John
16:23-33 NIV
23 In that day you will no longer
ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you
ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for
anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be
complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking
figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of
language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in
my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, 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
entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you
are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now
we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have
anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and
in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You
will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But
take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Take Heart!
Jesus starts off
with something curious, He mentions, “that day.” This passage of Scripture
takes place before Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. The “that day,” in this
case, refers to Easter, or His resurrection. After Jesus’ resurrection, the
disciples will still be confused, but the work is done. Jesus will have
conquered and defeated the power of sin and death. After “that day,” God will
open up and believers will approach the Father through what Jesus has
completed.
And then in verse 25,
Jesus speaks of a “time is coming.” Well, once again, Jesus projects into the
future a bit for the disciples. This “time is coming,” is the day of Pentecost.
Just in a couple of verses, Jesus projects to His disciples what is to happen
in the near future. Jesus projects the acts of God in their lives, even before
they realize what gifts God has in store for them. These gifts from God are
life changing gifts to the disciples and to all mankind.
Verse 25 also
stresses how Jesus had been speaking figuratively. A “time is coming” when this
won’t be needed. But as Jesus’ disciples were then and as we are today, this
figurative speaking of Jesus adds much value to our understanding. So, what do
I mean?
Like Object Lessons
for ALL God’s Children are the Parables of Jesus. These Parables of Jesus are
visions with memory. Any believer and student of Scripture, can’t help but to
think of some of Jesus’ messages, when they see, sheep, coins, shepherds,
servants, sparrows, vineyards, mountains, candles or so many things that we
commonly see in this world in which we live. How can we NOT see Jesus’ Word in
the world around us and remember Him, or some message of Jesus?
Yet now, Jesus bids
all of us to look past Him and see how God the Father has always loved us and
made His grace of love and salvation open to ALL mankind.
There is a close
connection between love and faith in God.
Look at verse 28 now…
28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am
leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
What a concise revelation of Jesus
in eternity is this? In one short verse we see Jesus before and in the
creation, we see Jesus coming to this world in flesh, we see Jesus die and
defeat sin and death, we see Jesus’ resurrection, and finally we see Jesus’
ascension to the Father. The only thing we don’t see, in this one little verse,
is Jesus coming again. It’s a concise and to the point message about Jesus!
This leads us to realize how only
God increases understanding. We may plant the Word in the world, others may
water the seen we planted, BUT only God will make this seed grow. When God
brings Light through Jesus, then there will be Light in the soul of the
believer. For God is never far away from His Children’s hearts and minds.
It’s in this that now the disciples
believe that Jesus comes from God. But, even still, they couldn’t foresee Jesus’
arrest being necessary for Jesus to return to the Father.
The disciples are like us, we see
what is before us but what and how God’s plan develops is a bit of a mystery,
even when God has made it plain, our eyes miss the obvious. In this life we see
only dimly what God has in store for all of us.
When all have left Jesus, the Father
will still be with Him. But, through the disaster of death, comes the promise
of peace forever IN Jesus resurrection, ascension and Jesus’ return for ALL
believers.
What are we to do with this?
Open our eyes. You may now believe
BUT don’t make your belief about yourself and what you have done in believing. Belief
is a gift from God. Belief is NOT about your ability or effort, but about what
God has done for you.
As Paul warns the believers in 1
Corinthians 10:12
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
In other words, you may run a good race, yet still fall, yet
still fumble the pass of the baton in the relay of life.
God gives us the ability to believe in Him. It’s not
something you muster up on your own or through your own efforts, belief, like
faith, is a gift from God. Which takes us back to how God gives all that we
need to believe and have faith to us each and every day of our lives.
In this passage of Scripture, we see that Jesus is loyal to
those NOT loyal to Him.
Peter is soon to deny Jesus. The disciples are soon to scatter
away from Jesus. But look what Jesus does. Jesus prays AND things shift. Look
how Jesus’ disciples really get up and repent and can’t help but to believe.
Even as Jesus is alone on that cross, the Father is with Him.
With the Father with Jesus, Jesus can be calm while suffering, unshaken and
determined to do the Father’s will, in becoming our sin and putting sin to
death.
Likewise, even for you and me, when times are tough, God IS
with us, His Children, giving courage to live with Him. And this brings on the
gift of faith, that results in the ability to “take heart!” For God through Jesus
has overcome the world.
In Jesus’ words…
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
As the Temple of God is Jesus, and
as the Father is with us, may God’s face shine upon each one of us, that we may
be bold to proclaim the Gospel of forgiveness and love and grace. May God open hearts
to receive the gift He freely gives… today… tomorrow… and forever. – Amen
I leave you with this YouTube Video
that reminded me of this message…
Open the Eyes of My
Heart by Michael W. Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idQ1n3cdgfo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idQ1n3cdgfo
No comments:
Post a Comment