Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.  

In John chapters 14, 15, and 16, Jesus made long speeches on random topics with lots of repetition. He predicted events but didn’t give a timeline. He said, “I’m going away. You can’t come. I’ll send an advocate. In a little while you won’t see me, and then in a little while you will see me.” 

The confused disciples asked (in John 16), “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying” (vv. 17-18). I have the same problem: I often don’t understand Jesus. 

Instead of interpreting Jesus’ speech in John 16, I’ll just make a few observations:

First, it’s a fool’s errand to improve Jesus’ message by giving it an outline, putting his predictions in chronological order, and deleting his repetitions. Charles Neider took that approach with Mark Twain’s autobiography, quite successfully I think, but it’s not a job I’m competent to do, especially with things Jesus said. 

Second, I can’t explain Jesus’ words in a way that will give you “A ha!” moment making you feel, “Now at last I understand it.” For that, you need my Study Bible for Curmudgeonly Seniors. Unfortunately, I haven’t written it yet. I hope you don’t mind waiting.  

Another observation on John 16: Jesus describes two departures, not just one. 

First, he’ll go away for a little while. That’s when he is crucified and buried. It would have been much clearer if he had said, “Tomorrow is my crucifixion day. It will make you sad. But wait a little while, because Sunday is my resurrection day. That will make you glad.” 

Jesus’ second departure would be when he returned to heaven, only a couple months after the Last Supper. And he promised that when he went away that time, he would return in the person of his invisible advocate–the Holy Spirit–who would live in his disciples. That too would make them glad. 

My final observation is that Jesus promises to give many gifts to his disciples. One was the Spirit of truth (v. 12). We desperately need that gift today! Why? Because we struggle with many truths: the objective truth of science, the self-evident truth of nature, our intuitive sense of truth about people’s desires and motivations, the carefully interpreted truth we find in the Bible. We need the Spirit of truth to guide us to Jesus, who is himself the truth.

Jesus also gave the gift of prayer when he said, “My father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (v. 23). Prayer doesn’t work that way for me. I don’t get whatever I ask. But I’m with the disciples on this. I’m on the journey with Jesus. Somewhere, somehow, the promise is for me. 

Let’s pray. 

Jesus, John 16 closes with your statement “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (v. 33). You had trouble in this world, Jesus. You died a martyr, and you invite us to come and die. We experience the trouble you promised: trouble in our minds and hearts and emotions, trouble in our relationships, trouble finding our way in the world. And we hear your promise of more trouble ahead.

But we believe you have overcome the world. Conquer the world in which we live, and conquer the world within us, Jesus. Live inside us by the advocate you send, correct our thinking by the Spirit of truth, teach to us ask the Father for whatever we want in your name, and bring us to that place you promised where no one can take away our joy.

Amen. 

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.  

In John 15, Jesus told the disciples to abide in him, to remain in him. He explained this with a word picture, in which God is a gardener, Jesus is a grapevine in God’s garden, and the disciples are branches growing out of the vine.

The branches have two choices: stay connected to the vine so life will flow into them and they will produce grapes. Or disconnect from the vine, in which case they will fall off, dry up, and be burned as rubbish. 

I have never connected strongly with Christ’s gardening metaphor. I don’t think of myself as a branch waving in the wind trying to produce grapes. I’m more on the consumer end of the food chain–I like grapes that have turned into wine, beside a small plate of appetizers and a good book. 

In God’s garden, the branch is permanently and organically connected to the vine. Jesus wants his disciples to have a similar relationship to him. Here are two things I notice about this relationship.

First, unlike the branch and the vine, our connection to Christ is invisible. We don’t see him, we don’t see the Spirit he sends as advocate, and we don’t see a joint where our branch grows out of his vine. Remaining in him is an invisible process. 

Many people say about world religions, “They’re all basically the same because they all say ‘Do to others as you want others to do to you’.” But that’s not what Jesus says in John 15. He does not tell us we need a visible standard of moral behaviour. He says we need an invisible connection to him so his life can flow into our life and produce fruit. He tells us to remain in him, to sustain the connection, to persevere in our relationship. Fruitfulness is not the goal, it is a byproduct of the relationship. 

A second way in which the garden picture can play out is if the vine and the branch terminate their relationship and go separate ways. A branch disconnected from the vine will die.  If we disconnect from Jesus, we lose the flow of his life him into us that makes it possible for us to bear fruit and behave well.

Author Larry Crabb in his book, “Inside Out” (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2013) says the only way to achieve true and lasting change is to change on the inside first. Jesus wants to do an inside job on us, to connect us to himself in a way that changes our inner motivation, our thinking, our heart. 

Notice, however, that Jesus doesn’t avoid the topic of moral responsibility. He goes on to  say, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Does it sound like he is promoting love as the means by which we remain in him? Or is love the fruit of remaining in him? Jesus doesn’t give us a scientific formula to explain this. Nor does he give instructions on how to manage our relationship in a way that guarantees the fruit of love. Jesus just makes two simple suggestions: abide in him and love one another.

Let’s pray. 

Jesus, we have often set out to love our neighbor–perhaps our spouse or children or colleagues or others. But our good intentions founder on the rocks of our selfishness, our hurts, our likes and dislikes. We seem to be conditioned against long term, faithful love for these fallible and wayward humans around us. How quickly our grand plans reduce to “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.” Is this a golden rule? Don’t be a jerk. Don’t promote evil against others. Maintain a nice, negative morality that requires only a grudging willingness to behave moderately well, that doesn’t aspire to love.

Jesus, we need to be changed on the inside. We need a new capacity to become lovers–lovers of God and others. We need a new source of strength to enable us. We need an abiding connection to you, so your life will flow into us and bear fruit. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”. 

The second half of John 14 is dominated by news of Jesus’ soon departure and his promise to send the Holy Spirit as an invisible replacement. The disciples found this confusing–they didn’t understand why Jesus was leaving or where he was going or how his replacement would work. In fact, after 2000 years of Bible study and church history, many of Jesus’ disciples are still confused. 

Today, let’s focus on the job description Jesus gave his replacement. In John 14, Jesus said, “The Father will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-18).

The job title Jesus assigned his replacement was “paraclete”, which means an advocate, someone who presents your case in court. Today, Jesus might say, “I’ll send a lawyer to help you.” A lawyer? Really? What do you think Jesus meant? Do you need a lawyer to help you with your spiritual life?

First, Jesus said he will send another advocate, someone like himself. One of the most striking things Jesus did for his disciples was advocate for them against the judgmental religious establishment. Jesus knew and understood Old Testament law, he helped the disciples understand scripture without getting tied up in technicalities or being condemned by rigid application of the rules. He promised that his replacement would continue this work, advocating for them instead of using the law to condemn them. When we modern disciples feel condemned by God or scripture or church or family, we need the services of this advocate. 

Jesus qualified the job title “lawyer” in another way. He said the advocate will help them and be with them forever. When I think of a lawyer, I want someone who will pin my enemies to the wall and get the charges against me dropped. Jesus’ didn’t adopt my  narrow and self centered job description. He sends a friend and companion and helper to guide our thinking and decisions, not just a high powered defense lawyer to get us off the hook. 

Jesus also describes his replacement as the “Spirit of truth” (v. 18). A lawyer’s job is not to reveal the truth. Their job is to represent the client and present evidence and argument in court. The prosecution presents evidence and argument for guilt, the defence offers arguments for “not guilty”. The legal counsel or advocate Jesus will send is different. As the Spirit of truth, he knows and exposes the truth of my innocence or guilt, but he also advocates before God for my forgiveness. 

Let’s pray. 

Our father, this person Jesus sends has a complex job description. We receive him in all his roles. 

We receive him as the Spirit of truth, who knows and exposes our secret addictions and obsessions and jealousies and fears. And who also knows our heart to love you and serve you.

We receive him as advocate, who serves us and washes our sin-dirty feet and presents our case to you, asking you to forgive us.

We receive him as lawyer, who specializes in your law. He will help us find in scripture not just the unreachable standard of righteousness, but a way to follow Jesus into a life of holiness and love. 

We receive him as helper and friend, as one who lives within us, sharing our deep secrets, comforting our deep hurts, inviting us to a deeper love of God and people. 

Amen. 

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.