The disciples were troubled. Jesus had told them that very soon he was going to leave them and return to his Father in heaven. These verses can be summarised under two headings:

• The disciples should be delighted Jesus was going back to the Father
• The devil had to be defeated before Jesus could return to the Father

1. The disciples should be delighted that Jesus was going back to the Father (verse 28)
   WHY? He tells them: 'For the Father is greater than I'. That's a statement which has puzzled many Christians and excited many heretics throughout the centuries. It's the favourite text of every sect and cult which denies the deity of Christ, because they think it supports their view that Jesus was not divine. That cannot be the case, because many other Bible passages assert his deity (John 1:1, Philippians 2:5, Colossians 2:9 etc). John 14:28 means that while the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth he willingly put himself in a lower position than God the Father. He did not cease to be God, but laid aside his status and throne and took the much lower position of a servant (Philippians 2:7). This phrase, far from being an embarrassment to us when we meet with Jehovah's Witnesses, is a glorious statement of the great doctrine of the incarnation.
   
   Having seen the meaning of this vital phrase, we can now understand what the whole of verse 28 means. Jesus says in effect, 'Far from being troubled because I have said I am going back to the Father, you should be glad for me. At the present, here on earth, I am in a lower position than my Father but I am going back to share the throne with with him.'And we today should be glad he has gone back to the Father. Why?
   
   Because it means he has been restored to his rightful position (Philippians 2:9, Hebrews 1;3, Ephesians 1:21, Hebrews 2:9).
   
   Because in that exalted position he is reigning as King, protecting his people, praying for his people (Romans 8:34), and above all, waiting to return in power (verse 28, see also verse 2 and Hebrews 1:13).



2. The Devil had to be defeated before Jesus could go back to the Father (verses 3-31)
   Jesus could see the devil mustering his forces for a final attack on him. He sees him approaching. 'I can't talk much longer with you in this Upper Room. The devil is approaching and very soon a great conflict will break out between him and me, and all my powers and energies will have to be concentrated on defeating him.' In a sense, the whole of the Bible is about these two opposing persons and their conflicts (Genesis 3:15, Revelation 12:9, 20:2), but John 14:30 refers to their most critical encounter. Look at the two antagonists.
   
   
   1. The enemy is the devil. He is call the Prince of this world and Jesus regards him, not as a joke, or a mythical creature, but as an actual being. Originally he was a good angel but he became proud and rebelled against God. He aspired to be greater than God and he persuaded a number of angels to rebel with him and as a result he and they were expelled from heaven (1 Timothy 3:6, John 8:44, Luke 10:18, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). Ever since, the devil has been violently opposed to God, e.g. Genesis 3 when he attacked Adam and Eve. The title 'The prince of this world' means that he rules over men and women of this world controlling their whole outlook and way of life. They boast of their freedom but in reality they are in bondage to the devil (1 John 5:19).
      
      Jesus knew that the devil was going to attack him and try to divert him from the path of obedience to God. It had happened before (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:13, Matthew 16:22-23) but the greatest conflict was about to begin. Read the accounts of what happened later that night in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:39-53, Hebrews 5:7). The devil attacked the first Adam in the Garden of Eden and defeated him bringing about the fall of the human race, now in the Garden of Gethsemane all his fury is unleashed against the last Adam in a bid to overcome him and turn him against God.
   2. The victor is Jesus
      He was so pure that the devil would not be able to latch hold of him. 'The prince of this world is coming and has no hold on me.' When the devil tempts us we have a sinful nature which he can latch on to but there was nothing sinful about Jesus. Again, when the devil attacks us he can remind us of all the wrong things we have done in our lives but Jesus never do anything sinful. Because he had no sin of his own he could die for our sin. He was so holy that the devil could not latch hold of him.
      
      He so loved the Father that, in spite of all the attacks of the devil, he would obey him (verse 31). He says: 'The world will soon learn that I so love the Father, that in spite of all the devil's efforts, I will obey my Father's commandment to go to the cross and bear the punishment of sin. Come now let us leave. The time for talking here in the Upper Room is over. I am now on my way to obey my Father and to die for the sins of the lost.' Thank God, that's what he did.
      
      He was so powerful that he would defeat the devil (verse 30). That phrase, 'He has no hold on me' also means that the Lord Jesus is more powerful than the devil. When Jesus went to the cross, died and rose again he dealt the devil a devastating blow (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14-15). Because of that, he can now free men and women from the devil's tyrannical rule.