John 14:18 — Community Reflections

JOHN 14:18 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you — the comfort here is profound: though Jesus departs in death, the disciples will not be left as orphans (orphanous—parentless, bereft, abandoned). The promise "I am coming to you" is multivalent: it refers to the resurrection appearances, to Jesus' return, and to his presence through the Spirit. No departure is truly departure; love creates a bond that death cannot sever.

Church Fathers on John 14:18

That no one might think, because our Lord was about to give the Holy Spirit, that He would therefore not be present Himself in Him, He adds, I will not leave you comfortless. The Greek word signifies “wards.” Although then the Son of God has made us the adopted sons of the Father, yet here He Himself shows the affection of a Father towards us.
Augustine · 4th century

At the first He said, Where I go you shall come; but as this was a long time off, He promises them the Spirit in the interval. And as they knew not what that was, He promises them that they most desired, His own presence, I will come to you, but intimates at the same time that they are not to look for the same kind of presence over again: Yet a little while, and the world sees Me no more: as if He said, I will come to you, but not to live with you every day as I did before.…
Chrysostom · 4th century

As if He said, Though I shall die, I shall rise again. And you shall live also, i.e. when you see Me risen again, you will rejoice, and be as dead men brought to life again.
Theophylact · 11th century

Read all 14 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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