Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 172:687 (Jul 2015)
Article: John 14:1-27: The Comfort Of God’s Presence
Author: J. Lanier Burns

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John 14:1-27: The Comfort Of God’s Presence

J. Lanier Burns

J. Lanier Burns is Senior Professor of Systematic Theology and Research Professor of Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

Abstract

Believers may easily become distracted by empty definitions of success or feel abandoned to the harsh realities of life. These same emotions confronted the disciples as they struggled with the announcement of Jesus’s departure. Jesus reassured his disciples in John 14 that their greatest comfort in the world would be the presence of God. Through rabbinic-style dialogues, Jesus promised that God’s presence through the indwelling Spirit carries obedient believers through trying circumstances with a gifted love, joy, and peace.

Jesus’s farewell to his disciples included an intriguing promise, “I will not leave you as orphans.” What did this mean for them, and what does it mean for us? One of the most difficult problems for most people has been loneliness that is hard to define and therefore hard to deal with. In Frederick Buechner’s words, “Loneliness is awareness of an emptiness which takes more than people to fill.”1 In general it can come from a situation as trivial as being ignored in a store where we intend to spend our hard-earned money. We want eye contact, a smile, and the assurance that we will be helped as quickly as possible. In the rush or boredom of today’s world, we want some indication of our significance, even if most of our “friends” will not bother to read our obituary. The feelings of anxiety and fear become more intense with severe illness, imminent danger, or a feeling of abandonment in difficult circumstances. An acquaintance wrote to me in appreciation for a kind word, “When I needed love the most, I felt that no

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one was there to provide it. It fostered a sense of not being valued, worthlessness, depression, neglect, and bitterness.” The problem can cause poor choices in relationships and daily decisions. It is universal, and, in its extreme form, becomes athazagoraphobia. When we feel abandoned, we crave supportive companionship or the familiar surroundings of “home.”

Loneliness frequently surfaces in the Bible, and lack of attention to its characters’ needs leads to shallow interpretations of narratives. Causes and characteristics of loneliness emerge in John 14: abandonment (or being orphaned), fear, anxiety, a desire for wisdom in inexplicable circumstances, the comforts of home, and, supremely...