Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“I have said these things to you so that you will not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogue, but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think they are offering service to God. And they will do these things because they do not know the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you about them.” (John 16:1-4)

Chapter sixteen finishes the direct teaching Jesus started in chapter 14. He begins by reminding them that He is talking about what is coming – directly and in the long future. He is doing it so that when it happens, we remember He told us about them. If Jesus is aware of a situation ahead of time, He has also made a way to conquer it. Jesus told them He didn’t speak about these things the moment they met. But that now He was. He again told them about Holy Spirit and that He was coming to them. Coming to them to convict them of their righteousness in Jesus. To remind them in every situation that they could trust in Jesus. That Holy Spirit would always point to Jesus, remind them of what Jesus said, and that He would declare Jesus to them.

Jesus warned the disciples that they could see Him, but soon would not, and then after a little see Him, and then see Him no more because He would go to the Father. He wasn’t speaking to scare them, but to encourage them. So that they could hold onto what He said instead of falling to fear or worse, rejecting God altogether. He had been speaking proverbs to them, but soon would speak plainly. He would speak openly to them because the Father loved them and Jesus loved them too. He warned them that they would leave Him and scatter, each to his own home. But He told them to take heart because the Father NEVER left Jesus and would always be with Jesus, so Jesus was never truly alone. All of this Jesus said so that they would have peace.

Chapter seventeen is indirect teaching as Jesus prays. The whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer for His disciples – those present and those coming later (you and I). He follows the same pattern He always did. Thanking the Father, acknowledging the Father, and then revealing His heart to the Father. He asked that the Father sanctify the disciples (them and us) through the Word which was TRUTH. Jesus prayed for US. All of us. He passed onto us what the Father gave to Him. Through trust we all come to Jesus, and through Jesus, we all come to the Father. We have known the Father because we have known Jesus, and through believing the love Jesus has for us, we can believe the love the Father has for us. Jesus’ fervent prayer was for the Father’s love to be in us and Jesus to be in that love.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples

Key Verse(s): John 16:23-33; 17:17-26