The End of the Final Discourse John 16:16-33
Notes
Transcript
Christ Speaks of the Future
Christ Speaks of the Future
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for 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 have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Main Point: Regardless of circumstances, a true disciple finds liberating and lasting joy in Jesus as he or she lives out and shares the gospel.
Main Point: Regardless of circumstances, a true disciple finds liberating and lasting joy in Jesus as he or she lives out and shares the gospel.
It’s safe to assume that the anxiety level of the disciples here became intense. They were just having a good time in the Upper Room and all the sudden Jesus tells the that he is going away. Not only is he going away, but the disciples are going to be persecuted. But as we studied last week, Jesus has to go away, so the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, can come.
It’s safe to assume that the anxiety level of the disciples here became intense. They were just having a good time in the Upper Room and all the sudden Jesus tells the that he is going away. Not only is he going away, but the disciples are going to be persecuted. But as we studied last week, Jesus has to go away, so the Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, can come.
We are going to see four important issues arise in this section.
1st- In verses 16-19, John as he writes focuses on the disciples’ bewilderment with Jesus’ references to time. (16-19)
Let’s look at verses 16
Let’s look at verses 16
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”
Again Jesus is telling them that he is leaving.
Again Jesus is telling them that he is leaving.
-He alluded similar words in 7:33, 12:35, and 13:33
33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.
35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
-Did you notice he said “in a little while” twice here in the same verse?
-This undoubtedly refers to the events of the forthcoming death AND resurrection of Jesus.
-In the Old Testament “a little -Did you notice he said “in a little while” was used by the prophets with respect to both the coming judgment on Israel AND its deliverance.
We see in Hosea the use of “a little while” used as the coming judgment.
4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
And we see it used as deliverance in Isaiah 10 and Jeremiah 51.
25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor
at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
and the time of her harvest will come.”
*Just as he says here, in a little while we will see him no longer-because of the judgment that will happen on the cross. Then a “little while you will see me”-deliverance to those saved because of the cross.
17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
-This was a Huh? moment for the disciples. There’s 11 of the standing there trying to figure out what Jesus mean.t
-The disciples didn’t understand His words. They heard Him speak, but didn’t understand.
-They were held up by Jesus’ use of time here, “What does he mean by a little while?”
19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?
-Even though the disciples were confused, Jesus “knew.”
-He had full understanding of the situation and its implications.
-He knew their reasoning and the nature of their questions.
-This knowledge that Jesus consistently presents in the book of John is supernatural. We see this in John 2 and John 4.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
At this point, the disciples are full of anxiety and confusion.
-They were full of sorrow and stress.
Even though the disciples were stressed out, Jesus knew their worry and encouraged them.
2nd- This next section deals with relationship of sorrow to joy. (20-22)
20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
-Truly, Truly or Amen, Amen (amane)- this phrase emphasizes the truth in this statement. An oathlike statement. You can guarantee this is going to happen.
-There would first be a period of sorrow for the disciples while the world rejoiced, but that period would give way to a period of rejoicing for them.
-There would be a period of weeping or wailing and mourning or lament.
-These actions-weeping and lament- were part of the usual Semitic grief process.
-We saw this grieving process back in chapter 11 of the death of Lazarus
-Where both Mary and Jesus weeped.
-Jesus then uses this picture of child birth to illustrate the relationship of the disciples’ forthcoming experiences-
21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
-We are reminded that normally the severe labor pains and anguish experienced prior to the delivery of a baby usually retreat from memory with the joyous arrival of the newborn.
-Where else do we see this imagery of childbirth in the Bible?
-We see it mentioned several times in Isaiah as the suffering of Israel and the promise of hope when the dead will live.
17 Like a pregnant woman
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
18 we were pregnant, we writhed,
but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
and in Micah chapter 4, he uses the image as both an indication of Israel’s suffering for disobedience and as a window of hope...
9 Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
that pain seized you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go out from the city
and dwell in the open country;
you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hand of your enemies.
3rd- John provides perspective on the disciples’ petitions. (23-28)
4th- John presents a surprising reversal and its implications (29-33)