What does "manifest myself to him" mean in John 14:21?

After that, the Lord establishes, as in all this part of the Gospel, man's responsibility, here that of the Christian, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (v. 21). This supposes that we pay attention to what the Lord says: one listens to the voice of divine wisdom, as a child who seeks to please its parents, or a wife her husband, observing the words of the parents or the husband, without even their having the form of a commandment, and knowing what they wish. Thus the Christian attends to the words of Jesus; he is familiar with that which the Lord wills, and desires to do His will. This is the proof of true affection. Now, he who is thus attached in heart to Christ, and obeys Him, shall be loved of the Father, and Christ will come, and will manifest Himself to him. The manifestation of which He speaks here is a manifestation of Himself, and from Him, to the soul which He causes to realise His presence and makes him sensible of it. This is what Jude does not understand; he does not perceive how Jesus could be manifested to His own, without being manifested to the world (v. 22). Alas! it is just what too many Christians do not understand. Jude, too, was only thinking of some outward manifestation, of which the world could necessarily take knowledge; but the Lord was speaking of a manifestation such as we have just shewn, adding still something more permanent; that is, that if any one loved Jesus, he would keep, not only His commandments, but His words, so that the Father would love him, and that the Father and Son would come, and make their abode in him (v. 24).

This question has been put already, though not in the words of our enquiry. A disciple once asked Jesus, "Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" Jesus had just said, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him," (John 14:21.) The idea of a public manifestation in regal glory and power to the world, was to this disciple intelligible, but at that hour he knew not the meaning of a private manifestation to himself. The Messiah's throne, and His ruling over the world's kingdoms, he had heard of in the prophets; but the deeper mystery of the Son entering into the heart of an obedient child and, with His Father, filling that heart with peculiar joy, was new to him. Then "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him."

250 The Lord having spoken of the presence of the Comforter (this was the gift to the believers, and Jesus coming to them in His union with them, as Christ, filled with His Spirit), He now goes on to speak of His manifestation and abiding, that is, by virtue of the union of the Father with Him (as objectively His with the Father), the abiding of the Father and the Son with them. This was the portion of the informed believer (chanochs, taught in the house). "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, that is the person who loves me." Thus he is distinguished: having them, and keeping them. The world will say, How keep them, if we have not them? But the saint knows it is grace to have them, that it is grace finds them out by the revelation of God, that (found with desire through the grace of God) they are treasured with delight in that grace; that the discernment of grace finds them. How came John to be leaning on the bosom of Jesus? How, further, Paul to say, "The things which I speak are the commandments of the Lord"? Whence the judgment of the spiritual as to the Lord's mind? However, it is he that has and keeps them.

251 We may suppose an intellectual having, and of course, some kept. No love here. We may suppose a small measure of keeping, and little known what they are sign of. Little love here. However, he that has and keeps. There is the Lord's work of love, and such shall be loved of My Father. So it will, so it must, from the Father's love and its object, be; for now we have them the subject, not exercised on Jesus in the Father as the object. But what a link of love! Loved of My Father! What can Jesus do but love him? and how shown? (their love was on Him; here was another link of this necessary bond of love). In showing Himself. They were loving Him; but one that is loved of His Father, on whom the stamp of love is, he will see Him; Jesus will reveal Himself, the portion and centre from the Father, and from the energy Himself of this love. Judas understood thus much, that He spoke of showing Himself to such a one, as one with Jesus, and not to the world. He asks how; for the questions of unbelief or of reason are the occasion of the full answers of God in love, where it is anxiety towards Him, not closing of heart.

He now asks his question, and receives an answer. He could not understand how the Lord would manifest Himself to them, and not to the world. A spiritual presence of Christ, apart from a corporeal one, they of course had never known. The Lord answers him: "If a man love Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him. He that loves Me not keeps not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me" (22-24). Coupling the Father with Himself, it was plain, and Judas doubtless understood it, that of a manifestation in spirit, and not in corporeal presence, the Lord was speaking.

[04 1863 240] We have in this portion two things, the proof of love first, in having and keeping our Lord's commandments; and next, in keeping His words. At first sight it might seem somewhat startling: "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me;" but the more we weigh the words, the more evident and all-important is their truth. It is clear our Lord was not speaking here simply of what is moral, or the ten commandments. A man might be found most rigorous in that, like Saul of Tarsus, and yet not have a particle of love to Christ. He could say of himself "touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless." But here, in this passage, what the Lord is calling attention to is not the law — not that any one would seek to lighten its weight; it had been given of God. But the Lord says, Here is a test, "he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." This touches upon what is more closely personal. We know that in ordinary life if there is any one we care for and love in a special way, a word from such a one will have immense weight on the spirit. Where there is love, there is amazing quickness in knowing what the will is, what the desire is — and bearing it in mind. But on the other hand if there is frivolity of spirit, there will be carelessness and forgetfulness of what is desired; and this is true of us with the Lord. Love to Christ will make us delight in His commandments. Confidence in His love will make us not afraid of examining them; but on the contrary search into them as a light to our path. But that is not enough. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." In this keeping of His commandments, there will be further manifestations of the Lord to the soul. It is only as we walk in obedience that there is communion with the Lord. To walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, there must be confidence in His love. Then you get fullness of love in return. "I will manifest myself unto him;" not only my will, but myself.

This word brings out a question of Jude, which shows how little the disciples understood the secret manifestation of which He spoke. They thought only of an open, public manifestation; and that, as when David was set upon the throne, those who had been with Him during His rejection were given places of special honour around Him, so it would be now. "How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world?" But the Lord explains that it is during His absence He expects these proofs of their love. He would send the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who would be always with them, to bring everything to their remembrance that He had said to them, even these very words. And now we are in this very state of things. In constant danger of being forgetful and disobedient, we have still the Comforter to bring these things to our remembrance, and the love of our Lord, who has given us commandments (and they are not grievous) to keep. "Jesus answered him and said, If a man love me, he will keep my words." Here is a further thing. In the former verse, a man has His commandments, knows them, has his heart engaged in them to keep them; not measuring other people by them, but keeping them himself. But when Jude puts the question about manifestation unknown to the world, the Lord says, "If a man love me, he will keep my words." Here is a great advance, one which we do well to weigh. The desires of our Lord are not here put in the form of a "commandment." It is true, that the more we know of Christ, the more we love Him — the more we must desire to remember His authority over our souls, and own and rejoice in it. But this does not meet all that is in His heart. He wants to give us further manifestations of His own love, further revelation of the Father. Thus, what a field it is that we are brought into! He is testing our hearts. Not as to whether we love Him at all — but it is good to test our souls from time to time, how far our love carries us. Are we keeping "His words?" "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." He looks for love. Warm expressions are not enough — they may not always be trusted — may be rather a proof of want of reverence. But He looks for our love. And suppose the soul does love, how will it show itself? Will there not be the desire to ponder every word, in whatever way the Lord Jesus shows His will? Will there not be delight to be near Him, His love filling our hearts?

Then the Lord Jesus adds, “I will come to you.” He comes by the Spirit, the Spirit makes His presence a reality, fulfilling His own precious words spoken in the 18th chapter of Matthew, “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst.” But He goes further than this, and tells them that any man who has His commandments and keeps them, will be loved by His Father, and that the Lord Himself would show His love to such an one by manifesting Himself to him. The company of other Christians is not necessary for this. John in Patmos, and you in your chamber may have these manifestations., The one condition is obedience to His commands; it is the owning of His Lordship, which every Christian professes to do, but it must be more than profession, not those who say, “Lord, Lord,” but those who have His commands and do them, such have these manifestations; to them the Lord will reveal Himself as all-sufficient for their every need, as their true Lover, their adorable Lord.

The reference to the special manifestation mentioned in verse 21 raise a question with Judas (not Iscariot), "Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" The Lord answered "If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and WE will come unto him, and make Our abode with him". That is intensely individual, and it is clear that the gain of keeping His commandments as the proof that we love Him, is in those spiritual manifestations which we should not otherwise obtain.

The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ knows of a surety that He does make Himself known to us. Christ comes and manifests Himself to us as He does not to the world. And, if on our part we but keep His word, He will make His abode with us, dwelling in our hearts by faith. How far this is a matter of personal experience with us concerns us individually, But it should be a cause of joy to us that we know it at all. May we know it more.

"He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." It is a present manifestation which is an anticipation of heaven; as if He said: Till you can abide with us, we will abide with you. "We will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

Verse 21 shows that obedience to His commandments is the proof of loving Him. This is the true character of a believer. If one refuses to keep His commandments, he is not a true believer at all: he does not love Christ. One who loves Christ however is loved by the Father. This is the love of a Father toward His children, and to this is added the love of Christ and the precious fact that He would manifest Himself to the obedient one. Of course, in this He refers back to His word in verses 15 to 18: it is by the Spirit of God that today He manifests Himself to believers.

Judas (not Iscariot) is puzzled by this, as to how the Lord could be manifest to believers yet not before the world (v. 22). The Lord does not explain this, for only when the Spirit of God came could they understand this precious reality; but He does further encourage their love and obedience. One who loves Him would keep His words (not only His commandments). For love does not stop with merely performing what is required: it desires to please Him in regard to His expressed desires. This is true, normal Christian character, which should be true of us at all times, yet it is no doubt true of all believers in some measure, feeble as our measure may be.