John 14:24

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.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(24) He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.—He has shown in the previous verse how the Father and the Son can take up their abode in the hearts of the believers. He now shows how they could not be manifested to the hearts of the world. He that loveth not Christ keepeth not His word, and that word is the Father’s. He has rejected the love of God which is revealed in the Son, and has Himself closed the channels of communion with God. God cannot dwell with him because there is in him nothing which can be receptive of the Divine Presence.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

14:18-24 Christ promises that he would continue his care of his disciples. I will not leave you orphans, or fatherless, for though I leave you, yet I leave you this comfort, I will come to you. I will come speedily to you at my resurrection. I will come daily to you in my Spirit; in the tokens of his love, and visits of his grace. I will come certainly at the end of time. Those only that see Christ with an eye of faith, shall see him for ever: the world sees him no more till his second coming; but his disciples have communion with him in his absence. These mysteries will be fully known in heaven. It is a further act of grace, that they should know it, and have the comfort of it. Having Christ's commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives. The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience. Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit's new-creating grace.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The word which ye hear is not mine - See the notes at John 5:19; John 7:16.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. we will come and make our abode with him—Astonishing statement! In the Father's "coming" He "refers to the revelation of Him as a Father to the soul, which does not take place till the Spirit comes into the heart, teaching it to cry, Abba, Father" [Olshausen]. The "abode" means a permanent, eternal stay! (Compare Le 26:11, 12; Eze 37:26, 27; 2Co 6:16; and contrast Jer 14:8).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Because they did not love him, nor keep his sayings, their sin was aggravated; because the words which he spake were not his will only, but the will of his Father who had sent him into the world, to reveal his will to the sons of men.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings,.... These words may have respect both to external professors of religion, who being destitute of true love to Christ, though they outwardly observe his ordinances and commands; yet inasmuch as this does not spring from a principle of love to him, and is done only to be seen of men, or to obtain life for themselves, may be said, not to keep his words or commands, because they do not keep them aright; and to the profane world, who, as they have no affection to Christ, pay no regard to any orders or ordinances of his: and they may be considered as having in them a reason or argument, justifying the conduct of Christ, in manifesting himself to his disciples, and not unto the world; as the following words give a reason why the Father takes so much notice of, comes and makes his abode with such as keep the words of Christ:

and, or "for"

the word which you hear, is not mine, but the Father's which sent me: that is, it is not only mine, but my Father's also: it is not mine as man; it is not a scheme of things of my own devising; it is not from earth, but from heaven; my Father has a concern in it, and therefore regards such who hear, receive, and keep it: and this is said by him partly to engage a greater regard and attention to his word, his truths, and ordinances, by his disciples; and to expose and aggravate the sin of those who despised and rejected them; since it was not barely casting contempt on him, but on his Father likewise.

Geneva Study Bible

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.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 14:24. The necessity of love as a condition of this manifested presence is further emphasised by stating the converse, ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν με … πατρός. The κόσμος of John 14:22 is here more closely defined by ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν με. See Holtzmann.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

24. is not mine] To be understood literally: see on John 12:44.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 14:24. Ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν με, he that loveth Me not) as is the case with the world. See John 14:22.—τοὺς λόγους μου, My words) The godly man is said to keep both the word and words, and the commandments, of Christ and of God; the hypocrite is said not to keep them: it is only the word, or words [not also the commandments], that the man who is professedly alien to Christ is said not to keep. To observe His word is the whole; to observe the commandments is the part.—οὐ τηρεῖ, keepeth not) and therefore is not loved [of the Father and Son, John 14:21], nor seeth the ‘abiding’ of the Father and Son in him.—καὶ ὁ λόγος, and the word) This clause has reference not only to the former words of this verse, but also to John 14:23; nay, even more to the latter, as is evident from the singular number being used here, as in John 14:23.—ὃν ἀκούετε, which ye hear) now also, whilst I am speaking these things with you.—ἀλλὰ, but) Hence is evident the reason why he who keepeth, or else keepeth not, the word of Jesus, hath the Father also (abiding with him), or else hath Him not accordingly.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 24. - We have three statements about love and obedience:

(1) Love involves obedience (Vers. 15, 23), or obedience naturally is included in love;

(2) obedience (having and keeping commandments) is the great proof of love (Ver. 21); and

(3) (Ver. 24) "he that loveth not," i.e. the absence or negation of love seems necessarily to forbid or discountenance obedience - the language differs slightly. He that loveth me not keepeth not my words - i.e. the various utterances into which my one Word may be subdivided in detail - and the λόγος, the one all-revealing Word, out of which all the λόγοι proceed, is not mine (as self-originated), but is the Father's that sent me. Without love to Christ the world has none of the conditions on which the self-manifestation of Christ really depends. John 14:24

Vincent's Word Studies

My sayings (λόγους)

Rev., words. Compare word, John 14:23. The constituent parts of the one word.