John 16:16-24 | 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.
When Jesus says in verse 23 that his disciples won’t ask anything of him when they see him again, it’s likely that he’s referring to asking for more information. This is more clear in the Greek than in the English, which can seem confusing when the next sentence is about us asking for whatever from the Father.
Questions
Jesus says that his disciples are and will be sad and sorrowful. What will they be sad and sorrowful about?
What does the analogy of the woman in childbirth have to say about sorrow and pain?
Jesus says that when He sees his disciples again, their sorrow will be forgotten and replaced by a joy that can’t be taken away by anyone. How did this play out with the New Testament disciples?
While we didn’t lose Jesus in the same way that his contemporary disciples did, this same joy still gets to be ours. How is the resurrection of Jesus the root of a joy that can’t be taken from us?
What does the joy of the resurrection mean to you in a world that’s between the Fall and the New Creation?
What’s the role of the sorrow and sadness we still experience today? Should we feel those things if we know that Jesus has been raised from the dead? Why or why not?
Jesus says that when He sees his disciples again, they won’t ask him for any more information, but they will ask the Father for things in Jesus’ name - something they’ve not yet done. What’s the difference between asking for something in our name verses Jesus’ name?
What kind of things can the Father give us that will help our joy be complete?