John Calvin Commentary John 14:18

"I will not leave you desolate: I come unto you." — John 14:18 (ASV)

I will not have you orphans. This passage shows what people are, and what they can do, when they have been deprived of the protection of the Spirit. They are orphans, exposed to every kind of fraud and injustice, incapable of governing themselves, and, in short, unable on their own to do anything.

The only remedy for such a great defect is if Christ governs us by his Spirit, which he promises that he will do. First, the disciples are reminded of their weakness, so that, distrusting themselves, they may rely on nothing else than the protection of Christ. Secondly, having promised a remedy, he gives them good encouragement, for he declares that he will never leave them.

When he says, I will come to you, he shows how he dwells in his people and how he fills all things. It is by the power of his Spirit; and from this it is evident that the grace of the Spirit is a striking proof of his Divinity.