Jesus and his faithful disciples are settling in together following the last supper.
The hour is late.
The clock is ticking.
Judas is gone.
“The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me”
John 16:9 (NLT)
Like a loving father would, Jesus began by preparing His disciples for what was coming, not just for the imminence of the cross, but for the relentless storm that would define the remainder of their lives and service to God.
“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith…you will be expelled from the synagogues, …those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God….they have never known the Father or Me…”
John 16:1-4 (NLT)
You can almost imagine the sound of the Savior’s voice. There must have been a measure of tenderness and abiding friendship. But there was also His determination and resolve to obey the Father, and He wanted them to know that, too. He wanted them to understand this unity with God.
So Jesus engaged these loved ones that night with His compelling heart. And still they struggled.
Don’t judge the disciples harshly but look what they missed.
“But now I am going away to the One who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.”
John 16: 5-6 (NLT)
Would you and I have missed that, too?
You bet!
There was so much the disciples needed to prepare for. But how could they? The Holy Spirit hadn’t come to live in the hearts of believers yet.
“…it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come…And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment…The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me…Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.“
John 16:7-11 (NLT)
The Helper would come so that the disciples and everyone else who would ever believe and submit to the Savior would have all they would need to understand the Gospel story.
Remember, we already have seen the fact that the Helper has not come yet. Of course, even with the Spirit living in our hearts, we tend to drown Him out so that we can hear our own voices better don’t we?
You can see why we need to stop that. That is pride and leads to sin and our downfall. Worse still, it leads us to dishonor the Lord that we profess to love.
And all the time Jesus was comforting the disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit I wonder if they had any idea what He was saying to them.
for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.
John 6:26 (NLT)
Jesus knew these deeply personal moments would come back to the disicples in time. They would remember all of their questions and doubts.
Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe?
John 16:30 (NLT)
And they would remember the precious promises and the stirring words of their Savior.
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:31-33 (NLT)
I hope you have taken a moment to read the thirty-three short verses in these passages. If you did, then you saw the word believe appeared in verses 9, 27, 30 and 31. That brings John’s total use of this word to ninety-two in these sixteen chapters.
Share the Gospel in your world!
How beautiful are the feet of those
who share the Gospel of peace!
Isaiah 52:7
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 
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