3rd Sunday After Easter 2018

April 22, 2018

John 16:16-22

“Confusion”

I came across a story about a man who, many years ago, was hit on the head at work. The blow was so severe he was knocked unconscious for an extended period of time. His family, convinced he was dead, called the funeral home and asked the local undertaker to pick him up at the hospital, which he did. Early the following morning this poor fellow suddenly awoke and sat straight up in the casket. Confused, he blinked several times and looked around, trying to put the whole thing together. He thought, "If I'm alive, what in the world am I doing in this soft, satin-filled box? And if I'm dead, why do I have to go to the bathroom?"

It is another type of confusion we see in today’s Gospel reading. The Lord Jesus emphasized the purpose of truth by reminding the disciples, one more time, that He was leaving. This verse serves as a connection between the early part of chapter 16 and the remainder that deals with the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ departure. The phrase “you will see me” reminds us of an earlier verse in chapter 14, which reads, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Bible scholars argue whether this refers to Christ’s second coming, the arrival of the Counselor or Holy Spirit, or the return of Jesus from the dead after the resurrection. It seems that the context best fits a post-resurrection appearance, although other interpretations are still possible. But, whatever Jesus’ intention, the meaning was not clear to the disciples.

As we read on, we find the disciples more confused than ever. They were still not able to grasp the Lord’s words and seemed unable to activate the command of, “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. Their hearts were very troubled and they found the Lord’s comments both disturbing and utterly baffling.

Saint John wasted no time getting into the flow of the problem. Both of these verses contain the question, “What does He mean?” We know the disciples asked that question more than twice, since verse 18 tells us that, “they kept asking.” The disciples conclusion was, “We don’t understand what He is saying.” Nobody pretended to have insight into what Jesus was trying to tell them. This is another time they were all of “one accord.” They knew they just heard something important, but they could not make out how it was going to affect them or what they needed to do about it.

The word communicate does not appear in this passage. But we have already seen communication as a theme of the entire chapter. It contains a flurry of words related to the communication process. In the second half of the chapter, the word “ask” shows up ten times; “said” appears six times; “tell” four times; and “mean” three times. What we do not want to do is focus only on the historical setting of the disciples when these words were uttered. What happened to them when Jesus spoke can, and does, also happen to us now and will also happen to those who will come later.

A common concern I hear from people who are new to the faith is how hard the Bible is to understand. It is hard for everyone when they first pick it up. Many open it up to a random page and start reading and most give up because they can’t make heads or tails out of the message they receive. A friend told me he tried reading the Bible and it was like trying to read the phone book. I asked what he was reading and he said he started with Matthew chapter one. After I explained that chapter outlines the 42 generations from God to David, David to the exile in Babylon, and. from Babylon all the way down to Jesus, he said, “Well, that makes sense when you explain it that way. Everything needs to be viewed within a context and the Bible is no exception.

In verses 19-20, Jesus had just repeated what He told the disciples in verse 16, and He acknowledged that He understood their confusion. He told them there would be a time of sadness and grieving, but there was also a promise: “your grief will turn to joy.” Confusion turns to truth and grief turns to joy when we finally understand what Jesus has said.

All of this confusion takes us back to the time frame mentioned, by Jesus. When is this “little while” He was talking about? He had not yet linked the “little while” with His return to the Father, but the disciples made that connection in verse 17 where it says, “Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”

The issue for us is this: did they misunderstand what He said or was that His intent? Since the entire context of John’s gospel, from chapter 14 verse 1 through chapter 16 verse 33 centers on the Lord’s departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit, we are directed to that time frame to understand the meaning of a little while.

From the crucifixion to the resurrection, all Jesus’ disciples (not only the eleven) would weep and mourn. There were many more disciples than just the eleven in His inner circle. Luke chapter 10 tells us Jesus sent out “72” disciples on an evangelical mission and many biblical scholars believe there were about 500, active, disciples at the time of His crucifixion. All of them needed to understand that He would see them again personally, and then after His ascension to the Father, the Counselor would come.

Verses 21 and 22 tell us the believers grief would also turn to joy because they would see Him again. We cannot be sure that the Lord intended any kind of time frame in the choice of this analogy. But the pain of a woman’s labor, however long it may seem, is normally only a little while. Because of the confusion brought on by grief, Jesus kept repeating Himself. This is another key to communication that we now call “the principle of successive rehearsals.” I’ve said many times, when the Bible repeats itself you need to pay attention because the message is important. The grief turning to joy was not like a sorrow followed by joy—for example, an illness. In that case, the absence of the cause of the grief brings about the joy. This is not so with the birth of a baby. When pregnancy culminates in delivery, the cause of the pain becomes the cause of the joy.

Finally, we learn that grief can turn to joy because we ask in His name. Verse 23 contains two different words rendered by the English word ask. The first might be translated “inquire,” and the second, “request.” These two words are not the same in meaning. To inquire means to ask for information. To request normally relates to soliciting favor or help while in need. Although Jesus would teach His disciples after the resurrection, the high intensity, of this present time, would cease.

The obvious need of the disciples was to get rid of their grief. The genuine sorrow at the Lord’s departure that elated the world and crushed their dreams. Think about the couple on the road to Emmaus described by Luke. When Jesus approached them, “They stood still, their faces downcast”. They were headed home convinced that all the messianic promises had come to nothing. They were crushed…lost.

Asking in Jesus’ name was introduced in chapter 14. The phrase, “In Jesus’ name, Amen” is no magical or mystical formula. When we pray in Jesus’ name, it connects us to Him by faith, it honors Him as God, and proclaims His lordship in our lives.

It has been pointed out that praying in Christ’s name means coming to God only in His merit, not our own. Christ’s full name is Lord Jesus Christ, which means Jehovah, Savior, God’s anointed. It is this name, in whose merit we must humbly pray. We cannot think that somehow God will hear us because of our own virtue. We come by virtue only of His merit. Poverty of spirit is the basis on which we approach God, and our on-going poverty is the crown of blessing. If we learn this, if we come to God in poverty of spirit, we can expect our prayers to be answered.”

Ahead for these eleven men lay forty days of serious teaching that would take place between the resurrection and the ascension. During that time their doubt turned to faith—a faith that turned into zeal at Pentecost. In the life of any believer, doubt turns to faith because the Father loves us.

Some interpreters have suggested that Jesus deliberately created ambiguity because there were so many things about the crucifixion and resurrection that the disciples could not grasp. But if we adopt a communication model for this passage, it appears that the Lord spoke as clearly as He could at this point. Now He promised that He would speak plainly about the Father—probably a reference to those forty days of teaching. Jesus is the intercessor for all believers at the right hand of God the Father. But here He talked about prayer—going directly to the Father’s throne.

This is a stunning passage. We know what the New Testament says about not needing any earthly mediator to reach the Father. Now the Lord said, I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. Those who have bonded with Jesus Christ through salvation, who have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, who show the fruit of the Spirit because of their branch-like attachment to the True Vine—these people are accepted by the Father.

The origin of Jesus, which was such a controversial subject in chapter 8 of John’s gospel, now begins to break through to the disciples. They were now beginning to realize Jesus was not just a great man and teacher, but He had actually come from God the Father.

Doubt can also turn to faith because the Holy Spirit enlightens us. These disciples had the right answer. But, Jesus had just finished telling them He was speaking figuratively and would have to do so until the “little while” had passed. However, they claimed to understand everything, to recognize Jesus’ omniscience. They said they believed He came from God. This was the last week Jesus would spend with these disciples before the crucifixion. They had been listening to Him teach and watching Him work for three and one-half years. Now suddenly they claimed they had reached the conclusion that He came from God.

Of course, naiveté still clouded the disciples thinking because they did not yet have the Holy Spirit’s illumination. The difference between not understanding and understanding the Bible comes not from years of seminary training, but from the presence and teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The disciple’s confusion is something that we all will experience, at some point, during our studies. The advantage we have over them is we go into our studies with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to help us understand. The wonderful thing about receiving the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment is it is free for anyone who asks.

Before you commit to learning the Scripture, start by asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. You will be amazed at how He will bring the words you read to life.

Amen,

Fr. Bill Shepard†

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Fr. Bill Shepard†