question (Peter), v. 36a
Jesus’ Response, vv. 36b-38 - 14:1-14—Second Part
Statement by Jesus, vv. 1-4
Disciples’ first question (Thomas), v. 5
Jesus’ Response, vv. 6-7
Disciples’ second question (Philip), v. 8
Jesus’ Response, vv. 9-14 - 14:15-17—Promise of the Spirit
- 14:18-24—Third Part
Statement by Jesus, vv. 18-21
Disciples’ question (Judas), v. 22
Jesus’ Response, vv. 23-24 - 14:25-26—Promise of the Spirit
- 14:27-31—Closing Statement
- 13:31-38—First Part (Introduction)
The first section 13:31-38 also serves as an introduction to the Last Discourse as a whole; Jesus’ statement contains three parts, or themes, which run through the discourse(s):
Chapter 14 deals primarily with the second theme (Jesus’ departure), which forms the basis for the statements by Jesus in vv. 1-4 and 18-21, along with the disciples’ questions. In verses 1-4, Jesus states that he is traveling (poreu/omai) to the Father to make ready (e(toima/sai) a place (to/po$, i.e. rooms) for believers to stay. His statement concludes with the promise in verse 4:
“And where(ever) I (am) go(ing) under [i.e. away], you have seen [i.e. known] the way (there)”
The Greek is more concise than indicated by the translation:
kai\ o%pou [e)gw\] u(pa/gw oi&date th\n o(do/n
There is also a wonderful bit of alliteration which is lost in translation:
…hopou egœ hupagœ oidate t¢n hodon
The verb u(pa/gw literally means “lead under”, i.e. to lead/take oneself away, out of sight. It often is used in the general sense of “go away, depart”, but here it is preferable to retain as much of the literal meaning as possible, since it suggests two important themes in context: (a) that Jesus is going to disappear and no longer be seen, and (b) he also shows or leads (a&gw) the way for his followers. The verb ei&dw, as indicated above, has a dual meaning—see/know. The disciples both see the way and know it, that is, to the place where Jesus is going. The verb is a perfect form, oi&date (“you have seen/known”), by which Jesus may imply that they have known from the beginning—in the sense that they have been with Jesus, following him all along. Nevertheless, the disciples’ question (by Thomas) in verse 5, shows that they do not yet fully understand Jesus’ words. This is a common element in the discourses of Jesus—the misunderstanding of those who hear him, prompting a question, such as we see in v. 5:
“Lord, we have not seen/heard where (it is) you (are) go(ing) under [i.e. away]; (so) how are we able to see/know the way (there)?”
As is common in the Johannine discourses, Jesus’ audience takes his words in their apparent sense, unaware of the deeper meaning. In the earlier parallel of 7:33-36, the people are thinking of an actual geographic location, and that may be in the disciples’ mind here as well. At any rate, Thomas’ question assumes a specific way or direction one may follow. The pronoun po$ used as an adverb or particle indicating place (o%pou, pou=), i.e. somewhere, what/which place, suggests a distinct location. The use of the noun o(do/$ (“way, path, road,” etc) is especially significant here in its (figurative) religious and ethical meaning. This will be explained further in the discussion of verses 6-7 which continues in the next note.
