This is part of a year-long series. Find out more about this series here.

John 14:20

“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (ESV)

Chapter 14 is part of a prolonged section of John’s Gospel that details Jesus’ final night with His disciples (chapters 13-17). There are many memorable verses from this section, but the one I am drawn to today is 14:20 — “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” The imagery is beautiful, and we can feel the peace and calm of God moving through us as we meditate on these words.

A common theme throughout John’s Gospel is Jesus pointing back to the Father and explaining the harmony He has with the Father. Now, in 14:20, Jesus, tells His disciples that they will be grafted into (theological pun intended) that harmony through Him.

It is an incredible moment that illustrates the intimacy of God, both within the Persons of the Godhead, and between God and His creation. God loves His creation; humans are the only members of creation that are made in God’s image (cf. Gen. 1:26-27), and part of the implications of this is that humanity is capable of being drawn into harmony with God. What does this harmony look like? Experiencing ultimate satisfaction with one’s existence because of knowing the One who manufactured that existence. In this verse, we are invited to rest in harmony with our Creator through the work of our Redeemer.

There is one other interesting thing to note about this verse. Jesus says “In that day…”. This is a common phrase used throughout the Bible, particularly in Isaiah.¹ The phrase is often used by God to elaborate on the effects of a prophesied event. The construction often follows a similar pattern: “I (God) will cause ____ to happen… in that day ___ will happen.”

The “in that day” construction is used in Isaiah 52:6, which says “Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”” Isaiah 52 is part of a section in Isaiah describing the redemption and restoration of God’s people (chapters 40-66). This restoration describes both Israel’s restoration from Babylon, as well as God’s plan for a more permanent restoration for His people from sin. I don’t know that I want to make an “official link” between the prophecy of Isaiah 52:6 and Jesus’ words in John 14:20, but I do think there is overlap in the imagery.

As I meditate on John 14:20, I sense the implications of Isaiah 52:6. God has become known to us; our relationship to Him is more intimate because of the Incarnation; Jesus speaks, and we know He is here. The Incarnation gives us a visual for what the effects will be in that day when God implements His final restoration. Jesus lived in physical proximity to His disciples, creating some form of harmony between them. In the day of God’s final restoration, that harmony will be expanded and made complete.

Footnotes

1. The phrase occurs 71 times in the ESV. 42 of those occurrences are in Isaiah. Another common phrase throughout the Prophets is “on that day.” ↩︎