Participants: Deyvy Rodriguez & Jon Paulien
Series Code: JBOTB
Program Code: JBOTB00021B
|
00:01 And we are back studying the Gospel of John
00:02 with Dr. Jon Pauline. 00:04 Dr. Pauline you said in your illustration 00:07 with your former girlfriend, 00:08 that she told you that it is better for me to leave 00:12 and now that you look back you indeed, 00:14 you know, know that well it was good for that to happen. 00:18 In the case of the disciples, 00:20 Jesus says it is better for me to leave, 00:22 what was good about that? 00:24 Well, the answer here of course is what we're kind of avoiding 00:28 at this point in order to look at everything else 00:31 that's happening in these chapters. 00:32 But the ultimate answer is the Holy Spirit. 00:35 That Jesus is just one person. 00:38 Even though He is here on this earth, 00:40 He can be with His disciples or not with His disciples. 00:43 He can be with one and not the rest, you see. 00:46 But the Holy Spirit would be with all of them all the time. 00:50 So through the Holy Spirit, God has a more direct 00:53 and more intimate connection with us 00:55 that was possible when Jesus was physically present. 00:58 And of course for the second generation, 01:01 Jesus is speaking to them 01:03 and say you're disappointed that you don't have me, 01:06 but I am telling you it's better for you 01:09 that I am not here. 01:10 Through the Holy Spirit you have direct access 01:13 to all the power through the words of the Gospel, 01:16 all the power that I had here 01:18 is available to you anywhere on earth. 01:21 When Jesus was there, if He was in Cana, 01:25 you know, someone have to-- 01:26 Capernaum, would have to go see Him, you see. 01:29 That story illustrates that 16 mile walk 01:32 illustrates the problem of having Jesus 01:36 as the source of all the benefits 01:38 that come from God. 01:40 When Jesus goes away and sends the Holy Spirit, 01:43 the Holy Spirit can be in Cana 01:45 and Capernaum at the same time. 01:47 Now, of course, in Jesus ministry 01:50 he was able to heal people 16 miles away. 01:53 But that was the exception rather than the rule 01:57 and through the Holy Spirit 01:59 the works of Jesus are multiplied 02:01 all around the world. 02:03 Now we will elaborate on that next time. 02:06 That--that's the immediate answer 02:09 to your question. Okay. 02:10 So where does Jesus continue with these discourse? 02:14 Why don't we go to verses 20-22? 02:18 "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, 02:22 but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, 02:25 but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 02:28 A woman, when she is in labor, 02:30 has sorrow because her hour has come. 02:33 But as soon as she has given birth to the child, 02:35 she no longer remembers the anguish, 02:38 for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 02:42 Therefore, you now have sorrow, 02:45 but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, 02:48 and your joy no one will take from you." 02:52 So here we have an irony of reversal. 02:54 You know, the disciples are gonna suffer. 02:57 The disciples are gonna be dismayed, 02:59 Jesus is gonna go away, they're gonna weep and mourn. 03:02 But that sorrow will be turned to joy. 03:05 First of all it will be turned to joy 03:07 when Jesus comes back from the dead. 03:09 Second of all, it will be turned to joy 03:12 when after Jesus leaves to heaven 03:14 He will come back to them in the Holy Spirit. 03:18 So this whole thing about multiple meanings 03:22 comes in to play here, 03:23 He will go away, they will be sorrowful. 03:26 But He will return in the Holy Spirit, 03:27 they will have joy. 03:28 Ultimately, He'll return physically at the Second Coming, 03:32 they will have joy. 03:33 So the sorrow that they now have is turned to joy. 03:39 Keeping your finger in Chapter 16, 03:41 why don't we go back to Chapter 15 and verse 11 03:47 because that ties in here. 03:49 There is a lot of repetition in these chapters. 03:53 "Since I have told you this, so that my joy maybe in you 03:58 and that your joy maybe complete." 04:04 This concept of joy, 04:06 I think maybe a little bit difficult 04:08 for people to understand. 04:10 And let me try to illustrate it little bit. 04:14 I remember one time I am going to a young person 04:16 and inviting them to church. 04:18 And he said, why don't-- I don't want to go. 04:22 You know, why don't you want to go to church? 04:25 Because it isn't any fun. Okay. 04:30 Where do you have fun? 04:33 He said, well, when I go to a club, 04:36 you know, then I have fun. Okay. 04:39 And when you leave the club, what then? 04:42 Oh, the fun stops. 04:44 He sees the fun is at the party, 04:47 the fun is at the club. 04:49 But the trouble with fun, 04:52 you know, the fun could be the amusement park, 04:56 you know, rollercoasters and stuff. 04:58 When you are there, you have fun, 05:00 when you leave the fun stops. 05:04 So here is the thing, the problem with fun 05:08 is it only lasts as long as the fun. 05:12 Joy, what Jesus is talking about is something that is lasting. 05:17 It is always with you. It's even there when you suffer. 05:22 One of the marks of Christian faith 05:24 is joy in suffering. Didn't say fun. 05:29 Jesus never says suffering is fun. 05:33 Jesus wasn't having fun on the cross. 05:38 But there is joy even in suffering. 05:42 The joy that Jesus had in His suffering 05:44 was the knowledge as Isaiah 53 tells us, 05:47 the knowledge that through that sacrifice 05:50 multitudes of new friends would come to God. 05:56 And so that was a joy, in the midst of that suffering, 05:59 there was a joy that there was a purpose in it. 06:02 So joy goes a lot deeper than fun. 06:04 And the beautiful thing about is, 06:06 is it lasts even when the fun is over. 06:09 So this concept of joy is part of the thing. 06:13 It's better for you if I go away 06:16 because with the Holy Spirit the joy will be always with you. 06:21 Joy is probably not a term 06:23 that we use that much in today's world, 06:26 and maybe because it doesn't really click for most people. 06:31 For them, happiness and joy have turned simply into fun. 06:35 And when you are not having fun, 06:36 you need to go to work. Work isn't fun. 06:39 But you can have joy at work. 06:42 You could have joy serving people 06:44 that come to you for help. 06:46 You could have joy helping other people be productive 06:49 and do things that help people. 06:51 So there can be joy even in the drudgery of work. 06:54 You know, sometimes I'll get 80 or 90 emails in a day. 06:58 It's not fun. 07:01 But people write me 07:03 and people engage me at the job 07:05 because we have a mission to accomplish. 07:07 And there can be joy in doing the mission 07:10 if it is done for God 07:13 and if it is done as to Jesus Christ. 07:16 So I think that's an important dynamic 07:18 that's' going on in this passage. 07:20 Well, the difference that I understand 07:22 as well as the difference between fun and joy 07:25 is that the world can give fun. 07:28 You know, as you mention, amusements 07:30 and different types of entertainments, 07:32 but true joy the world cannot give you know. 07:38 And that's why Jesus is the only one 07:40 who could give that joy. 07:41 Almost like if Jesus said you know, my peace I give you-- 07:45 the peace not that the world can give you, 07:46 but the one that I give you. 07:48 So I would assume that this joy 07:50 is also that joy that only Jesus can give 07:53 and not the world. That's right. 07:56 Let's go on to verse 23, 07:58 because it comes back to something 08:00 that we've seen over and over in these chapters. 08:05 23 says, "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. 08:09 Most assuredly, I say to you, 08:11 whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." 08:15 See, here's Jesus is still tying into this idea 08:19 that He has come to reveal the Father 08:23 and now you know, we say we pray in Jesus name 08:27 but now He is even saying, you can go direct to the Father. 08:30 The Father is like Me. The Father loves you too. 08:34 The Father doesn't have an unwilling hear. 08:37 Now you might get the impression, 08:38 well, pray to God in Jesus name 08:40 that's' the only way He will listen to you, 08:42 you know, He is the stirring guy up there. 08:44 But maybe Jesus can soften Him up 08:46 and then you can get through. 08:47 Jesus says no, no, no. 08:48 He doesn't have an unwilling hear. 08:50 He is the one who sent me. 08:52 I am here because of Him. Continue verse 25-27. 08:58 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language, 09:01 but the time is coming 09:03 when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, 09:07 but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 09:10 In that day you will ask in my name, 09:13 and I do not say to you 09:15 that I shall pray to the Father for you, 09:18 for the Father Himself loves you, 09:19 because you have loved me, 09:21 and have believed that I came forth from God." 09:25 So here we see, we pray in Jesus name 09:27 and I think that's helpful to us, 09:28 but Jesus says really, 09:30 that the Father Himself loves you. 09:33 He didn't change His mind when I died on the cross. 09:37 The Father sent me to the cross. 09:40 God came to that cross. 09:43 The grief for the Father over the cross 09:46 is as deep as the death of the Son. 09:48 And so Jesus is offering a new picture of God here. 09:52 The picture that the disciples hadn't understood. 09:55 Do they get it? Not really. 29-33. 10:01 "His disciples said to Him, 10:03 'See, now You are speaking plainly, 10:05 and using no figure of speech. 10:08 Now we are sure that You know all things, 10:11 and have no need that anyone should question You. 10:14 By this we believe that You came forth from God.' 10:17 Jesus answered them, 'Do you now believe? 10:20 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, 10:23 that you will be scattered, each to his own, 10:26 and will leave Me alone. 10:28 And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 10:31 These things I have spoken to you, 10:34 that in Me you may have peace. 10:36 In the world you will have tribulation, 10:38 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'" 10:43 So here we see the disciples 10:45 feeling like they've really got it, you know. 10:48 And yet they don't. 10:50 Just at the point where they say, 10:52 yeah, we really understand, 10:54 we really know You, we've really got a doubt 10:57 and Jesus says, "oh, okay, now you understand. 11:01 I suppose that's why you're gonna leave me here 11:02 in a couple hours, 11:04 you know, forsake me, you're gonna run away. 11:06 That must prove that you really understand." 11:09 I think the Spiritual point here again is, 11:12 the physical presence of Jesus is not an advantage. 11:17 Our situation is not a disadvantage. 11:21 But rather through the Holy Spirit, 11:23 we have all the contact with Jesus we need 11:25 and the understanding that comes through the God's word. 11:30 Well, Dr. Pauline, again we want to thank you for being with us 11:32 in this Bible study, the Gospel of John. 11:34 And friends, we also want to thank you for being with us 11:37 in this very insightful Bible study. 11:40 You know, sometimes I don't understand 11:42 the words of the Lord, 11:43 sometimes I don't understand even the when I read the Bible, 11:46 I go through it and I don't understand completely. 11:49 But I know that there is the Holy Spirit 11:51 who leads me in all truth 11:53 and I pray that as you also study and read 11:55 that the Holy Spirit leads you. |
Revised 2014-12-17