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We have been walking with Yeshua through the book of John. We’re at the end of the life of the Most Important Man who ever lived. That man is also the Messiah and the Son of God and the one and only Savior of humanity, able to rescue us from the real and deadly forces of Satan and the demons, sin and the sin nature, death and Hell.
It’s Yeshua’s last day on Earth. It’s a special day – the first day of Passover. It’s the day Messiah will die a very special death, as God’s Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. That makes this one of the most important days in history.
Yeshua will eat a final meal, a Passover seder, with His most important followers, the men He will entrust with His on-going mission of world salvation. During the meal, Yeshua will give His disciples His final teachings. He will pray. Then, He they will leave, and He will be arrested, tried, tortured and crucified.
Yeshua claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God. He told His disciples He would die, overcome death and live forever, and everyone who was loyal to Him would also be resurrected and live forever. Sounds great, right?
But, He also taught them that even though He was righteous and spoke the truth, He was fiercely opposed, and after He left, they too will be opposed.
After His resurrection, He will not immediately establish His kingdom on Earth. His disciples will not be in positions of honor and power. Their adversaries will have the power and will continue to oppose them. They must prepare themselves to endure opposition so that they won’t fall away: All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or Me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.
Most people want to be accepted and popular. One of the greatest dangers that Christians and Messianic Jews face is falling away because of the world’s opposition. Falling away means knowing Yeshua but leaving Yeshua. If we know that we will be persecuted, we can prepare ourselves to endure opposition so we don’t fall away. If we are not mentally prepared to endure the world’s opposition, we are in danger of falling away when the opposition comes.
We need to understand that we are not going to be accepted by the world. We are not going to be loved. We are not going to be admired. We are not going to be popular. We are going to be opposed, at times fiercely opposed. We are to not to see ourselves as pop stars with adoring fans but as a soldier entering a battle facing an enemy who is larger than he is; like a boxer entering the ring with an opponent who is stronger than he is.
Yeshua told the disciples that people are so far from God, even the leaders of the Chosen People, that they will think they are doing the right thing by killing them. The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.
Why will people, even most of the leaders of the special nation of Israel, persecute, even kill Christians and Messianic Jews – which is a wicked thing to do – and think they are doing the right thing? How can they be so delusional? Yeshua knew: They will do such things because they have not known the Father or Me. To reject Yeshua is to reject God. To reject Yeshua is to reject us.
Yeshua did not prepare the disciples to endure opposition until this time because He had been the focus of the opposition. The world’s hatred had been directed toward Him. But He was leaving, and they would continue His mission, and they would become the focal point of the opposition. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to Him who sent Me.
Yeshua had told them repeatedly that He was leaving. He expressed disappointment that they were not more inquisitive about where He was going. None of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’
If they had been more inquisitive until they clearly understood that Yeshua was returning to the right hand of His Father in Heaven, they would have been happy for Him and for themselves, not grieved. Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.
The grief they were experiencing because He was leaving needed to be balanced by knowing they would be benefitted by His departure. Yeshua repeated something He told them earlier: But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. Yeshua wanted them to understand that they would be tremendously advantaged by Him going away – by Him dying to atone for the sin of the world, followed by His resurrection and ascension. Only then would He be able to send them the Advocate.
Advocate means someone who is called alongside, called alongside to help. The Advocate is the Holy Spirit, the invisible presence of the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit had been with them because He is omnipresent. He is present everywhere through the universe, and beyond. And He had been with them because He was in Yeshua, filling Yeshua with His presence. As great as that was, Yeshua promised His disciples that He would send the Spirit to them in a new and greater way after His death, resurrection and ascension.
Yeshua’s death to atone for sin, followed by His resurrection and ascension provides the foundation for the Holy Spirit to come to Yeshua’s followers – to be sent to them, to be given to them, so that the Spirit of God is able to live in them in a new and greater way.
Note that Yeshua claimed that He would send the Spirit to them. And who can send the Spirit of God anywhere, other than God Himself? – which means that Yeshua is fully God, divine, divinity.
The Holy Spirit coming to these men in this new and greater way would be a tremendous advantage for them. One of the things the Spirit would do for them is help them carry on Yeshua’s mission to a godless world. When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. Messiah’s Spirit, living in us, gives us the ability to impact the world, and that’s a great thing, because the world desperately needs to be impacted. The world is dead in trespasses and sins. It is far from God. It is headed to death, not life; to Hell, not Heaven. It is controlled by the Adversary and the demons.
Messiah’s Spirit, living in us, helps us prove to people that they are wrong about the most basic spiritual realities: sin, righteousness and judgment. He does that in two ways: By the way we live and by the words we speak.
First, by the way we live: The world is so far from God, so confused about the most basic truths that many don’t always know right from wrong, sin from righteousness.
The Holy Spirit helps Christians and Messianic Jews know what is right and what is wrong, and helps us do the right things and avoid the wrong things. The world can’t help but see that, and contrast our right way of living with their wrong way of living. And, since God has given everyone a conscience, if they understand there is a right way to live and a wrong way to live, and they know they are living the wrong way, they will know that judgment is coming to them. The Holy Spirit living in us, so that we live the right way, proves to the world that it is wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment.
The second way the Holy Spirit, who is living in us, proves to the world that it is wrong about sin, righteousness and judgment is by the words we speak. We tell the world that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God and the only and only Savior of humanity; and that it is wrong, very wrong, a great sin not to believe in Yeshua. The Holy Spirit, speaking through us, informs the world about sin, because people do not believe in Me.
We tell the world that sin can be overcome; that human beings, who are not righteous, can become righteous; they can become right with God because of Yeshua; and we tell them that they can know He is the perfectly righteous because He has risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. Yeshua’s resurrection and ascension are God’s declaration that Yeshua is the Righteous One. The Holy Spirit, speaking through us, informs the world about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer.
We tell the world that judgment is coming; that the reign of the dark prince of this world is coming to an end; that Yeshua’s perfect life and atoning death and resurrection and ascension assures this; that Satan and the fallen angels will be judged and condemned; and that if they were wise, they would abandon the dark prince and his dark kingdom – or share his condemnation. The Holy Spirit, speaking through us, informs the world about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
In addition to enabling the disciples to prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment, the Holy Spirit guides Yeshua’s disciples into all the truth. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. The Spirit of God continues the wonderful teaching ministry of the Messiah.
He does this in several ways. He gave additional truth to Yeshua’s special disciples, truth that Messiah had been unable to give them because they weren’t ready for it – for example, the decision of the First Jerusalem Council, which was guided by the Holy Spirit – it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us; or think of the book of Revelation.
The Holy Spirit also guides all of Yeshua’s followers into the truth. He opens our minds to understand the Word of God. He gives us wisdom and understanding. And as we encounter various situations, He helps us discern the truth – what is true from what is false. What a tremendous thing!
Yeshua taught the disciples that just as He didn’t speak on His own, so the Spirit would not speak on His own. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears. Just as the Son only said what He first heard His Father say, because He was subservient to the Father, so the Spirit would not communicate anything to the disciples unless it was something He heard the Father or the Son saying.
Why? Because there is a hierarchy of authority within the Trinity. The Father is superior to the Son in authority. The Son is superior to the Spirit in authority. The Spirit speaks only what He first hears from the Father or the Son, and then communicates those truths to us.
In addition to enabling the disciples to prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment, and guiding them into all the truth, the Holy Spirit would reveal important information about the future. And He will tell you what is yet to come. It’s advantageous to know what is to come. When we know what is to come, we can adjust our course to avoid danger or take advantage of an opportunity. The gift of prophecy proves that God is real, because who is able to know the future other than the One who created time and is not limited by time? And it proves that Christianity is the true religion, because no other religion has this ability to reveal the future.
Again, Yeshua wanted them to know that the Holy Spirit continues the wonderful teaching ministry of Yeshua. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you. Where does the Spirit get the information He reveals to Christians and Messianic Jews, so that He is able to guide then into all the truth and reveal to them what is to come? From Yeshua. And from God the Father.
Everything that the Father has – which includes everything and everyone, including all truth – belongs equally to Yeshua. The Father shares all things with His Son, including all the truth. There is a complete sharing of all truth between the Father and the Son, and the Son gives some of that truth to us by means of His Spirit living in us.
Knowledge is valuable. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is beneficial. The one who gives knowledge is to be honored. If someone teaches me something valuable, something that benefits me, I honor him. If you have ever had a good teacher who has taught you well, you understand that. The Messiah giving us truth through the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son.
Yeshua cryptically repeated that He would die very soon, and He would come back to life very soon. Yeshua went on to say, “In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me.” The disciples didn’t understand. At this, some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does He mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what He is saying.”
Yeshua knew they didn’t understand and were reluctant to ask Him for clarification. Yeshua saw that they wanted to ask Him about this, so He said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me’? He began to answer their unasked question. He told them that they had entered a time of mourning. Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. They would be devastated by Yeshua’s arrest, trials, suffering, humiliation and death, but their grief wouldn’t last. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. Their grief would be replaced by joy, a happiness rooted in the knowledge that Yeshua was alive – with all the amazing things that meant.
Can grief be replaced by happiness so that the grief is barely remembered? Ask any woman who has given birth to a child. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. Just as God designed women so that the pain of childbirth is quickly replaced by happiness because of having a new child, we are designed so that our weeping and mourning and suffering can be replaced by joy that can’t be taken away by anyone – when we understand that Yeshua is alive – and all that that means.
You want more happiness, less grief, less depression in your life? Think more about Yeshua, and Him being alive, and what He has done for you, and what He will do for you, and where He will bring you.
Yeshua told them that things would change after His resurrection. They would have a new and greater understanding, so much so that they would have no need to ask their Rabbi about anything. In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Human beings are curious about many things. The good news is that all the information that Christians and Messianic Jews need – all the truth we need to be reconciled to God; all the truth we need to have a successful, meaningful life; all the truth we need to know about the future – has been given to us.
Yeshua told them that things would change after His resurrection. They would have a new and greater understanding; and they would be able to pray with greater understanding so that their prayers would be answered. Very truly I tell you, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. Up until this point, the disciples had directed their prayers to God the Father. After Yeshua’s death and resurrection, they would still be able to direct their prayers to the Father; but because the Spirit of Yeshua would be living in them in a new and greater way, and would know Yeshua better than before, they could pray in Yeshua’s name. They would know what to pray for, what Yeshua wanted, what was in agreement with Yeshua’s will. And the Father would answer those prayers – which would make the disciples even happier. Their joy would be complete.
Yeshua told them that things would change after His resurrection. They would have a new and greater understanding; they would be able to pray in the name of Yeshua so that their prayers would be answered; and Yeshua would be able to speak to them using literal language. Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about My Father. Yeshua had often used figurative language with the crowds, and sometimes with the disciples. That would change. He would be able to communicate with them in a literal way. He did that for forty days after His resurrection; and after His ascension by appearing to them directly and speaking to them, like He did with Paul on the road to Damascus; and through prophecy and visions and other revelation.
Yeshua had taught them that they could pray to Him, and He would answer their prayer. And He taught them that they could pray directly to God the Father, and the Father would answer their prayers. In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. Yeshua is our High Priest. He is the Mediator of the New Covenant. He brings God closer to us, and bring us closer to God; and He brought us so close to God; and we are now so loved by the Father that we can pray directly to the Father, who loves us because we love His Son and believe that Yeshua came from God.
Yeshua responded to their earlier confusion – clearly and directly. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father. The Father is real and lives in Heaven – which is real. Yeshua was returning to God and God’s world.
Yeshua’s ability to know what their questions were, even though they hesitated to ask Him their questions, along with the clear way He answered their unasked questions convinced these men that Yeshua was very special; that He came from God, was very close to God and knew everything. Then Yeshua’s disciples said, “Now You are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that You know all things and that You do not even need to have anyone ask You questions. This makes us believe that You came from God.”
It’s one thing to say we believe in Yeshua, like the disciples did. It’s another thing to really believe – and real belief is proved by loyalty, by staying with Yeshua no matter how difficult things become. Yeshua knew His disciples still didn’t have that kind of belief. Their disloyalty would be revealed right away. “Do you now believe?” Yeshua replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for My Father is with Me. Yeshua knew that although His most committed disciples would abandon Him, His Father never would. Yeshua was comforted and strengthened by that knowledge – as we should be if we are disappointed by people we trust.
Yeshua had told them the truth about who He is, and where He was going and that He would prepare an eternal home for them and would return for them. He told them about the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new and greater way and all the great things the Spirit would do for them. He told them about great new things in store for them. And He told them that one of them would betray Him; that Peter would deny Him three times; that they would abandon Him; that He would suffer and die – but their grief would be turned into joy when He came back to life. Yeshua said all these things not to upset them, but to give them peace. 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. The world is full of trouble and since we are in the world, we will have trouble. Yeshua will not take us out of the world and take away our trouble, but when we are united to Him, we can have peace – even in the midst of trouble. We can endure our trouble. We can even be benefitted by our trouble. And united to Him who has overcome the world, we too can overcome the world.
Let’s pray: Father, help us understand we will not be accepted by the world, but hated by the world. Help us be mentally and spiritually prepared to endure opposition.
Help us understand how tremendously advantaged we are by Yeshua’s death, resurrection and ascension, and the giving of the Spirit.
Thank You that the Holy Spirit continues the wonderful teaching ministry of Yeshua. May Your Spirit guide us into all the truth. May He do that for us now, today, this Shabbat, this coming week, throughout this year, and forever!
May the Spirit empower us to continue Yeshua’s mission to a godless world, proving the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.
Father, for those of us who are unhappy, help us to think more about Yeshua, and who He is, and where He is, and what He has done, is doing and will do for us. May that help turn our grief into joy!
Thank You that we can to pray with greater understanding, pray in Yeshua’s name so that our prayers are answered, which will make us even happier.
Thank You that although the world is full of trouble, united to Yeshua we can have peace – even in the midst of trouble. And united to Him who has overcome the world, we too can overcome the world.