John 14:24 kjv
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
John 14:24 nkjv
He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
John 14:24 niv
Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
John 14:24 esv
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
John 14:24 nlt
Anyone who doesn't love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.
John 14 24 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Jn 14:15 | If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. | Direct link between love and obedience |
Jn 14:21 | He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me... | Reinforces the criteria for love and obedience |
Jn 15:10 | If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love... | Obedience is key to abiding in Christ's love |
1 Jn 2:3-4 | By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. | Knowing God is proven by obedience |
1 Jn 5:3 | For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments... | Love for God expressed through keeping commands |
2 Jn 1:6 | And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. | Love is living out God's commands |
Deut 6:5-6 | You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart... these words... on your heart. | OT parallel: love and obedience to God's words |
Deut 11:1 | You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep his charge... | OT: love for God necessitates keeping His laws |
Jn 3:34 | For he whom God has sent utters the words of God... | Christ as the mouthpiece of God |
Jn 5:19 | The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. | Jesus' complete alignment with the Father |
Jn 5:30 | I can do nothing on My own authority... I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. | Jesus' will is perfectly united with the Father's |
Jn 7:16 | My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. | Jesus' teachings originate from the Father |
Jn 8:28 | I do nothing of My own accord, but I say these things as the Father instructed Me. | Jesus' words are divine instructions |
Jn 12:49-50 | For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father who sent Me... told Me what to say. | Father commanded Jesus what to speak |
Jn 17:8 | For the words that You gave Me I have given to them... | Jesus transmitted the Father's words |
Matt 7:24 | Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man... | Practical obedience to Christ's words |
Matt 7:26 | Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man... | Danger of hearing without doing |
Heb 1:1-2 | God... in these last days has spoken to us by his Son. | Christ as God's final and complete revelation |
Jas 1:22 | But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | Hearing the word must lead to action |
Lk 6:46 | Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? | Professed Lordship demands actual obedience |
Tit 1:16 | They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. | Contradiction of profession and action |
John 14 verses
John 14 24 Meaning
This verse unequivocally connects genuine love for Jesus with obedience to His teachings. Those who do not live by His words demonstrate an absence of true affection for Him. Jesus then emphatically declares that the message His disciples hear from Him is not of His independent invention, but directly from God the Father who commissioned Him. This establishes the divine authority and truthfulness of all Christ's words.
John 14 24 Context
John 14:24 is part of Jesus' profound Farewell Discourse to His disciples, delivered on the night before His crucifixion. This chapter is deeply consoling and instructional, addressing the disciples' fear, confusion, and sorrow over His imminent departure. Jesus speaks about His destination (preparing a place for them), His identity as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Within this discourse, Jesus repeatedly links love for Him with obedience to His commands (Jn 14:15, 21, 23). Verse 24 extends this by grounding His "words" not merely in His own authority, but in the ultimate authority of the Father, ensuring their eternal validity and reinforcing the disciples' duty to heed them in His absence.
John 14 24 Word analysis
- He who does not love (ἀγαπάω - agapaō) Me: The love here is agape, a deliberate, selfless, and committed love, not merely an emotional fondness. It is an active devotion that seeks the good and will of the beloved. The negative signifies a profound absence of this covenantal affection.
- does not keep (τηρέω - tēreō) My words (λόγος - logos, plural for 'words'): "Keep" means to observe, guard, heed, obey, and put into practice, not just to retain intellectually. Jesus' "words" encompass His teachings, commands, doctrines, and His entire message, representing His will. This shows that the lack of agape love for Jesus manifests in disobedience to His expressed will.
- and the word (λόγος - logos, singular for 'word' or 'message') which you hear: This shifts from plural "words" (individual commands) to singular "the word," referring to the sum total of His revelation or the overall message/teaching He imparts. It emphasizes the comprehensive nature of His divine discourse.
- is not Mine: Jesus asserts that His teaching does not originate independently from Himself as a human being. It's not a personal philosophy or human wisdom.
- but the Father's who sent (πέμψας - pempsas) Me: This statement underscores the divine origin and supreme authority of Jesus' entire message. Jesus is the faithful messenger (apostolos) sent by God. The Father's "sending" of Jesus signifies His divine mission and authorization. This elevates Jesus' words to the level of God's own direct communication.
- He who does not love Me does not keep My words: This forms an indissoluble bond between genuine love and active obedience. True love for Jesus is not merely sentiment but finds its expression and proof in conformity to His commands. The absence of this love is directly seen in the refusal to obey.
- and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me: This phrase serves to dramatically intensify the gravity of the preceding statement. Disobeying Jesus' words is not merely an affront to Him, but a direct rejection of the will and word of God the Father Himself, who is the ultimate source of all divine truth and authority.
John 14 24 Bonus section
The concept presented in John 14:24—that Jesus speaks the words of the Father—was revolutionary and authoritative, especially within a Jewish context where God's unique revelation through Moses and the prophets was supreme. Jesus' claim here places His words on par with, or even as the fulfillment of, God's historical self-disclosure, requiring an equivalent or greater response of devotion and obedience. The "word" (singular logos) of Jesus, being the "word of the Father," therefore functions as the very criterion by which one's relationship with God is judged, making it inescapable and eternally significant. It also foreshadows the judgment where individuals will be judged by the words spoken by Jesus (Jn 12:48).
John 14 24 Commentary
John 14:24 is a cornerstone statement on the nature of discipleship, deeply weaving together love, obedience, and divine authority. Jesus defines true love for Him not by verbal affirmation alone, but by a demonstrable commitment to His teachings. This obedience flows not from coercion or legalism, but from a heart transformed by agape love. The verse then magnifies the importance of these "words" by declaring their ultimate source: they are not Christ's self-generated ideas, but the direct message from God the Father. Thus, to disregard Jesus' teachings is to reject the voice and will of God Himself, highlighting the profound implications for both allegiance and apostasy. It means the stakes are eternal; those who refuse to live by Christ's word betray not only Jesus but God who sent Him.