JOHN LESSON 45
We will begin this lesson in John 16:15.
V-15, "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said
I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
We see in this verse above, the fact that the Father and the Son
have joint ownership and creatorship. Jesus is showing the harmony of
Spirit and intent of He and the Father. He shows the Godhead. We see
in this the working of the Godhead. In a sense Jesus sends the Holy
Spirit; in another sense, the Holy Spirit comes. The wishes of Jesus
and the Holy Spirit are the same. Jesus was sent of God, but came to
lay His own life down; no one took His life, He gave it.
V-16, "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a
little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."
Jesus is first speaking here of the three days between the
crucifixion and the resurrection of His body. Then He will walk with,
and be seen of, the disciples for forty days, before His return to the
right hand of the Father.
V-17, "Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is
this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me:
and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, and, Because I go to
the Father?"
You see, these followers of Jesus did not even then realize what
Jesus was about to do for all mankind. They are whispering among
themselves, afraid to ask Him outright what this meant. Of course, He
is speaking of the death of His body on the cross and the resurrection
of that body on the third day. Then Jesus will be seen a short time
and go away again into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
This will not be a separation forever. Actually, Jesus is present
even now with every believer, because the Spirit of the risen Christ
dwells in the believers.
V-18, "They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little
while? we cannot tell what he saith."
This is understandable, in that they really do not know the
details of what is to happen.
V-19, "Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and
said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A
little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and
ye shall see me?"
You can easily see from this, that Jesus is very concerned about
how this is affecting these disciples. He knows their very thoughts.
He is always tenderly teaching them of His ways.
V-20, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and
lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but
your sorrow shall be turned into joy."
The reason Jesus did not specifically tell them the details is so
they could look back at this and realize that Jesus is speaking
prophetically to them. Jesus wants them to experience the death of
His body, His resurrection, and then His glorious re turn to the
Father in heaven. Their sorrow must be real, so they can experience
the overwhelming joy of His resurrection.
V-21, "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her
hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she
remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the
world."
Jesus uses an example here that every one will understand. There
is pain involved in the birth of a child, but all mothers soon forget
the pain when they see the baby. The crucifixion of Jesus is much the
same. There was great pain to His flesh when they nailed Him to the
cross. His suffering on the cross brought everlasting life for all
who would accept Him as their Saviour. The baptism of suffering is a
step on the way to everlasting life. In II Timothy 3:12, "Yea, and
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
You see, there is always a certain amount of pain on the way to life.
Jesus is just explaining that the suffering is nothing compared to the
joy that will follow.
V-22, "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you
again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from
you."
This joy that comes when Jesus is resurrected is a joy that shall
never end. This joy is not for just that generation of people, but
for people for all ages to come. The joy felt by these disciples in
Jesus' time is felt by everyone who receives the Lord as Saviour
throughout the ages. The Old Testament makes us all feel guilty of
sin, and the only relief from this guilt is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
V-23, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give it you."
The in that day means from the first resurrection morning to the
end of time. Jesus is teaching them here the manner in which to pray
to get results. Pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and
God the Father will give you whatever you as k for. Notice the
verily, verily. Those two words together tell us that the statement
is absolute. It will happen.
V-24, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye
shall receive, that your joy may be full."
Their prayers, as long as they were with Jesus, had not been
spoken in His name. After Jesus rises from the tomb, and goes to sit
at the right hand of the Father, they are to ask in Jesus' name. In
I John 2:1 we read, "My little children, these things write I unto
you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" Jesus is on our side. He
pleads our case with the Father. Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Jesus enjoys doing
things for us that will bring joy to us.
V-25, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the
time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I
shall shew you plainly of the Father."
The parables were given so that worldly people could not
understand with their natural mind. Parables are understood with the
spirit of man. The Holy Spirit reveals to the believers what is to be
learned in the Parable. God wants our heart and not our mind. The
Spirit of the risen Christ dwells within the Christian. This is what
opens our understanding to the Father and the Son.
V-26, "At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto
you, that I will pray the Father for you:"
There is no greater name than the name of Jesus. Phillippans
2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" V-11,
"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father." Whatever we ask for in the name of
Jesus, will be done.
V-27, "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved
me, and have believed that I came out from God."
God the Father's love for mankind shows the greatest love that
has ever been known. In Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
We did not deserve His love, but He loved us anyway. In I John 4:9-
10, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that
God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him." V-10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
Propitiation means atonement. In other words, Jesus paid our debt for
us. He died, so we might live.
V-28, "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world:
again, I leave the world, and go to the Father."
Jesus' Spirit is eternal. He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning
and the End. He was the Word of God in heaven (St. John 1:1). He
took on the form of flesh and became Jesus (the Saviour) for His stay
on earth. The Holy Spirit of God hovered over Mary, and she conceived
by the Spirit of God. The flesh was only a house to live in while
Jesus was on the earth. The Spirit went back to heaven in a new
spiritual body. You may read the difference in the natural body and
the spiritual body in I Corinthians chapter 15 beginning with verse 40
and going through verse 50. Jesus is even now sitting at the right
hand of God the Father in heaven.
V-29, "His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou
plainly, and speakest no proverb."
This plain speech of verse 28 they understood.
V-30, "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest
not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest
forth from God."
The wisdom of Jesus has thoroughly convinced them that He was
much more than man. Their understanding has been opened that this is
actually Messiah standing before them. They know that Jesus is God
the Word, God the Son.
V-31, "Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?"
Jesus knows that the statement they have made here is not under
pressure. He knows that their faith will be sorely tried when He is
crucified. They will not be able, at the time it is happening, to
believe that Jesus being nailed to the cross could be any kind of
victory.
V-32, "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall
be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet
I am not alone, because the Father is with me."
Jesus is speaking prophetically of when the authorities take Him.
The disciples scatter for fear of their lives. Peter follows a way,
but denies Jesus three times. The only specific mention of any of
them with Him at the cross is John, Mary (His mother), and some of the
women. At one point Jesus will even cry, "My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me". The Father really has not forsaken Him. Jesus
dismisses His Spirit and commands it to go to the Father.
V-33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world."
Jesus, in this sentence above, is telling the disciples of that
day and His followers today, as well, that we are not to be
discouraged when trials come. Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus
won the battle. Victory is ours, because He paid the price for us. A
person who knows he will spend all of eternity in heaven with Jesus
should have the perfect peace of God. These little minor problems we
have in the flesh are nothing compared to all of eternity we will
reign with our King Jesus. We en joy the pleasures of the victory
that Jesus has won for all of us.
John 45 Questions
1. All things that the Father has are ____________________________.
2. In verse 16, what does Jesus mean by a little while, and ye shall
not see me?
3. What question were the disciples asking each other?
4. What was He trying to convey to them in verse 17?
5. In verse 19, we see that Jesus even knows what our ____________
are.
6. When the world is rejoicing, what will the disciples be doing?
7. What will their sorrow be turned into?
8. Why does a woman in travail have sorrow?
9. What does she forget as soon as the child is born?
10. When they nailed Jesus to the cross, did He suffer pain?
11. In II Timothy 3:12, we find that all who will live godly in Christ
Jesus ______________________ __________________.
12. Who will be able to take their joy away?
13. Who do you pray to?
14. What name must you use for God to answer?
15. What does Verily, verily show us?
16. "...ask, and ye shall receive, that your ______________________
may be ____________________."
17. In I John 2:1, who is our advocate with the Father?
18. Hebrews 7:25, says who is our intercessor?
19. How had Jesus spoken to them in the past?
20. How would He now speak to them?
21. Who prays to the Father for us?
22. Why does the Father love us?
23. In I John 4:9, how did God show His love for us?
24. What does propitiation mean?
25. Whom had Jesus come from?
26. Name two sets of names Jesus is known by that shows His eternity?
27. Where do we find the Scriptures that explain the difference in a
natural body and a spiritual body?
28. In verse 30, the disciples said they now understood what about
Jesus?
29. What does Jesus prophecy will happen to them when He is captured
and crucified?
30. Who will be with Jesus to the end?
31. In the world ye shall have __________________________.
32. Jesus says be of good cheer: I have overcome the ______________.
Notes
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