John 15:18-16:4 | Food for Thought
Notes
This is part of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, in which he’s preparing his disciples for his imminent departure - to the cross, to the grave, and to his throne in heaven.
Questions
Jesus begins talking about the world hating his disciples. Why is this something Jesus would want to bring up?
What reason does Jesus give for the world hating Jesus’ followes?
Are there bad reasons that the world might hate those who claim to follow Jesus? How would we know the difference between being hated because of Jesus and in spite of Jesus?
That said, how does this shape our expectations of how we’ll need to learn to live in in the world?
Jesus goes on to talk about people being held accountable for their sin precisely because they’ve had an opportunity to explicitly reject the Lord. What questions does this leave with you?
What does this tell you about the nature of sin?
What does this tell you about the nature of the Lord and his judgment?
Jesus refers to Psalm 35:19 and 69:4. According to him, is there ever a good reason to reject the Lord?
Jesus says the Spirit will come to bear witness about Him, just as we will. What does it mean to bear witness?
What doesn’t it mean to bear witness? In light of what he’s said so far, what isn’t Jesus promising when he says that we’ll bear witness to Jesus?
Jesus gives them a heads up about what to expect down the road. Why is Jesus letting them know that things are going to get rough for them?
Is this comforting to you? Concerning to you? Both?
If Jesus is saying that some people will think they’re serving God while they’re really opposed to him, then how can we know the difference?
How do you respond when folks seem to twist and misrepresent Jesus and the faith?
How do you respond to being misrepresented or misunderstood yourself? What’s the way forward that Jesus would call us to?