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As we continue in John 16 we should be reminded of where we are in the story.
It is challenging to enjoy or appreciate any good story, book, or movie, if we forget or are not sure of what is going on.
I’m sure you all enjoy it as much as I do when you’re watching a great movie and someone comes in in the middle and has no clue whats going on and keep asking questions.
John 16 is the penultimate chapter of the upper room discourse.
Jesus and his disciples were in Jersualem for passover meal.
They were in a room together preparing to enjoy the feast.
It is here, around the passover table, that Jesus
washes the disciples feat,
Judas betrays him and is possessed by Satan
It here around this table where Jesus tells peter that he is going to deny him three times
Here Jesus comforts the disciples by promising them the Holy Spirit
Around this table Jesus gives the final I AM statement when he says, “I am the Vine”
It is around this table that Jesus is giving his final words to the disciples for within a few hours Jesus will be turned over to be crucified.
And in these final hours Jesus wants to prepare the disciples for what is coming.
Jesus has been preparing his disciples to continue the mission of God after he departs.
he has discipled them in the truth
He has demonstrated for them his power over
creation
food
illness
the demonic realm
over death itself
He has demonstrated that he and he alone has the power and authority to not only heal the sick, but to also forgive their sins.
He is preparing his followers for the mission, to go and disciple the nations, to baptize them, and to teach them all that Christ has commanded.
And here, in these final moments together in the upper room, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the suffering, the conflict, and the persecution that awaits them as they press the mission of God forward.
If we were to look back at chapter 15 we see Jesus has warned that to follow him means
The world is going to hate you.
The world is going to persecute you
The world hates you because it hates Jesus
And the world hates Jesus because they hate the Father
Jesus has prepared them saying that persecution will come even from those who claim to follow and love God.
Jesus is preparing the disciples, as parents prepare their children, as pastors prepare their people, as commanders prepare their troops, That conflict will come.
The darkness hates the light of Christ, and it hates all those who shine with his light… so the temptation that we face is to dim our light when faced with the hatred of the world.
But as Jesus says in Matthew 5,
The reality is, when conflict comes, when hatred is spewed, when all sorts of savagery and unholy persecution are waged against you, it is so tempting to shrink back, to dim the light, to fall away.
Jesus knows this about us, and about his disciples, which is why he is preparing his disciples so that they won’t fall away when the flaming arrows of the evil one are wizzing by their heads.
He wants them, and us, to be strong and courageous, not fearing nor shrinking back, but to stand firm in the faith.
When we see those arrows coming, when we hear the slander, when the spiritual warfare is cranked up, when temptations raging against your defenses, when the world’s hatred is turn on you…
...do not think you’ve done something wrong or become sorrowful.
When the hatred comes for you, for your reputation, for your job, for your house, for your life, we should rejoice because we know we are standing with Christ.
We should not be sad or sorrowful, but we should rejoice and be glad!
Rejoice and be glad!
This ought to be our response
When we are persecuted, when we are hated, when we are reviled and slandered, we should as one pastor says, walk around the corner and dance a little jig.
This sort of warfare is evidence of a faithful life that shines bright with the truth of the gospel.
We should not be concerned when people speak evil against us when we standing firm on the truth,
In fact, we should be more concerned when everyone speaks well of us.
This is part of the preparation of being mature followers of Jesus.
We must be prepared to live boldly for Christ, and to stand firm when persecution comes.
We must, to our core, understand that conflict and persecution for the sake of the gospel is something to rejoice about.
However, the disciples did not hear Jesus words of preparation as something to rejoice over.
Instead, when the disciples heard Jesus words they became afraid and full of sorrow.
From the context we see two main reasons the disciple’s hearts were filled with sorrow.
The disciples were paralyzed by grief because of the painful events that await them
They did not want to be hated by the world
They did not want to be kicked out of the synagogues, lose their friends, and be treated like the scum of the earth.
2. Their hearts were full of sorrow because Jesus was
leaving them.
Not only are they going to have to face persecution and hatred from the world, but Jesus is saying they are going to have to face this conflict without him.
Every time Jesus talks about leaving the disciples seem panic.
The reason the disciples become so upset when Jesus speaks of his departure is because they have failed to understand the significance of his ascension.
Jesus has been speaking of his ascension, of his return to the Father, throughout his ministry.
The first time he mentions it in John’s gospel is all the way back in chapter 3.
However, the disciples have never engaged Jesus about its importance.
Look what Jesus says here,
John 16 5 “But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’”
Now, if we have been paying attention we might object to Jesus’ words here.
The disciples have asked him where he is going multiple times.
Peter asks him in 13:36,
John 13:36 “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.””
And Thomas asks him in 14:5,
John 14 5 “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?”
So clearly they have asked him where he is going… However they have only asked him from a self-centered and, honestly, pathetic motivations.
The disciples respond to Jesus words like a child who says to her mom, “where are going?!” with a quivering lip.
When a child asks this question they ask to express their fear of being left alone
They ask from selfish motives
The disciples have only been concerned with how Jesus departure will make their lives more difficult and frightening.
As opposed to the mature asking the question, “where are you going?”
wanting to know the destination and the purpose
wanting to be informed of the reason.
Wanting to understand how his departure moves the mission of God forward.
The disciples failed to seek understanding in a mature and honest way… they failed to, from faith, seek to understand.
And because of this lack of faith, they were full of sorrow at Jesus words.
Its fascinating how quickly we can become afraid and full of sorrow when we turn our eyes away from God and his mission and place them on our own circumstances.
Peter experienced this when he walked out to Jesus upon the waters.
This is what the disciples have done.
They have become afraid and full of sorrow as if they have taken their eyes of Jesus and have forgotten everything that he has done in their midst.
Their eyes have seen Jesus do only what God can do!
They have seen him work wonders in their midst, and their ears have heard him proclaim profound truths.
He has unveiled before them the ancient mysteries…
He has shown himself to be the new and better Adam, the better moses, the better Joshua, the better David, the greater Elisha…
They have seen him
outwit the pharisees
heal the sick
feed the poor
raise the dead
defeat the demonic
bless the children
fulfill the prophecies
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