The last day of Jesus continues while he and His disciples are making their way toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus speaks while they are walking, instructing His disciples about their relationship with Him, with one another, and with the world. He gives them assurances; assurances about their connection to Him, and to one another, by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. He offers them and us peace. Yet, they are concerned; concerned about their future, concerned about their own death, overwhelmed with grief that is centered on themselves. Jesus continues his discussion with more assurances about what is to come.We have been studying the book of John with the goal of knowing Jesus in truth so that we might believe in Him and in believing Him having life in His name (John 20:31), we have struggled with the disciples in trying to figure out what exactly Jesus has been communicating. We have the advantage of the apostles’ lives and their writings in the New Testament, as well as 2000 years of history to assist us in understanding what Jesus was trying to communicate to them and to us.
[25] “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;
(John 16:25-26 ESV)
The difficulty in understanding Jesus comes in the fact that Jesus often used obscure language that was full of meaning to communicate with both the disciples and with the world at large. Remember, one of the roles that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is that of the Spirit of Truth. For these disciples, when Jesus was with them, they did not always understand the meaning of what He was saying. At this point they still did not fully understand that Jesus was going to die and be raised again. But this would be changed with the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples was going to help them, in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection, to write the New Testament. They would hear and understand plainly the teaching about the Father. And, as a result, they would speak, be spoken through and minister to generations of believers including us. We can use some of their writings to interpret the very things that Jesus was trying to communicate.
One of the most important things that we learn is that Jesus Christ no longer must communicate with the Father on our behalf, for our relationship with the Father has been changed when we believe on Jesus Christ. We are now His children whom He loves. We can talk directly to Him because we are His children, and He will respond to us because He loves us.
[27] for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. [28] I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
All of our relationships change when we become believers. We no longer need an intermediary to present our requests to God, rather, because we have loved Jesus, the Father loves us. We have become His children, so we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. As the apostle Paul teaches us in Romans and Ephesians, we are Children of God, Adopted as sons of the Father through Jesus Christ. We ask in Jesus’ name, again, agreeing with His character and will, and it will be granted us because Jesus is worthy, but also because we cling to Him, and we love him. Because we love Jesus, the Father is our Father, and He loves us. He will grant good gifts to His children. This does not mean that Jesus is not our intercessor, along with the Holy Spirit, but His role is interceding on our behalf when we sin (1 John 2) and when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26). When we pray according to His will, as God’s children, He hears us.
The other important truth that the disciples heard,and we read, a very clear truth: That Jesus was from God, is one with God the Father, and is returning from where He came. This is not like the prophets that were sent by God. No, Jesus is unique in that he dwelt with the Father before, and with His death and resurrection, He would see the Father again and be back where it is that He came from. And then both the Father and Son will be present with us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[29] His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! [30] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
The disciples believed that they had finally entered into the mystery of Jesus, that they were to receive this power now, and that they could understand what He taught. They were sure that He had omniscient- or that He knew all things. They no longer felt the need to question Him, they could take what He said at face value. They also believe that He came from God. However, it seemed, with this generic response from them that they missed His last statement, that they did not understand that He was indeed God, that He had come from the Father- a deeper meaning than one of location, it would be better said ‘come forth from’. These disciples still had much to learn. They did not yet have the Holy Spirit to teach them all things. They still did not completely understand the mysteries of God, nor did they did not have the faith they needed, as Jesus clearly reveals:
[31] Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? [32] Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
(John 16:29-33 ESV)
Jesus asks them, and us, a rhetorical question. He knew that the disciples’ belief was less than perfect still. He knows that they loved and trusted Him, indeed, that we who call ourselves believers will say that we love and trust Him. But is that borne out by our actions- in other words, do we demonstrate it by our way of life? Do we believe? This was illustrated by this prophesy of Jesus: “You will be scattered, each to your own home” The Greek here is skorpizo, and it simply means to scatter or disperse. What we see looking back is that with the exception of John, the disciples scattered and, in Peter’s case, denied Jesus Christ out of fear, out of a lack of faith. Jesus was basically saying “Do you really believe?” The disciples would leave Him alone, but He knew the Father would be with Him. Do we have that same type of faith? Do we truly believe that if we stand with Christ even if the whole world stands against us like it did the disciples that He will never leave us?
I have these fleeting moments of doubt, but I always come back to this truth: Jesus has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Yet, it is so easy to forsake Him for the sake of what we can see all around us. So many of us have the love and fear of man as the primary motivator for our behavior. That is sin, and demonstrates the same lack of faith that the disciples show here in this passage. Do you really believe?, These last years have been a demonstration of that for me personally. Most recently as you all know I went up to the cities to preach at a large event. I preach the same message that I preach in church, to people one to one, and in the open air: that we have offended God with our sin and that if we will repent and believe, God will save us through Jesus Christ. The people that I preach to (for the most part) hate the message, for as we know:
[18] For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)
People, as Jesus warned us, love the darkness rather than the light. The attacks have been many that I know of, many more I am sure behind my back (that is the nature of the world) The ones I know of include a newspaper article, around town, and over the internet. Some have been from people of some renown, others nobody would know. Over the last years I have lost friendships within this community and have had strained relations with members of my family. The cost of being up front with my faith has been times that I feel very lonely. I feel like our church is struggling and the temptation for me, and many other Pastors is to shut my mouth OR to preach an watered down Gospel. In many ways I feel like it would be easier to just preach in our church and study the Bible at home alone. I also know that for me, this tactic would be a denial of Christ, that I would be joining the disciples in scattering away from Christ. For me (I am not saying this is true for everybody, we are all gifted differently) I am constrained to preach the Gospel!
[14] For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; [15] and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV)
woe is me if I do not preach!
1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
I love to preach in the church and in the open air. I love to share one to one! I am gifted as an evangelist, and I realize it is not for everybody to be out front like myself. But we all can- we all must- share the good news if we truly believe. We deny Christ when we refuse to use the gifts He gives to build the church by proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
So I ask again, Do we truly believe? Do we believe enough to stand alone if need be and proclaim that “I am a Christian!” Do you really believe enough to take the risk to start a conversation with a stranger, or with a friend, or with a client, that will result in a presentation of the Gospel? Do you believe enough to carry around gospel tracts and leave them around in different places? Do you believe enough that you are willing to risk a loss or change of friendship, standing in the community, possible rejection by family? Do you believe enough that you will not fear what may happen to you, or what people might say behind your back? Or will you scatter like the disciples did. Today, Christians really do not have that option; if we are in Christ we have the Holy Spirit to empower us and even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, Jesus promises us peace.
[33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus’ words are that of peace. When we are in Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The peace is found because we are justified, we are no longer enemies of God. This peace with God was purchased by Christ Jesus. This is a reality in our lives, it does not change due to circumstances. Jesus warned us throughout the end of ch. 15 and in ch. 16 that the world will hate us as it hated Him. He warns us again here that while we are in this world as believers in Jesus Christ we will have tribulation- Greek thlipsis- meaning
pressure from evils, affliction, and distress. This will happen if we are in Christ, there is no avoiding it! And the sad thing is, it will come from within circles of those who call themselves Christians as well! Why? either they are not soundly saved or they have a level of guilt that they are on some level not being obedient to the Lord themselves. The promise is peace, which is not a lack of tribulation, but the real condition of our relationship to God which has been changed by Jesus Christ. Indeed, peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit! We are friends of God, and even better, we are children of God and part of His family.
So why do so many people today believe that the Christian life is supposed to be comfortable and non-controversial? Where is that found in the scriptures? No where does Jesus teach this. In fact here He teaches us the very opposite. The Christian life is a guarantee of trials, trouble, and tribulation. As long as we are in the world we will have trouble. The good news is that Jesus has overcome the world and the world system. The attacks and opposition of the world are meaningless for the Christian because Jesus has already over come the world and the world system. The end of the story is already written for the Christian. In the midst of all the things and people that stand against us, we have Jesus Christ standing for us. So we can take heart; no matter how bad it gets we do not need to scatter and stray. We can cling to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He has overcome the world, so we can take heart. We can be at peace, for our salvation is settled and the end of our story is written. He has promised that He will carry us all the way till the end, that we shall be with Him and be like Him. Thank God for the promise of peace.
