Lesson #259
In our last lesson, Jesus made it very clear that he was
leaving them and going back to his Father who sent him. It was also pointed out
that the disciples probably were still not clear what he really meant by the
statement “going to him who sent me”. Jesus then tells them: “But because I
have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart” (John 16:6 ESV). The
Lord knew this was a difficult time for the disciples as there was so much yet
to understand, fear and worry over all this talk about persecution and death has
them worried, and the definite departure of Jesus leaving them alone with all
the responsibility. In light of this I believe Jesus spoke to them out of
tenderness and compassion, rather than in censure. Jesus knew how difficult it
was for them to grasp the full meaning and significance of the events that were
to unfold before them. It is no different for us today. Time and time again we
face situations we don’t understand; times of great loss, or a great setback,
or being forced to live in a way that is dangerous and very difficult. There
are times when we find our hearts filled with great sorrow and we are not sure
the outcome or what we should do.
Jesus says: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to
your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7 ESV). In spite of
how they feel and how hopeless it all seems, Jesus ensures them that he is
telling them the truth, that it is to their advantage that he leave them and
return to the Father. How is this to their advantage? Looking at verses like Matthew
20:19, Matthew
26:2, Mark
9:31, Mark
10:33, Luke
9:44, and Luke
18:32, we see that it is absolutely necessary that Jesus die for our
salvation and rise again in victory over death. Here, Jesus speaks of the
Helper, or Holy Spirit, that will not come to them unless he returns back to
the Father.
A great mystery has been hidden through ages past that is
about to be revealed, for “To them God chose to make known how great among the
Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 ESV). Jesus stood among them as one person,
but when he leaves, the Holy Spirit will come to replace him by entering the
lives of all believers. With Jesus God was with them, but when the Holy Spirit
comes, God will dwell within each believer, “which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.” This will be a life changing event that they will not understand
until Pentecost occurs, but when it does they will go forth with great power to
do the Lord’s work. There is much they have yet to experience before they will
understand, just as there is much for us to experience before we can understand
why some things happen to us or what God is doing in our lives.
Prayer
Father, it was at the end of 2014 that a friend in China
called me and asked me about my faith. That call resulted in a series of
lessons on the Christian faith, which are found at the beginning of this blog.
After doing those it was decided to do a verse by verse study of John, which we
are still working on. During this period of study, I find that I have gained a
fresh understanding of my relationship with the Trinity. I am learning the
importance of prayer, asking Jesus for his mind on the verses being covered,
for the Spirit to communicate this to me and for him to draw readers to the
lessons to read and then to learn, all to the glory of our Father. This
partnership, tied together with prayer, is becoming so much more a reality in
other areas of my life and helps me better understand those going through
persecution. Father, thank you for how life changing this blog writing has been
for me. I pray it is benefiting many readers also.
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