Stephen F. Whaley
John 16.5 - 15
April 19, 2008
- ( ) Jesus reveals this teaching to his disciples at a very tumultuous time.
- A. As we are still in the Easter Season, it is very strange that we should go back to that unhappy night and place,
- In Jerusalem where the Lord gave his final teachings before his arrest.
- Today’s gospel takes us to a bleak outlook
- Jesus is increasingly aware of the path that lies ahead of him.
- Friends that betray him, friends that reject him, enemies that strike him and kill him.
- Yet as always his thoughts are for his friends. ( )
- Why would their hearts be troubled?
- Peter and Andrew—the simple fishermen mending their nets just a few years earlier
- Who laid it all down to follow Jesus.
- Why would their hearts be troubled?
- John and James, sons of Zebedee who left their father’s boat, and their family
- Philip and Nathaniel, whom the Lord called from Underneath the Fig Tree.
- Underneath the fig tree is an allusion to the tradition that biblical scholars study the Scriptures under fig trees,
- It was a sign that suggests Nathaniel was preparing to be a teacher of the religious law
- Why would their hearts be troubled?
- They have a given up everything, over these three years they have set aside their lives, families, livelihoods, vocations…in order to follow this preacher.
- Now he tells them he must go somewhere, where they cannot follow.
- Why would their hearts be troubled?
- They’ve witnessed to the increasing hostility between Jesus and the Sanhedrin
- They are under threat of expulsion, excommunication and rejections from their religion, their way of life, their families, and friends.
- All they knew and believed about God has been turned inside out.
- They most likely had a sense that their own lives were in jeopardy.
- When St. John recorded these events in his Gospel around 90-95 AD
- Our brothers and sisters had been kicked out of the synagogues, and their families had rejected them
- All because they believed in Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus Messiah)
- They faced persecution, torture and death by the Roman State.
- Why would their hearts be troubled?
- In both of those contexts for the first disciples and those that followed…Christ’s words are the same
- ( ) Troubled
- The word “troubled” there has the meaning “anxious,” Do not let your hearts be anxious.
- This anxiousness that Jesus is trying to protect us from is different from simply fear.
- We experience fear, when we are walking along the way and a snake crosses our path.
- Fear causes us to jump away, and saves us.
- We experience fear, when a car is traveling to fast towards us into our lane,
- Fear causes us to swerve to avoid a collision and save us.
- But Anxiousness, (troubled hearts) is when fear grips you won’t let go.
- When you begin to constantly worry that the snakes are all around you
- You become so focused on them that you can’t manage to enjoy your walk down the path.
- The anxiousness causes you to linger in sadness, frustration
- It actually stifles the life—the abundant life which Christ has given you.
- Throughout the history of our world the devil throws many poisoned arrows
- It was the same in the time of Jesus, as it was in the later years of John, as it is today.
- The poisoned arrows that cause us to have anxious and worrisome hearts are thrown all around
- high gas prices, economic recession, wars, presidential elections, Episcopal church politics, our children’s safety, our parent’s well being, getting sicker, the collapse of society.
- There are thousands of things in this world to be troubled by.
- But only One Thing worth troubling over.
- When you are bombarded by poisoned arrows…
- What is your shield? What is the One Thing?
- IX. The Words of Jesus ( )
- The words are both a plea and a command
- He pleads and commands us, for our sake, that we would trust him.\
- When he spoke these words to the first disciples (his friends) their hearts were heavy and troubled.
- They did not have the benefit of knowing the resurrection—of the coming of Easter Joy.
- They had only his words and his lifeless body.
- But on the 3rd Day they saw him, Alive, walking, eating, talking with him.
- Loving one another
- Living life abundantly beyond any joy they had experienced before.////
- And that same joy and abundant life carried those later disciples through broken families and shattered religion
- Their love for one another bound them together.
- You and I are the fruit of that love.
- You and I are here today because though their sadness and suffering was beyond our comprehension so much greater was their joy
- That for 2000 years our brothers have testified to this love from generation to generation to today//
- We have been handed a heritage of Love and Joy beyond our knowing.
- Because Jesus taught and lived a life that showed us despite the poison of this world we could live without anxious hearts—with Joy
- And as we have been handed this heritage, of faith hope and love…are we living life abundantly?
- Do our lives reflect the Joy worthy of what has been given to us?
- Or are we stifled with anxious hearts pierced by poisoned arrows? //
- NO…we are God’s Chosen People—we don’t have time for anxious nonsense…
- It is through prayer and worship of God, studying his word, sharing in fellowship, loving one another that we shed anxious hearts and show forth our faith in God.
- XIII. Jesus said, ( )
- His very life on earth // marked by condescension, humbling himself, marked by servitude, by agony and suffering, torture and death—yet he never lost sight of God.
- He never lost faith in his Father. He continued to live his life in accordance to this precept…That the way through this life is by faith in God. He said believe in God, believe also in me.
- Beloved, Do not let your hearts be troubled—Believe in God. Despite the Trouble.
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."
If you have comments or clarifying questions please contact me via
email at fr.stephensfa@sbcglobal.net
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