Friday John 16:25-33

Jesus continues to talk about his impending death.

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Jesus tells his disciples that soon they will understand what he is talking about. They think that the time is now and that now they understand. They tell Jesus that they get it. Jesus asks, “Do you now believe?” He is not asking for information. They just said that he knows everything, and they were right. He knows the reality of their belief. He is being ironic here. He asks about their belief, then tells them that they will be scattered as they abandon him.

Another part of the irony here is that they were concerned about Jesus leaving them, but the reality is that they will abandon him. Then Jesus tells them that his plan does not depend on them because the Father will not abandon him.

God has a plan. It was put in place before creation. God has been making his plan happen and will continue to make it happen. He loved us first. Jesus coming to the world to conquer sin was an expression of his love. It wasn’t up to the disciples back then to make it happen, they were called to follow in faith.

There was a dramatic change after the resurrection of Jesus. The Holy Spirit changes things in how we operate and relate to God. But moving his plan forward is still up to God. He uses us and invites us to participate in his plan. First, we must become disciples. We must follow Jesus in faith and repentance. Then, we must put God’s concerns first.