There are so many reasons to read the Bible. As a teenager I learned reading God’s Word is one of the spiritual disciplines we practice as followers of Jesus. As I continued to pursue Jesus over the years, reading the Bible became more than something I “had to do” as a follower of Christ. Rather, I realized reading the Word taught me various attributes of God.
In the same way that we take time to get to know significant others, friends, coworkers, and other people we care about, we must also take time to get to know Jesus in order to have a true relationship with Him.
I love this chapter of John because it illustrates some pretty important characteristics of our Savior. Let’s check them out.
Loving
From the very beginning of the chapter we see Jesus loving his disciples well in verses 1-3:
“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me.”
Jesus wasn’t trying to scare the disciples with these words. He was providing them with information necessary for success. He didn’t want them to be surprised when they encountered the trials ahead of them. In the same way, we have the Word to be equipped for the journey that is walking with Jesus. The verses above also teach the importance of reading His Word to be able to figure out the difference between truth and lies. Do you expect to receive an A on a test you haven’t studied and learned material for? Of course not. How silly of us to think we can know Jesus without opening the book containing God-breathed words of truth.
All-knowing
The fact is, God knows better than we do. We see that in verses 5-7:
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”
In the midst of what seems like tragedy, Jesus shows his disciples there is more to the story than what they are seeing in that moment. One of my least favorite phrases is “Everything happens for a reason.” I know people mean well, but there are some tragedies we will never understand. Further, we aren’t promised an explanation for why we experience difficult things in life. We may go our entire lives not knowing why bad things have happened to us. Instead of holding onto a cliche phrase, let’s hold onto the truth that God’s plan is better than ours. Because of this truth, we can have peace in the midst of things we don’t understand.
`Protective
As the chapter continues, we see Jesus not only loves his disciples well, but he does what he can to protect them in verses 12-13:
“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
He gave them the information they needed before leaving them, but knew their limits and what they could handle. While he didn’t burden their hearts with more than they needed in that moment, Jesus continues to love his disciples well in verse 22:
“So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.”
While the information Jesus gave them may have filled the disciples with dismay, he loved them enough to give them a glimpse of the rest of the story and provide hope for the future. Chapter 16 ends with a verse many of us have learned and recited in our own personal trials. Check it out in verse 33:
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Have courage in the midst of hardships and battles you face in your day-to-day life because no matter the power of your oppressor, Jesus has already won the war.
P.s. this chapter reminded me a lot of the song Pieces by Amanda Cook. I hope you will listen and be encouraged as the words reflect the character of our Father who loves us dearly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0FW--zidYA
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