Jesus' farewell speech

Today's reading of the scripture is from John 16. This is the continuation of Jesus' farewell speech to his beloved disciples. He began in John 13:31 after exposing Judas the traitor, who immediately left the Passover party to go to the priests. This was a very difficult moment for Jesus. He was surrounded by the disciples he loved with whom he had spent the last three years, nurturing and preparing them for a difficult life ahead. He said to them,
“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:33-35)

So this is his first great commission: Love one another! He had shown them what love looked like. He washed his disciples' feet. In a little while he would show them more of this love - the ultimate sacrifice of dying on the cross for the sins of the world. He died not only for his friends, but also his enemies - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Roman 5:8). This is what Francis Schaeffer called the ultimate apologetic - we prove it to the world that we are Jesus' disciples by the love we give to one another!

Jesus continued his farewell speech by encouraging his disciples (yes, it is for us too!) that even though he would no longer be with them, he had not abandoned them. In fact, he would be preparing a place for us - "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3). He understood how difficult it would be for his disciples to continue to believe in him in his absence so he promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to dwell in them and among them - "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:16-19).

And this is the second great commission: Remain in his love! Like the branches of the vine tree we must remain in Jesus' love in order for us to bear much fruit - "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:5-8). And what wonderful fruit - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-25)! And the only way to get it is to remain in Jesus' love; not the kind of love that we give out of our own strength and our own will - "If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:3).

"All this I have told you so that you will not fall away." (John 16:1). Jesus' disciples would expect the world to hate them because the message of Jesus would convict them of their sin (of killing the innocent Jesus) - "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.", "If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin." (John 15:22,24). While the disciples suffered they look forward to the future. Jesus had promised them that their temporary grieve would eventually (in a little while) turn to joy - "Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. " (John 16:20).

So I may not be experiencing the same level of hatred and rejection as Jesus' disciples experienced (in fact, tradition suggested that all the apostles except for apostle John died as martyrs), I can learn from Jesus' farewell speech that the future (in just a little while) will be worth the wait! We will see Jesus as he is - "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12). We can have the kind of peace only Jesus can give - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).