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15 Comments on John 16
The disciples didn't have a clue and had to rely on their relationship with Jesus to give them hope-that sounds familiar, doesn't it.
Deanne, not much has changed has it?
Mike,
Blessings on your teaching tonight. The Comforter will only come to those who NEED comforting or invite Him into their lives by trusting Jesus...!!!
I pray that the Holy Spirit direct your class and instruct as He wills...!!!
Thanks, Fran
Thanks Fran, never heard a catholic believe and talk like you do! Very refreshing!
Mike, I started going to a Calvary Chapel over a year ago and when I started there the Pastor was at John 4. He has now made it up to John 18. He preaches verse by verse and I LOVE IT!
Mike:Sorry, I may be a day late for your first meeting... I love this part of John and do have some thoughts on it, of course. 1st being that this is another great example of how somebody decided to split up someone else's thoughts and probably in mid paragragh. The division of chapter and verse is for another debate, however; 16 starts in mid thought of Jesus finishing his 2nd statement about the Holy Spirit or Friend to come.
He starts with the warning of how tough things will get for them but reminding them how it is better that He go so all men can have Him via Paraclete or the Helper.
I too am drawn to the part starting in verse 20 which starts with the double amen... truly, truly. Whenever Jesus starts with that, we better pay attention because it's something huge! He foretells of the days to come and compares it to childbirth. A very familiar analogy to the Jews. They have been told for a thousand years or more about Israel and the birthpangs surrounding her, foretelling of the Messiah coming. Of course Jesus and a select few now know that he is that birth. So it's really important that we get this as the disciples really didn't right then. As in any childbirth there is growth before the actual birth. First a seed, then growth which is not detectable and finally the emergence. There has been growth among His disciples now for 3 1/2 years... but the birth (resurrection) is about to be upon them. What Jesus is about to go through in God's plans is exactly like the childbirth they have heard about for so long. There will be much pain and suffering but when the Holy Ghost comes and falls upon them, they will have total understanding of what these words spoken to them ahead of time would mean and the joy set before Him.
There is another double amen in 23 and Jesus turns His thoughts to His promises of how powerful prayers will become once He is gone. Truly, truly... if you ask the Father for anything, (anything meaning in His will and we know what His will is by His Word) He will give it if asked in Jesus' name.
He finishes what we know as chapter 16 with the command to have courage, for He overcame the world. I like to recall this every single time I'm faced with any adversity. He also said we would do greater things than He... If He overcame the world, it means I have overcome the world and thus why would we ever bother asking for something we already possess. This verse has never been more powerful than in today's world where it looks very much like we are losing when in fact, we've already won. We just have to remember that what we see now is not the end result but only the birthpangs of the great and terrible day of the Lord! Just breathe through it until it is time to push and trust the Helper to do what Jesus sent Him to do for us and in us.
Sorry for hijacking your post... Father, I trust the revelation that You have given through these verses will shine through and spill out on all those who hear your words, In Jesus' name I pray. Amen and amen.
Bob,
Thanks for all your comments. I value them more than you could know. A day or so ago I heard Glenn Beck make that same comment," we have already won". I guess we just have to decide which side we want to be on?
Marchel, I value your comments and opinions also. Please keep commenting and praying for me and the class I am teaching.
Did the students teach the teacher anything? I love it when that happens. Like the chess student beating the master.
I loved how Jesus referred his leaving and the Comforter coming to the woman giving birth. Lots of pain and heartache (I thought I was going to die. Every. Single. Time.) followed by unspeakable joy. What was unspoken here is that most mothers do not feel the unspeakable joy immediately after the child is delivered. It takes a little while to grasp the meaning of what has just happened.
Just as in childbirth, the disciples took a bit to figure it all out - to understand what had happened, how it was going to impact their lives, and then to see the joy in the situation.
How awesome is Jesus that he made it so clear for us (of course, hindsight is 20-20, right?)!
~Renae
Renae abd Kenneth,
Thanks for the comments. I plan to share all your thoughts as this class progresses. We covered the first 4 or 5 verses only so far.
Jesus promised "another" Comforter - He also stated that they knew Him yet they never saw Him - but they saw His works through Jesus - Jesus said if you have seen Me you have seen the Father -
He now promised the Holy Spirit will come from Heaven and dwell in man - to Comfort His children - to be exactly what Jesus was to them in the flesh - yet now He will dwell in fleshly vessels -
Paul said in Romans 8 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God!"
He made us sons and daughters of God who now cry "Abba, Father" because of the indwelling of the Spirit of God who transforms us into children of God who have received the free gift of salvation through the shed Blood of Jesus and the Resurrection of Jesus through the power of the Spirit of God
Paul also stated that "The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us" when we believe on Jesus and call him the Lord of our lives.
I also featured this in Walking By Faith In The Rain! Great Job Mike -
Faith and trust are sometimes easier said than done, but we know that Jesus is always true to His words. I have learned that it may take some time to see. That is when faith, trust and total dependence in God are all that you have. His love and grace are sufficient and beautiful.
Back to class tonight with many of your thoughts. Thanks to all for helping me!
Mike,
Great post. All of the answers above are great for teaching, and making us think and dig deeper into the chapter ourselves. Wonderful. What I find interesting is the end of the chapter, where they all say "Oh Yeah" now it all makes sense, we know you are from God, and you are going to leave the world and go back to the Father. And then Jesus says, yeah now you believe, but when trouble comes you are going to be afraid and hide, and leave me all alone.
And we still do that even now. One day, it is like everything is great, we know that God loves us and is going to take care of us, then we run into some personal trouble and it's like where is God? Or we are afraid to be the witness we know we should be and we may try to hide the fact that we know Christ or have anything to do with him. Even though we know without doubt that Christ is risen from the dead and has gone back to the Father to prepare a home for us.
Certainly as we mature as Christians, we don't "Hide" nearly like we (or I did when I was young), used to. But I remember as a teenager at school I would act like a non-christian, or at least be afraid to say that I had much to do with church or Christ.
And then the disciples as they "understood everything and said to Christ that they knew what he was talking about and that he was from God", then hardly a few days later Christ is being persecuted, beaten, mocked, taken to trial, spit upon, sentenced to die by cruxifiction and they see or hear all about what is going on, and they scattered, they was afraid, they hid, they did not understand anything that was going on.
You know we often talk about Peter being afraid and denying Christ 3 times by the fire while he was trying to stay warm, but at least he was there. I believe only Peter and John had enough guts to stay that close to Christ to see what was going to happen to him in the courtyard. All of the other disciples are too scared to even be that close.