September 21, 2023 – Thursday
John 16:1-4 1599 GNV
1 These things have I said unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall excommunicate you: yea the time shall come, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But these things have I told you, that when the hour shall come, ye might remember, that I told you them. And these things said I not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you.
John 16:1-4 NIV
1 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.
3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,
Comments
These things (GNV) or All this (NIV) refers back to chapter 15 where Jesus warned us that we would be hated and persecuted in verses 18 and 20 respectively, but to remember that the world hated Him first and persecuted Him first.
Thus, now He tells us He has told us these things so that ye should not be offended GNV or so that you will not fall away (NIV). He has forewarned us so that we can be mentally and spiritually prepared, unsurprised. Then in verse 2 Jesus says GNV 2 They shall excommunicate you: yea the time shall come, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service or NIV 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. And this did occur. We are given one specific example of this happening in Acts 7 where the disciple Stephen was stoned to death while Saul (soon to be Paul) as a zealous Pharisee watched over the cloaks of those stoning Stephen to death..
Jesus then makes an astounding statement as to why they would do such things. GNV 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me or NIV 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. This is a statement of great condemnation to say those who would oppress them (and us) were those who knew neither the Father nor Him. This goes back to John 8:19 when the Pharisees, They asked Him, Where is your father? And Jesus replied, You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also. And in John 15:21,They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. It is not so different today in my opinion as those who call us haters because we believe His word and that He is God, the Son of God and they do not. In fact, they refuse to do so.
Then we have verse 4, GNV 4 But these things have I told you, that when the hour shall come, ye might remember, that I told you them. And these things said I not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you or NIV 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you. He is letting them know He will no longer be with them, so it was necessary to prepare them for what is to come in His absence. He knows He will soon be crucified, buried, and rise on the third day, then be with them before ascending into heaven. When He is gone, they need to remember this, even after He had risen and ascended into heaven. We need to remember this as well. Nor should it be a surprise to us when it happens in our lives. No, we weren’t there to see the risen Christ, but in John 20:29, Jesus spoke of us when He replied to Thomas, 29 Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Bottom Line: We are to be prepared knowing that we are blessed as well.
Prayer: Almighty God, Thank You for all of Your love and Grace through Your Son. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek