Week 24, John 15:18 16:33 Hook Discussion Questions: What was the toy your child (grandchild, niece, nephew, friend s child) wanted most last Christmas? What was the toy you enjoyed playing with most as a child? How does the expense of a toy affect the child s enjoyment of that toy? A report sponsored by the Ribena company (an English brand of fruit drinks) found that almost twice as many parents claimed their children enjoyed playing with boxes rather than expensive gadgets and toys. 1 To assist families, the Ribena company distributed more than 4,000 boxes across the UK. 1 http://www.parenting.com/blogs/natural-parenting/taylor-newman/funny-cuz-its-true-kidsprefer-cardboard-boxes-flashy-toys-o-1
John 15:18 16:33 Book Text Summary: Jesus warns the disciples what is ahead of them. He prepares them for the world s treatment and the rejection of Christians. But He does this to give them comfort and hope, to know what is coming by way of persecution, but also what is coming by way of the Spirit. Jesus explains that the Spirit will help them and bring them truth. He assures the disciples that their sorrow will turn to joy and that they should not lose heart because He has already defeated the world. John 15:18 27 (Read) Sub Application: Hardships will come, but don t lose heart. Jesus shares that believers are not of the world and are hated by it. Jesus promises the coming of the Spirit. In the last verses, Jesus was encouraging the disciples to love one another. He tells them that is the way the world will know they are followers of Christ. Jesus tells them that if they were of the world then the world would accept them, but because they are not, they will be rejected. This shows the world s acceptance of only what goes along with the cultural flow. Anything that disrupts the status-quo is rejected. This is the reaction to followers of Jesus. Following Jesus is a whole new and different way of life, opposite of the way the world works. For the disciples, their teacher is leaving them, and before He does, He tells them how much more difficult their journey will be. It s going to get much harder for the disciples and those who continue to follow Jesus after He is gone. But this had already been happening in Rome. So for the Christians reading John s gospel, this was hitting them close to home. Christians had already been excluded from the synagogues and had suffered martyrdom throughout the Roman Empire. For them to read these words struck a painful cord of realism. They were in the midst of suffering. But they were also reminded that their resurrected Lord had also walked in the way of being hated. 2 Jesus points out that this hatred is not just toward Him, but to the Father as well. Testifying about Christ and following Him means receiving the same treatment that Christ Himself anticipated and eventually faced. These disciples and followers will soon see a visual display of what lies ahead of them after Christ departs. 2 Gerald L. Borchert, The New American Commentary: John 12-21. Broadman & Holman: Nashville, 2002, p. 154.
What does verse 22 show us concerning a reason why Jesus was rejected? What does Jesus say the Spirit will do in verse 26? According to verse 19, what is it about us that the world hates? How do you fight discouragement when you face rejection from the world? John 16:1 16 (Read) Sub Application: Be directed by the Spirit. Jesus promises the coming of the helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus explains that He is not trying to scare them or frighten them, but to prepare them for what is coming so that they are not taken by surprise and fall away from their confessions. In the midst of this persecution and alienation, the real issue for these disciples is leaving Christ and rejecting Him. Yes, persecution and hardship were coming, but Christ made these warnings to the disciples as a way of comforting them. The other comfort was the Spirit. Jesus knew that the Spirit would make things that they didn t understand clear for them. The Spirit would bring even more clarity than Jesus was already giving them. The Incarnation had revealed God to the world with new clarity, and now, Jesus was promising that the Spirit would continue this even more. The Spirit was the gift Jesus sent from the Father to Christian disciples in a hostile world so that they could cope effectively with the anxiety that is inherent in living in a life-context that openly resists the proclamation of the Gospel. 3 Why is Jesus telling the disciples these tough truths? Look in verses 8, 13 and 14. What are three things that Jesus says the Spirit will do regarding the world, Christians and Jesus? John 16:17 33 (Read) Sub Application: Experience sorrow now, but joy later. Jesus shares that He has overcome the world. Jesus conveys to the disciples in verses 16 24 how their grief and sorrow will transform into joy as they continue. In fact, it is His statement in verse 20 that operates as an anchor for the disciples in these difficult times. In the midst of their current worry, Jesus gives them a clear vision of the future and a reason to have hope. 3 Gerald L. Borchert, The New American Commentary: John 12-21. Broadman & Holman: Nashville, 2002, p. 171.
Jesus shows them that the reason they will have this promised joy is that they will be part of the new order of Christ-followers. He will bring to reality what it means to be reconciled to God. There will be sorrow, He says, but joy will come. There is hope in that Jesus is telling the disciples the end. He has already overcome this world and its darkness. There is victory at the end. So yes, suffering will endure, but only for a time. The world that Jesus describes in the later part of chapter 15, the world that will come against Christians, has already been defeated. Yes, the disciples will be scattered and spread apart. But peace is available. Victory is inevitable. Why does Jesus say in verses 20 and 22 that their sorrow will turn to joy? For what reason are the disciples mourning? Do we view the Spirit equally with God the Father and Christ? Why or why not? What does Jesus have to say about that in chapter 16?
Week 24, John 15:18 16:33 Took In Today s Culture: Some gifts are better than others. A box may be enjoyed but often even a child can recognize when a gift is of great expense. The Holy Spirit is a gift that came at great expense, the life of Jesus. Discussion Questions: What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer? How does the Holy Spirit provide comfort? How does one become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit? Lesson Conclusion: The disciples would be hated by the world because they are not of it. The world hates believers because the world hated Jesus first. Although the believer will experience sorrow, he finds a joy from the Holy Spirit. In the sadness that would result from Jesus completing His earthly ministry, the disciples would find a joy in His victory. The Holy Spirit would come and bring glory to Jesus, revealing truth to the disciples. Challenge: There may be believers in your class who are struggling with a major difficulty. Challenge your class to take courage in the face of hatred from the world. Find joy in the Spirit by daily surrendering to His leadings, being obedient to the Lord, seeking a deeper fellowship with Jesus. A life of joy is waiting, despite whatever circumstances may come.