You will have Troubles
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20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall to pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
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26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Over this long weekend, we have taken the theme of Palm Sunday, actually, the weekend of Palm Sunday to ask ourselves some awkward questions.
In particular, ‘Which crowd are you in?’ We had the contrast of people in each situation we explored to allow us to examine ourselves.
Which crowd were you in when a blind beggar was shouting out, disturbing the pilgrimage walk with Jesus. I may have been inclined to tell him to be quiet. That beggar was the first to declare Jesus to be the Christ on the weekend of Palm Sunday.
Which crowd were you in when the Tax Man was invited to invite Jesus for afternoon tea at his house.. I could have been in the crowd that thought the Tax Man did not deserve a look from Jesus , let alone a meal. All are welcome and all are equal in Christ.
The most moving situation was when the unnamed woman in Mark 14 doused Jesus in extravagant love and a flask full of pure nard.. Which crowd were we in? We may have sided with the indignant moaners who thought that money could have gone towards the repair of the church clock tower.
Which crowd were we in at the Triumphal Entry? We could have been among those who wanted a different type of Messiah to the lowly peace-prince.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
It is easy to get in tol the wrong crowd and if you are in the ‘stand up for Jesus’ crowd you will face trouble and persecution and hardship. In John 16, Jesus seemed to be preparing his followers for trouble and offered peace and strength in weakness if we are in him.
There are 21 Chapters in John. The last 10 chapters focus on last week of Jesus life (~50%). Palm Sunday is recorded in John 12. Chapters 13-17 (five) focus on a few hrs, Jesus last supper in the upper room. Throughout these 5 chapters (13-17) he prepares them for ‘trouble.’ ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) He is arrested in Jn 18, crucified in Jn 19, and buried Jn 20.
Five of these chapters covers the scene in the upper room. Five chapters of John (13-17) cover a few hours of the Thursday before Good Friday. In those Chapters, Jesus is teaching and reassuring them about who he is, what he has done and what he is going to do.
John 13 coversJesus washing the disciples feet and teaching that we must have a servant heart. IN addition, I think he was also teaching them how to be humble in being served, especially when we are in need. It is tempting to think ‘I can do this on my own,’ but others flourish and you are humbled, taking the low place shen we receive from others.
John 14 includes the passage ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled… believe in me.’ Jesus speaks about trouble and adversity to come and sticking with Jesus. He instructs us about abiding in him in John 15.
During my own trauma, when I was in the middle of it I wondered Lord, how can I endure this, I feel crushed, broken, but Bible in my back pocket a symbol of his presence. That Bible fed me with a bible verse every day. The scriptures nourished me, it was bread from heaven. Abiding in the Lord, sticking with the Lord, I experienced that all-sufficient Grace (2 Cor 12v9 - “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’).
Then we read in John 16 that Jesus prepares them for the night and days ahead in John 16:20,22, ‘You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices [but] your grief will turn to joy, v22, I will see you again and you will rejoice.’ A few verses earlier he said he would send them a helper [paraclete] Jn 16:7.
at the end of Jn 16:33 ‘I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world’
The trouble with trouble is you can't define it, and how you would sum up trouble is different to how I would describe it but Jesus says in Jn 16v33 ‘you will have it.’
Some of us seem to have lots, some not so much, but Jn 16v33:
‘I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.’
Jesus’ confidence in the victory over the cross ahead of him, led Him to encourage the disciples to trust him, believe in him, stand with Him, abide in him. Take heart Jesus says, ‘I have overcome the world.’ Troubles would not be the end of them, it would not have the last word. Even when the world would assault them mercilessly, Jesus overcoming the world would mean that nothing would finally be able to destroy them in terms of eternity.
It has been good to reflect, this time away, within the framework of Holy Week. We have looked at the weekend before the weekend that changed the world. It has been so encouraging to see how the Lord has been ministering to you here at Lee Abbey. Just as Jesus caused the first disciples to experience the depths of despair [John 16:20]. The despair that their master, teacher, friend had been taken, mocked, spat on, beaten and killed. From that lowest point of Good Friday their joy would all the more powerful on Easter Sunday when they experienced the joy of the resurrection. May each of you know that resurrection joy in the coming week.
