The Gospel of John: John 16.16-33

Read and meditate on John 16.29-32.
The disciples sound very sure of themselves. But Jesus cautions them that their faith is not yet what it needs to be. It’s good for us to maintain such a mindset, lest we disappoint ourselves – and the Lord.

                                                                   ²⁹They said,
“Now You are speaking plainly, Lord, instead
of using figures. ³⁰And we know now and
are sure You know all things. We understand
You have no need for anyone to come
and question You. By this we know that from
God you have come.” ³¹So Jesus answered, “Do
you now believe? ³²The hour is coming to
you, and has now come, when you all will be
dispersed, each to his own, and will leave Me
alone. Yet I am not alone; you see,
the Father Who has sent Me is with Me.”

- John 16.29-32

Reflect
1.  Verse 29 rubs me wrong. It sounds like the disciples were saying, “Finally! You’re speaking language we can understand. It’s about time!” They didn’t want Jesus to speak to them figuratively, but in plain language only. They didn’t like having to figure out what Jesus was saying. They only wanted Him to tell them what they could readily understand. Forget about all that figurative, mind-stretching, hard stuff. Are we like this sometimes, where the Word of God is concerned? Explain. Complete this prayer: Father, let me not despise anything You want to say to me, no matter how difficult, and no matter…

2.  In verse 30, the disciples asserted that they “got it.” The used a form of the verb to know which indicates they thought they’d arrived at all the truth they needed, and that they really and fully believed in Jesus. Jesus knew everything, and they knew Jesus. Good to go, yes sir. Is this a good place to be? Explain. The overconfidence of this statement is punctuated by their saying Jesus didn’t need anyone – including them – to ask Him anything. What did this suggest about their sense of where they’d arrived in faith and understanding? Lord, guard me against hubris of any sort, but especially where it concerns…

3.  Jesus picked up on their hubris, saying in effect “Oh really?” (v. 31) There is no mistaking His point. He intended to dismantle their confidence in themselves (“Now we are sure…”) and refocus them on trusting in Him, without thinking they had it all figured out. How do you suppose Jesus’ question in verse 31 affected the disciples? Do we need Jesus to ask that question to us from time to time? Explain. Father, let Your Spirit convict me whenever I turn from trusting and waiting on You to…

4.  Jesus “spoke plainly” in verse 32. They wanted plain speech, no figures or tropes or types, He would give it to them. Is this the kind of “plain speech” the disciples had in mind? But why did they need to hear this? Do we need to be confronted like this by Jesus, plain-speaking from His Word? Why?

5. Consider what Jesus was facing over the next 24-72 hours. Meditate on Psalm 88. Do you sense the aloneness of the sufferer here? How terrible that must have been! We’ll never experience anything this fearful and agonizing, although we all feel alone and friendless at times. What was Jesus’ comfort as He looked ahead to the next few days? How was that a comfort to Him? How can we tap into that comfort when we are feeling all alone? Bring together into one your prayers from questions 1-4.

Summary
“But how can they say, ‘Now you speak plainly and do not utter proverbs’? Had the hour, indeed, already come—the hour when he had promised that he would no longer speak to them with proverbs? Certainly such an hour had not yet come, as is shown by how he continues speaking to them. … They say this then because, although our Lord’s communications to them still continue as proverbs to them, they are so far from understanding them that they do not even understand their own lack of understanding his words. They were still infants who had no spiritual discernment concerning what they heard.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

Our experience of the Christian life is never as good as it gets, and we never know Jesus well enough to cease from pressing on to know Him more (Phil. 3.7-11). How should knowing this translate into your daily walk with and work for the Lord?

Closing Prayer
The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.
No king issaved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver anyby its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.

Psalm 33.13-21

Psalm 33.13.22 (Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God from His throne looks down on men; He knows our works and made our hearts.
Let not Your Church, let none depend on strength or skill or human arts.

God watches those who fear His Name, who hope upon His grace and love;
He keeps their souls from death and shame who trust in Him Who reigns above.

God is our Helper and our Shield; upon us let Your grace descend!
We hope in You; to You we yield; we trust in Jesus to the end.

T. M. Moore

What does it mean to know Jesus? Order a copy of our book, To Know Him, and share it with a friend who does not know the Lord (click here). Need help learning to pray the psalms? Order the book, God’s Prayer Program, and discover why and how to realize the power of the psalms to transform your prayer life (click here).

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.