EPISODE 16 John Chapter 16 ” The Long Goodbye” for Share The Word

What an amazing journey it continues to be. Here at Share the Word, we continue our Great Commission project, sharing the big ideas of the New Testament chapter by chapter. And today, we are excited to have Margie Biasotto explaining the big ideas of chapter 16. So again, open those Bibles and let's get started. The Long Goodbye, John 16. Have you ever had to say an earthly goodbye to someone that you loved?

It's hard, isn't it? For me, it was my mother. It was actually a long goodbye. When Mom was first diagnosed with cancer, the doctors gave her between two months and two years. So every holiday, birthday, and event was a possible last time together moment. Surprisingly and happily, that continued for 12 years.

It just goes to show that no one but God knows the number of our days. Anywho, with the original discovery and diagnosis, my mom had a great intensity of focus and a purpose. She wanted to be very clear about her last wishes. My father and my brother appeared to have a harder time processing and listening to my mom as she began to discuss, well, the end of her days and her funeral arrangements. I came to realize it was because of their great sorrow. I guess they didn't want to plan her celebration of life, for if they did, it would become all too real.

She was leaving. Therefore, the duties fell mostly to me in the early days. I'm not saying I wasn't sad. I was sad. But at that time, I just knew I needed to suspend my grief and really pay attention, close attention, to my mother's words and directions because it was so important to her. I feel that same sense of urgency as we peek into chapter 16.

Here we're privy to an intimate and important conversation between Jesus and his best buds. Jesus loves them so much, and he wants them to be prepared for his departure. So he's giving them clear instructions and directions before his earthly goodbye. Now, to us, this whole sadly beautiful scene is broken down into chapters and verses rather than one fluid conversation between close friends. So I'll quickly reset the stage. Jesus knows that his life is coming to an end quickly, that most likely Judas and the armed temple guards are on their way to arrest and remove Jesus from their midst.

There seems to be so much he wants to tell them, that he wants them to understand. But like my dad and my brother, their grief is so deep that they seem to have trouble focusing on his words and their meaning. Perhaps that's one reason Jesus reminds them that once he is indwelling them in the form of the Holy Spirit, they will recall and comprehend his words from this evening, words of warning, of comfort, of instruction, and of hope. Now, to recap, in this one evening, so much has already happened to boggle the mind and possibly cause them to be distracted. They've had Passover dinner, and they've been introduced to a new covenant. They've been told that one of them would betray Jesus, and all of them would abandon him.

They have had their filthy feet shockingly, humbly, lovingly cleansed by their Lord. Then he tells them he's not only leaving them, but he's about to die. If that wasn't bad enough, there's more bad news. Jesus tells them that they too will be hated. Now, a hurt heart can only handle so much, and by now their hearts were breaking. In John 16:1 through 4, Jesus gets more specific about their persecution.

He tells them that they will be rejected, imprisoned, and martyred, oddly enough, by folks who think that they're doing good. Jesus warns them that one form of this persecution will be being expelled from the synagogue. Now, to us that doesn't sound too bad, but to their ears, being cast out of the synagogue would mean being cut off from their faith, from their family, and from their friends. Basically, their whole lives and Jewish culture would be gone. In other words, they would become social rejects and enemies of the state. Perhaps because Jesus was with them on earth, encountering that hostility and opposition himself, it had hardly touched them until this time.

But soon he would be physically gone, and he was leaving them in his place in the world. So he was warning them to expect suffering, as he did. This warning is actually their resource, their comfort, and their confirmation. Because instead of being surprised, shaken in faith, and confused when they're hated, oppressed, and persecuted, they will find strength, since Jesus told them before it would ever happen exactly what would occur. Church tradition confirms this is exactly what did happen. All but one of the remaining eleven disciples were killed for their faith.

That one remaining disciple is the author of this gospel, the Apostle John. It's also important for us to read the Lord's words in order to not be shaken in our faith by unexpected opposition. One man who knew opposition was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed the Nazi Party. Bonhoeffer once said, When Christ calls a man, he calls him to come and die. However, many present-day churches teach just the opposite.

They proclaim heresy. They woo members with a name-it, claim-it prosperity gospel that promises, Believe in Jesus and all will go well with you. You will be happy and wealthy and healthy. They encourage people to receive Christ so that their lives might be made more comfortable and more profitable, they're presenting Christianity as a good luck charm. Listen, this is a dangerous falsehood. The only way to avoid this delusion is to personally read what Jesus says about the truth, the world, the cross, and himself.

Christianity Today's latest report on persecution finds that there were 1,000 more Christians killed last year than the year before. A thousand more Christians were detained worldwide than the year before. Six hundred more churches were attacked or closed than the year before. Right now, there are 360 million Christians living in nations with high levels of persecution. Folks, that's one in seven Christians worldwide being persecuted or murdered. So here's the real deal.

The true Christian life is to triumph when surrounded by dislike, to overcome opposition with love and with truth. But sadly, many are unprepared for lack of knowledge and ignorance of the Word. John 6:5 through 14, right on the heels of this hard warning, is some great encouragement. For Jesus reminds the disciples that they will not be alone, but they will have the Holy Spirit with them, the Spirit of Truth, who will tell them what he hears from heaven, from the Father and from him, and to tell them what is to come. In John 16:8 through 14, Jesus describes what's typically called the threefold ministry of the Holy Spirit. At first glance, it might seem rather harsh and confusing, so let's break it down.

Jesus said there are three distinct tasks of the Holy Spirit's work. He will convict the world of guilt in regards to sin, which Jesus describes as unbelief. He will convict the world of righteousness, because Jesus is going to the Father in heaven and will no longer be on earth. So the Holy Spirit will reveal that Jesus alone has a right standing, the righteousness before God. And thirdly, he will convict the world of judgment, which proves Jesus' victory over Satan, or as Jesus calls him, the prince of this world. This is a hard concept to grasp for adults, let alone for kindergartners.

I was the teacher of the five-year-old class for years, and we used what we called the Avers, Romans 3:23, to teach the kids about the Holy Spirit convicting the world of guilt and righteousness and judgment. The verse is, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Well, that's an archery term, so we decided to march them out onto the field and give them all little bows and arrows and aim at a target, to hit the mark. Well, I was afraid that they might accidentally hit the bullseye, so I sabotaged all the arrows. Okay, that was not a great idea. Actually, it was very dangerous.

But it caused even more awe when the lead teacher and archer walked up, pulled back the bow and arrow, and fired it right into the bullseye. She announced that Jesus alone hit the mark. Jesus alone is righteous and right standing with God. Jesus alone is perfect and holy. He is the one who completed the mission and defeated Satan so we could be sinless, righteous, and live with Him in heaven if we believed. I think she nailed it, and I don't just mean the bullseye.

So in layman's terms, it's the Holy Spirit's job, not the believer's job, people, to make us aware of our sin. Because none of us hit the mark. To show us that on our own, we can never measure up to God's standard of righteousness. Only Jesus can. And to expose the lies of defeated Satan and reveal the truth about Jesus, which we hope leads to faith. In John 16, 16 through 33, the Lord's conversation is drawing to a close.

Therefore, he seeks to comfort his friends with a hope for the future. He says, For a little while you will see me no more, but after a little while you will see me. The words a little while are repeated in verses 17, 18, and 19. There are several schools of thought regarding the fulfillment of the term a little while. Some believe it refers to the disciples being unable to see Jesus because of his death and his burial. But in a little while, three days later, Jesus would be resurrected and they would see him again for some 40 days.

And then, when Jesus ascends to heaven, the disciples will not see him anymore. But in a little while, some 10 days later, they would see him again in the form of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Or it could be the promise that once they finished their mission on earth and they die, which we know means they were martyred, in a little while they will see him again, physically in heaven. That's kind of a full circle moment. They would see his glory in glory. Or it could mean that right now, Jesus is unseen in heaven, and one day, in a little while, when Jesus returns, we shall all see Him face to face, and every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

Or it could be all of the above, because in God's economy, it's all a little while. The point is that eventually they would see their beloved Jesus again, which I am sure gave them much comfort and joy. In John 16, 25 through 28, Jesus is again switching gears, and He gives the disciples a revised version of prayer. Jesus explains that once He is back with the Father in heaven, the disciples' redemption would be complete, and they would acquire a new privilege, the privilege of going directly to God in prayer using Jesus' name. It's one thing to pray hopefully to God. It's quite another thing to pray confidently using the Son's name.

Now, this is not a magical phrase or formula, but rather the reminder that when we pray, our thoughts should be aligned with the thoughts of our Savior. John 16, 16 through 28, Jesus notices the disciples seem rather confused about a little while, so He tags back to explain to this hurting little band of men that suffering is temporary, but that joy is everlasting. Jesus gives them a clear and powerful illustration of a woman in labor, suffering and in pain. But as soon as she sees the baby that she has delivered, she no longer remembers the anguish, for it has been replaced with joy. Joy that a baby has been born. After giving birth three times myself, I can relate to this.

Pure joy with the new life in my arms would instantly overtake the pain and the agony of labor and childbirth. In the same way, the disciples' temporary suffering, confusion, depression, and anguish would soon be replaced with everlasting joy that Jesus is alive, a joy which could never again be squelched despite any circumstances. In John 16, 29 through 33, with this revelation, the disciples give an almost relieved and grateful response as they begin to understand what Jesus means. Now most of their enthusiasm is expressed as a confession of faith in Him. It must have warmed and encouraged the heart of Jesus as they professed their belief that He truly was sent from God the Father. It is so precious to see that they were so committed to Jesus, although they still didn't fully understand their own weakness nor His full glory.

Jesus' last words recorded in this chapter are a mixture of warning, prophecy, encouragement, and hope. He says, You will be scattered and leave me alone, but I am not alone. Even though you forsake me, my God will be with me. In me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.

It's as if Jesus is saying, despite how it may appear, fellas, all is well. I am the overcomer. I am not overcome. I am the victor. I am not the victim. Amen.

The victory is secured in Him, despite the troubling circumstances of life. So take heart. These are words I cling to as well. As I recover from the grief, loss, and sorrow with the departure of my beloved mother, and my temporary suffering and mourning, I actually have great joy, knowing that my mom is with her overcomer, her Jesus. Experiencing victory over death in the presence of God the Father, feeling the engulfing peace and beautiful fellowship with those who have gone before her, and that in a little while, I will get to be there too. I pray that these promises of Jesus will provide you with the same peace and comfort in your times of trial and grief.

I am Margie, and this is Share the Word. Thank you, Margie. We hope you found this commentary both interesting and insightful. Keep in mind that Share the Word releases two new podcasts weekly at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. If you're just joining us, visit sharetheword.org and check out all the podcasts we've already released, as well as other offerings available to you. Everything that's produced at Share the Word is free for you to use and to share.

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