John 16:25-33

John 16:25-33

“I have spoken these things to you all in allegory.  An hour comes when I will no longer speak to you all in allegory but I will proclaim to you all regarding the Father.  In that day you all will ask in my name and I do not say to you all that I will ask the Father regarding you all.  For the Father Himself loves you all because you all have loved me and you all have believed that I came from God.  I came out from the Father and I have come into the world, again I leave the world and I go to the Father.”  His disciples say, “Behold!  Now you are speaking plainly and no longer do you speak in allegory.  Now we have known that you know everything and you have no need for anyone to question you.  In this we believe: that you have come from God.”  Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?  Behold, an hour comes and has come in order that you all should be scattered – each to his own – and you all will leave me alone.  And I am not alone because the Father is with me.  I have spoken this to you all in order that you all should have peace in me.  In the world you all have affliction.  But have courage.  I have conquered the world. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The last verse is humbling and powerful for me today.  Jesus gives a command and then gives reason to believe the command.  Jesus tells His disciples to have courage.  They may have dark days ahead; they need courage.  But then Jesus gives them the reason.  He uses the perfect tense for it.  He tells them that He has conquered the world.  Not that He will conquer it.  Not that He is about to conquer it.  He tells that that He has conquered it.  It’s already done.  Even before the cross, victory was assured.  Jesus conquered the world, and the effects of that conquering continue into today.

Recently I heard Mike Breen speak on a similar topic.  He said that the cross is like D-Day.  At D-Day, victory of World War II was assured.  But that didn’t mean that there weren’t battles yet to be fought.  D-Day didn’t mean that the Germans rolled up like a cheap carpet.  No, they fought to the bitter end.  The life of Christ is like D-Day.  Jesus has already won.  But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be battles.  The enemy is strong and will resist to the end.  We shouldn’t expect a cake walk.  But we can take courage.  He has conquered.  Victory is assured.

Why is it important to know that victory is assured?  What does that mean to you in your life today?

Second Thought:

This can actually help take us back to something Jesus said earlier in the passage.  Jesus told the disciples that the Father loves them.  Remember that this is before the cross.  So often we like to paint God as an angry God that changed His opinion through the cross.  This is just not true.  God loved us enough to send us Jesus in the first place!  (See John 3:16)  God loves us.  It is our sinfulness that made us enemies with God.  That much is absolutely true.  But God still loved us even while we made ourselves His enemies.

How is this a powerful description of God’s love?  Why do we tend to think of God as an angry God and not a loving God?  Why is this wrong?

Third Thought:

I cannot help but laugh at the disciples as they say, “Oh, we get you now, Jesus.  We know you came from God.”  I can see Jesus grimace and shake His head slowly.  He then tells them that they don’t get it, actually.  The hour is coming when they’ll abandon him because they don’t get it.  They’ll leave Jesus and go back to their own things.  So often we think we get God.  We really don’t.  The only time we truly get God is in hindsight, where His hand is always clearly seen.  The best we can do is wait in a poised manner so that when we see God at work we can join Him as quickly as possible.

When have you thought you had God figured out?  When were you wrong?  Which is better, to figure out God or to wait poised for Him to call out to you?  How do you accomplish this poise?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 17:1-5