Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
"Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?
This other Judas wondered why Jesus would choose to reveal himself only to an inner circle of disciples obedient to his commandments. He seemed to understand them to be something like club rules, and the revelation of Jesus as a privilege reserved for club initiates.
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
It was not that Jesus was intentionally excluding those who didn't keep his commandments so much as that they were excluding themselves. The commandments were not a list of arbitrary rules but something more like a definition of love in action. Those who obeyed them not only signaled that they loved Jesus by observing them, but loved him in actual fact. It was in this way, by opening themselves in response to the words of Jesus, that they became ready to know him more deeply. The invitation to know Jesus was actually open to everyone. But only the few who kept his words demonstrated a desire to know him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
We should add that the commandments were not only directly about Jesus, but also about ordering everything else in our lives to him. Because of who he was, a partial or limited response wouldn't cut it. Halfhearted obedience was not enough. The Son of God was so great that he could be known when one was willing for him to be the center of her life. If he was anywhere else, on the peripheries, he could only by seen at best partially and in passing.
When disciples embraced obedience they opened themselves to the revelation of Jesus. One of the reasons for this was that obedience to the Father was what mattered most to the heart of Jesus himself. Thus inviting his disciples to keep his commandments was, in a way, a sharing of his own heart with them. And Jesus did not find the commandments of his Father burdensome. Nor did he experience his Father as an oppressive tyrant. The commandments, it is true, led to difficult experiences, but Jesus never wavered in his belief that his Father had his best interests at heart. It was this love for God and confidence in him that Jesus wanted to reveal to those who would receive it.
"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name--
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."
The disciples could not simply obey the commandments through their own strength. They needed the grace of the Holy Spirit to guide them, and to remind them of all he had said, especially when they would be tempted to forget. It was on the one hand an abstract promise, ensuring that the Church would always be led into all truth. But, on the other hand, it was a personal promise to each believer that the Holy Spirit would always be present to help them respond to the words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was a counselor, a tutor who helped disciples become ever more open to the revelation of the Son.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (see John 16:7-8).
Sonicflood - I Want To Know You
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