Passion Week ~ Yeshua’s Final Discourse ~ Part 4
In our last post, we continued to examine the final days of Yeshua’s life and ministry. This post continues to explore the events that occurred on Thursday Evening (now early on Friday in the Jewish culture).
The Talmidim Are Perplexed
12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.
Yeshua has told them information that would be difficult to accept – such as His coming suffering and death and that He won’t be physically present with them after His ascension. He also likely means they are not yet ready to accept how difficult following Him will be. He has generally spoken about these challenges, but the specifics may be too difficult to hear.
13 However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative but will say only what He hears. He will also announce to you the events of the future. 14 He will glorify Me because He will receive from what is Mine and announce it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is Mine; this is why I said that He receives from what is Mine and will announce it to you.
The Messianic life is lived by attentiveness to the Spirit of Truth. Moreover, by telling His talmidim that the Spirit of Truth will guide them into all the truth and announce future events, Yeshua virtually pre-authenticates the New Testament Scriptures, which they will write as the product of the Ruach HaKodesh.
Everything that the Father has is mine. All creation came through God’s Son, so everything belongs to Him (1:1–3). Yeshua is also likely suggesting that God’s heavenly abode belongs to Him since He and the Father are one (see Yochanan 14:2, 11; 17:11). God’s work in the world will become the work of Believers. They will be empowered to show people why they should believe and perform signs like Yeshua.
One last comment on this passage. I confess that it’s the first time I have seen this pop off my laptop screen as I typed it (okay, I copied the passage from my Logos software and pasted it into my Microsoft Word app). This is another perfect example of the concept of the Trinity. Yeshua is talking to His talmidim about the Ruach HaKodesh coming from the Father, and all three are working together as One.
Joy Out of Sorrow
19 Yeshua knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them,“Are you asking each other what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while, you won’t see Me; and then, a little while later, you will see Me’? 20 Yes, it’s true. I tell you that you will sob and mourn, and the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she is in pain because her time has come. But when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering out of joy that a child has come into the world. 22 So you do indeed feel grief now, but I am going to see you again. Then your hearts will be full of joy, and no one will take your joy away from you.
The world of nonbelievers will rejoice at Yeshua’s death, but His return after being resurrected will turn the sorrow of the talmidim into joy. Yeshua’s illustration of a woman in childbirth resonates with the human experience. While the labor preceding birth is intense, all anguish is forgotten when the new child is born. Yeshua elsewhere spoke of the end-times as “the beginning of birth pains” and times of “great tribulation.”
23 “When that day comes, you won’t ask anything of Me! Yes, indeed! I tell you that whatever you ask from the Father, He will give you in My name. 24 Till now, you haven’t asked for anything in My name. Keep asking, and you will receive so that your joy may be complete. [1]
Next, we continue to follow Yeshua into Yerushalayim for His Crucifixion by the week’s end and continue to explore Yeshua’s Final Discourse.
Click here for the PDF version.
[1] Yochanan 16:12–24.
My Heart is for Israel 