From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The New Testament > John > Chapter 14
Questions
- In verse 16 the Jesus promises to send "another Comforter." Then in verse 18 he says "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." Are these two separate ways he promises to comfort us, indirectly by sending the Holy Ghost and directly by coming to us? If so, in what way is his promise to come to us directly fulfilled?
Lexical notes
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes
Exegesis
Joseph Smith had this to say about the Second Comforter: "Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or to appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions--Isaiah, Ezekial, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 149-151).
Related links
- Elder Bednar's conference address in April 2005 suggests that one way Jesus fulfills his promise to come to us in verse 18 is by sending his tender mercies (see 1 Ne 1:20).
