March 16, 2023 – Thursday
John 16:27 RGT/CJB/TLV/NET/NASB/NKJV
27 For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God.
John 16:27 NIV
27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
Comments
Jesus is still talking with His disciples. Earlier He spoke of how He will be resurrected in verse 16, 16 In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me. Their confusion was evident when, 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
To help them understand He compared His future to childbirth and the pain from the childbirth and how the pain is forgotten once the child is born. Then He said, 22 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. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. These last two verses are somewhat similar to what we covered in John 14:12-14 and commented on Tuesday here. But here He is telling them a time of grief is coming but it will be short lived and rejoicing will follow. If we look at verse 24, Jesus is stating the obvious, Until now you have not asked for anything in my name and that made perfect sense as He was perceived as the Messiah and not God. However, after His resurrection this will change, so He adds, Ask [in my name] and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. This is what will be possible so be prepared to do so. Again I want to emphasize He is not saying ask for anything, including anything and everything outside of God’s will. No, He wants and expects them to be asking for whatever they would think and believe was in God’s will.
Now let us look at the two verses that precede our verse of the day, 25 “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. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. Once His death and resurrection have occurred, then they will understand much more clearly and the events will reveal much about His Father as they are One. They will then ask in their prayers in His name which many or most of us do on a regular basis at the end of our prayers, “In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Why won’t He ask the Father on their (our) behalf? Because it is unnecessary as verse 27 tells us, 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. Or it might read, 27 For the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God. Essentially, they (and we) are loved by the Father because they (and we) because they (and we) love Jesus and believe He came from God. They believed and loved. We believe and love. Thus, they and we can pray in Jesus’ name and know the Father hears our prayers as we are loved by Him.
Bottom Line: Believing in Jesus and loving Him for what He did and does for us. means something well beyond us – it means something to the Father and as a result He loves us in all of our struggles and weaknesses.
Prayer: Father God, Thank You for Your Son, thank You for loving us because we believe in Him and know You sent Him out of love and a great mercy for us. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
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