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NT Doctrine -- John 16 - Ed Hurst - 09-10-2022
Jesus was proposing a radical shift. The identity of the Messianic Kingdom would exclude the traditional Jewish government, because the Jewish government had already excluded the Messiah. It would kill the Messiah, and very soon would come to kill His disciples. Thus, He warned them so that the meaning would be obvious when the time came. This wasn't how He talked early in His ministry because His departure then was still a long way off.
Now His time had come, the time to return to the Father. They were no longer asking where He was going, because it was obvious what He meant by returning to the Father. It was obvious and very upsetting to them. Still, it was important for them to understand that this was all necessary, because He could not send them His own Spirit unless His mortal body died.
The Holy Spirit from God would have one very consistent message from this time forward. First, He will convict people of sin, in that the definition of sin will be rooted in rejecting the Messiah. It won't matter what people strive to get right; righteousness was confined to following the Messiah. Everything else would be evil by definition. Second, righteousness will be defined as following the Messiah, all the way to the Cross. Without forfeiting this mortal existence, it's impossible to follow Him to Eternity. Third, with the forfeiture of this worldly existence, the power and authority of Satan is nullified. The Enemy will no longer hold any authority over those who embrace the Messiah.
Jesus wanted to say so much to them, but they were unable to hear any more. The whole idea that Jesus was going to die was just too much for them. But it would all work out, because when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would simply know everything Jesus could have told them. The Holy Spirit would be the same Person as Jesus, communicating all the same things Jesus had taught during His time on earth. And in turn, everything the Messiah might have said comes from the Father in the first place.
Then He said something very cryptic: In a short time, they would see Him no more. Then, a while longer and they would see Him again -- they would see Him again once He had gone to the Father. This really tripped them up. How would they see Him again if He were going to die? But they kept this discussion to themselves as He led them across the Kidron Valley.
He knew, of course. This had choked them up completely. So He tried to reassure them that this was like a woman giving birth. It won't be pleasant for a while, but after it's over, they would be joyful with the birth of a new life. The joy that would follow after that would be impossible to describe, because He would come to see them again. But it would be in His eternal form, giving them a new identity as eternal children of the Father.
And in that day, they would no longer need to ask Jesus for anything. He had been their High Priest in effect for a few years, but that was coming to an end. They would no longer need any proxy to the Father. Jesus would usher them into the Father's Presence as His brothers. They could pray directly to the Father without any go-between, and He would welcome them. They would simply ask for all things in the name of His Son, Jesus.
From here on out, the joy of the Son would be their testimony, their shalom that shows the world they belong to the Father. This was about as literal as anything He could say to them of Heavenly affairs. So without any parables, He flatly restated that they were not to seek any longer a priesthood to carry their prayers to the Father, not even Jesus Himself. Rather, because they embraced Jesus as the Messiah from God, God Himself would embrace them as His own.
That's why He had to go back to the Father. This much they felt they understood: Jesus didn't need to prove Himself to anyone's satisfaction. They knew beyond all doubt that He was the Messiah sent by God.
But it wasn't enough. They had to walk through the fire yet. Each of them had to walk through their own death experience. Jesus would stand alone against His accusers and be nailed to the Cross. They would each have to face their own demons alone, accusing them and nailing them to their own crosses. Jesus would face it literally, but they had to go through it as a parable.
It would be the final alienation they faced in this world, and from this world. It was the only way to find the peace that the Messiah would give them. But the world could never touch them again, because the Messiah would take a position of authority over every human government.