The truth disclosed by the Spirit of Truth

John 16 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. ²They 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 These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. ⁴ But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵ “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; ¹¹ and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹² “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

¹⁶ “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” ¹⁷ Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸ So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” ¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. ²¹ Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. ²² Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

²³ In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. ²⁴ Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; ²⁷ for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. ²⁸ I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. ³⁰ Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³ These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Very often even the worst of what man does is done with good intentions. However misguided, a person or a group of people may be, many times they do what they do, even if it’s wrong, because they believe it’s right. Unfortunately thinking or believing something is right does not make it right. In today’s text Jesus says:  “…an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”     Misguided zeal for God and zeal against believers in God are at the root of much of the violence in the world, both throughout history and today.  We see it today, in our western culture, as Christians are becoming the outcasts of society. Those today, who stand for what was accepted as right a generation ago, are viewed as intolerant and bigots.  On college campuses, in work places, in entertainment and throughout media, and society the expression of faith in God and following His word, has become the least acceptable or should I say the only unacceptable thing to believe and express. Around the world there are people killed every day in “service to God.”  In truth though, those who kill are not serving God, but rather a misguided human ideology.  Jesus says:  “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”       In John 8:19 Jesus says:   "You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also."     Again in John 14:7 He says:   "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."     Jesus came to be a revelation of the character of God to man. He came to be an example of God’s character and qualities of love, compassion, mercy and grace. Jesus also came because of the righteousness and justice of God. Without Jesus we cannot see all that God is, both loving, merciful, compassionate, gracious and righteous and just. Jesus says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)   In John 6:44 He says:   “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”     We cannot see the revelation of all that God is without Jesus and we cannot know Jesus without God the Father. Any human philosophy that rejects either one or both can never truly know all that God is and all that He wants for us.  

Jesus, like the other teachers and prophets of human ideologies and religions, was seen and know as a man, He like they, walked in a natural body. God is spirit. Human knowledge, human understanding, human teaching and philosophy cannot fully comprehend what is spirit, what is unseen. Jesus says:   “I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”   In the midst of that He says:  “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”     Jesus came to reveal and to bring the kingdom of heaven, all the things that God has to offer, to earth. He also came because of sin and righteousness. It is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent, who helps us to comprehend and reconcile what is natural and what is spiritual. Only through the Spirit can we reconcile God’s grace and love with His righteous judgment.  

Jesus says:   “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”    The zeal of man to follow misguided human ideologies and philosophies may indeed cause tribulation, difficulties and trial for those who know and follow God the Father, Jesus His Son, through the revelation and disclosure of the Holy Spirit. We may feel as though we are scattered and alone. Jesus Himself says:  “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”   In the same way He says to us:  “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Echoing and affirming the words of the Father who says:  “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, three in one. You have overcome the world with Your love, with Your compassion, with mercy and grace. You have overcome with righteousness and justice, through the cross, the demonstration of You love and justice. Through the disclosure of the Holy Spirit I know and believe Your truth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit I can walk above the trials and tribulations of this world, in all that You have provided. Thank You. Amen.  

 Th