The Gospel of John Lesson 67 (03-16-14) John 16:5-6

The Gospel of John Lesson 67 (03-16-14)

Lesson 67 – John 16:5-6

In John chapter 16 vs. 5 and 6 Jesus shared with His disciples some of the joy and anticipation that He was looking forward to in the near not too distant future. In v. 5 He makes a brief and, to His disciples, a seeming unimportant comment to them that they did not think to ask Him about. In thinking about His comment here in v. 5 it would have been easy for them, and us for that matter, to miss what Jesus was thinking about and what was on His mind when He made this comment to them.

It is hard to know what someone else is thinking about when they are not talking and their words do not express or reveal what they are thinking or when they are not sharing truly what is on their mind. We can assume all kinds of things. More often than not we tend to transfer how we would react or what we would be thinking to them when actually what they are thinking in their mind may not be what we thought they were thinking at all. But, in contemplating Jesus’ comment in v. 5 at that moment He could have been only contemplating one thing, going Home…and His eventual reunion with the Father!

In reading vs. 5 and 6 it appears that Jesus is preoccupied and overcome with anticipation of the eventual outcome and end result of the events of the next few days that He is overcome with the Joy of it, so much so that He is almost bursting and overflowing with the Joy of what is about to happen that He wants to share this excitement and Good News with His closest friends.

To be sure, even in anticipating what is about to happen and the excitement of the eventual outcome of being reunited with the Father, Jesus is fully aware of the dangerous and difficult times that are ahead of Him to get there. However, in thinking of this eventual outcome and victory, even though pain and real suffering was a reality of the journey to get to His eventual destination, even with suffering at His doorstep, Joy and excitement are the dominant emotions that Jesus is experiencing and wants to share with His followers here.

In the verses that follow we see that Jesus, even though wanting to prepare His followers for the difficult times that are ahead of them, desires to comfort and encourage them with the same encouragement that He was encouraged by in looking to the end result instead of being focused on present difficulties and circumstances. What would it take to encourage you in your present difficulties? Could an adjustment and refocus on the eventual realities make the difficult and often painful process you may be facing more bearable?

In sharing with His disciples some of the real difficulties that were indeed at their doorstep sorrow had overcome them and fear had taken a grip upon them losing sight of their ultimate victory and exaltation in Him. It was Jesus’ perspective on being reunited with the Father that gave Him true Joy even in the presence of painful realities.

We must remember that it was not just the physical torture and brutality of the Cross, if that were not enough, that was before Jesus. Very soon He would also bear God’s wrath for the punishment and payment for our sin. He wanted them to have the same Joy during their difficult times that He had experienced in keeping an eye on His destination. The Apostle Paul knew of this Joy. So did Stephen. The following verses would do that.

In vs. 7-11 Jesus shares with them the source of their joy and confidence in hope. It is interesting that in this final conversation just before the Cross that Jesus tells them that He is transferring to them the very things that He Himself was given by the Father to see Him through and to make Him victorious even in a world filled with difficulties.

We remember that at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry that He too was given the same Holy Spirit that He will promise to His followers in vs. 7-11 to comfort them in their difficulties.  Upon Jesus’ baptism we are told that the Spirit descended upon Him and shortly thereafter the Spirit drove Him or directed Him into the wilderness to be tested. It is true that there will be some differences in how the Holy Spirit will interact and minister to Jesus’ followers than He did to Jesus, but this same Spirit was given to Jesus also to support and assist Jesus in his work.

I am afraid that all too often we as Christians living in this world are become all too secularized, setting aside the things offered to us by God in His Holy Spirit, choosing instead to use our own abilities and resources instead of relying on the Power that God has imparted to us to assist us in this world that is too big for us. Jesus told His disciples “Here, you are going to need some help, use this” giving them the same help that He availed Himself of in the Holy Spirit.

If we were real honest with ourselves, in our daily life there is very little dependence upon God’s Spirit to accomplish our day. If we were to just pick any day and review it objectively we would find that it is rare, if ever, that our plans and actions included abiding and depending on God’s Spirit to accomplish what is in it. If we look at what Jesus gives them here in chapter 16 we see that it is one all-encompassing gift that is found in His Spirit. Today if we were honest we might in practice say that instead it was Google that we look to for our guidance…how sad.

We forget that the word abide has a connotation of continual and ongoing or maybe even unending component to it. It is not just an occasional connection or acknowledgement of this gift or of a truth, but a continual dependence upon God…this Guide and Presence. In considering what this means it may be a good idea to pause for a moment and ponder how this looks in practical experience in the current environment of our day.

However, this was not the only thing that Jesus promised to transfer to them that made Jesus and His ministry so special. Because of Jesus’ special relationship with the Father of always doing the Father’s will, Jesus was given opportunities and freedoms to act without boundaries, restrictions or restraints to act on the Father’s behalf. The Father knew that Jesus could be trusted with His work and reputation and would, as an obedient and abiding Servant, do His will. In doing so, whatever Jesus asked or did was fully blessed by God and any request that He would ask of the Father would be given Him.

Now in this conversation, specifically stated in John chapter 15, Jesus tells His followers that if they abide in Him and His commandments and words abide in them, then they will have the very same privilege offered to them as was given to Him. Jesus told them clearly and plainly that if they abode in Him and His ways that they could ask ‘anything’ and He and the Father would honor their request. Jn. 14:13-4, 15:7

Two other things that are worth mentioning that Jesus transferred or offered to His disciples that the Father had given to Him that would empowered them to continue Jesus’ work and ministry on earth. The first was His special relationship with the Father God and second the ability to love as He loved giving them a new commandment that contained the power to do it. These were powerful tools that the Father had given to Him. Now Jesus would pass these tools carrying the same power and result to His followers for them to use as He would in His absence.