John 16:1-4

JN 16:1 "These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept from stumbling. 2 "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3 "And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me. 4 "But these things I have spoken to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

Jesus has been telling the disciples about their upcoming persecution. He has also been telling them how to maintain their relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. The reason He has told them all these things at this point is to keep them from stumbling.

 

Jesus’ predictions about persecution are very specific. The disciples would be cast out of the synagogue. In addition, the disciples would be killed – and people who killed them would think they were serving God! The simple explanation for these things is that, even though people believed they knew God, the persecutors did not know God. They did not know Jesus. So they would persecute the disciples of Jesus, God’s sent Son.

 

But Jesus is telling the disciples now, before these things happen. Why now? So that the disciples will not be caught off guard. When these things happen, the disciples will understand both what is happening and why. Jesus has explained it all in advance. And their faith in Him will be strengthened as they hold to His teachings.

 

Why didn’t Jesus warn the disciples of these things earlier. Why didn’t He say, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Oh, and by the way, the men you fish for will kill you.”? His explanation is that He was with them.

 

The most important thing was that the disciples come to know, follow, love and obey Jesus. That was the focus while Jesus was with them. Telling them these things might have (probably would have) distracted them from getting to know Jesus. But now Jesus was about to leave them. Even though He wouldn’t leave them alone, He needed to reassure them that He would still be there for them after His departure. His love would still be extended to them. Even when they were thrown out of the synagogues – even when they were killed – the disciples were not supposed to wonder whether their relationship with Christ was worth the pain. Jesus wanted it to be perfectly clear to them that the choices were 1) a relationship with Him and the Father while suffering, OR 2) freedom from earthly suffering while outside of a relationship with Jesus and the Father.

 

Father, may I be willing to suffer anything – ANYTHING – for the sake of maintaining a relationship with You through Your Son Jesus Christ. You are worth it. You really are. I’m afraid I might be too weak to deal with real pain, but I want to be with You forever. Strengthen me for every trial. Strengthen all Your children. Hold us close to You, and remind us repeatedly that You know about our sufferings – the ones we have experienced, the ones we’re going through now, and even the ones we still have coming. You know. And You care. Thank You for Your love, and for having Jesus express so clearly that our earthly sufferings are not an indication that You have abandoned us.