The first sentence of this verse expresses the other side of the truth stated in verse 23 (Whoever loves me will obey my teaching).

And the teaching you have heard is not mine identifies Jesus’ message with God’s word. This clause may be rendered “the words that you have heard from me are not just my own thoughts.”

Comes from the Father is literally “is of the Father” and may be taken either as a genitive of possession (“is the Father’s”) or as a genitive of source (“is from the Father”). Ultimately, the meaning is the same. Good News Translation takes it as a genitive of source, and so supplies comes from. In some languages it is difficult to speak of a “message coming from a person.” One can usually say “a person sent a message by someone” and it is normally possible to say “a person spoke a message,” but often one cannot say “a message comes.” The only equivalent may be “my Father told me to say this message” or “… to deliver this message.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .