John 16:23-33
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The disciples think they understand, but they will not truly understand the beauty and the magnitude of what God is doing until the resurrection.
In this passage, we see Jesus will give the disciples three things.
In this passage, we see Jesus will give the disciples three things.
Understanding, A mediator, Peace in Trouble.
Understanding.
Understanding.
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.
Figurative Language?
He does this:
1. Because he is a good teacher.
2. To strengthen their faith afterthe fact.
Jesus has been doing this ever since the beginning of His ministry.
Oftentimes, His disciples are left wondering what he is saying.
Think about some of these moments.
The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Weeds
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;
Matthew 13:
He has been speaking to them in this manner for a while.
Why did he do that?
Why did Jesus speak to them in figurative language? Why did he speak to them in parables? Why does it seem that he was so vague?
The disciples are frustrated in and they ask the very same question.
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Jesus has been explaining the Father to the disciples His entire ministry.
Most of the time, they don’t get it, one day they will.
Jesus will enlighten and illuminate their minds of every single parable. After the resurrection they will look back and understand every one of them.
This is what he is saying in our passage today. He explains that an hour is coming, where he will speak to them plainly. The picture will give way to reality.
During the crucifixion, the disciples will not understand. They will watch in amazement that the one they called Lord, will be strung up.
But after the resurrection, all these parable makes sense. They understand.
There something about Jesus raising from the dead that transforms their minds to understand who it is that he was.
Then they truly believe.
Jesus assures them of this.
A Mediator.
A Mediator.
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
We find here A theology of prayer after the resurrection.
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
Listen to what he says again.
In other words, We go directly to the Father through the Son.
It isn’t that we go to someone and then they go to God for us.
Christ has opened the channel of communication between sinful man who he is redeeming and the Father.
We pray in Christ’s name and all the relational benefits possessed by Christ are ours through faith.
Again- Its not that we go TO Christ and He goes to the Father for us.
No our relationship with the Father is more intimate than that.
We go directly to the Father, through the Son.
That is a privilege of being adopted into the family.
Look at the verse:
The Father Himself loves you!
Why? 2 reasons
Because you have loved Christ.
You have loved All that Christ is.
as Lord
as Savior
as Judge
Because you have believed.
Faith
Imputation.
Because you have believed in Christ, the righteousness of Christ has been given to you.
Now, the Father sees you as the perfection of Christ and He loves us with the same love he has for the Son.
Christ is our mediator. The Father doesn’t love us, because of something we have done. Christ has earned the Father’s favor and love for us.
In fact, it is the Father’s love that initiates the sending of Christ.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
The Disciples will understand this even further after the resurrection.
Jesus continues on:
“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”
This is a one verse summary of the mission of Christ’s incarnation.
He has came from the Father.
The Virgin Birth tells us this.
John the Baptist told us this.
The Old Testament testified to this.
His signs and miracle told us this
His Mission tells us this.
He came into the world.
A world that hated Him from the beginning
A world where His own people hated him.
A world that eventually would kill him.
For one purpose.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
He is leaving the World.
records His ascension away from this world.
But its not the leaving that gives us good news. Its where He is going and why he is going that gives us good news.
He is going to the Father.
To be our intercessor.
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
To prepare for us a place
“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
To one day return for us.
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus is saying this is just repeating every thing he has told them from the beginning.
The disciple misunderstand.
His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.
His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. “Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”
“Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”
Jesus has just said that an hour is coming where his speech will change. Where they will finally understand all.
He is referring to the clarity that the resurrection and the ascension will give. They think they get it now. But they don’t.
They claim to the have the understanding now, when Jesus has clearly said they will receive that later.
They make three important claims of belief:
1. You know all things. (They claim to affirm the omniscience of Christ). but They don’t really believe.
2. We have no need to question you. (They affirm their own omniscience) but They don’t really know.
3. We believe that you came from God. At this point, they really don’t.
Are we being too hard on the disciples?
Verses 28-29 seem to be good things they are saying.
But what are their actions when Jesus is arrested.
Peter denies him three times, and the rest scatter.
Look at what Jesus says to them.
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
Jesus does in fact know all things and he knows the truth about their stated belief.
He questions it.
He exposes it.
If they believe that Jesus knows all things, if they have no need to question Jesus, if they truly believe that Jesus has come from God, then the world will surely not scare them away from being true followers of Him will it?
When Jesus is arrested, what will happen to His disciples?
Will they remain true and faithful?
No Jesus goes on to state exactly what they will do.
“Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
The appointed hour has come, and though Jesus is fully committed to them, they are not fully committed to Jesus.
Jesus’s commitment to them will lead him to his unjust trial.
His commitment to them will lead Him to be mocked, tortured, beaten, crucified.
His commitment to them and to us will lead him to bear the wrath of God for them in their place.
And their commitment to Him will lead them to scatter.
Their commitment to Him will lead them to chase the comfort and peace of their homes.
Do you see the difference here before the resurrection?
Jesus tells them this ahead of time.
Jesus has already told Peter that he will deny him three times.
Now, Jesus exposes the hearts of the rest of the disciples.
These disciples were cowards. They were half heartedly committed to the one who was fully committed to them.
Isn’t it amazing that God used these men as the foundational members of His Church?
God took these cowardly men, and transformed them by the power of the resurrection to where these men would rest in the resurrection as each of them would be tortured imprisoned and punished and killed for Christ.
They are different men after they come to know the resurrected Christ.
Men who once wavered will stand immovable.
Peter who cowardly denied Christ three times will stand on the Day of Pentecost, point His finger in the face of those who executed Jesus and charge them
Acts 2:23-23
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
This is what Jesus has in mind in verse 33.
He knows they are about to fail, but he also knows that in a few days, their grief will turn into joy, their strength renewed, and they will find peace in Christ despite the hardships they will face because of the victory they find in Jesus.
Peace through trouble
Peace through trouble
John
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
The twofold location of the believer.
The believer is simultaneously in two places at once.
We live in the period that has been called the “already but not yet”
What do I mean by that?
We are already-
Seated with Christ in the heavenly places ()
In Christ.
Victorious over all with Christ.
But we live in the not yet.
The reality is that we face tribulation
Sickness
Persecution
Confusion
Death.
But listen to the words of our resurrected King.
Take Heart, I have overcome the world.
“Now our future’s fixed, our journey clear God will not let us go. Every trial that tempts our hearts to fear, He’ll use to give us hope.All creation groans as we await What our eyes have longed to see.Every pain and evil we’ve long endured Will be crushed by Christ our King” Sovereign Grace Music.
and here we live.
We live in the reality of the already but not yet.
Christ is already on His throne, but we await for His enemies to be placed under His feet.
We fight through the every day pains. We fight through the sicknesses. We fight through the constant reality that we will die and that those around us will as well.
In this world we will fight, but Dr. Danny Akin says “We do not fight for victory. We fight from victory.”
Thats a much different fight.
Knowing that Christ has overcome the world empowers us and gives us hope through life’s toughest battles.
Knowing Christ has overcome empowers us to overcome the fears of this world.
Knowing Christ has overcome gives us hope as we fight the enemy we seeks to destroy our marriages, who seeks to destroy our ministries, who seeks to destroy our lives.
We fight and persevere through the tribulations of this world with the empowering reality of the Resurrected Christ who has overcome the world.