World English Bible translation
Today's Scripture
16:5
But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 16:6 But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don't go away, the Counselor won't come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 16:8 When he has come, he will convict the world in respect to sin, and righteousness, and judgment; 16:9 of sin, because they don't believe in me; 16:10 of righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you see me no more; 16:11 of judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. 16:12 I have yet many things to tell you, but you can't bear them now. 16:13 However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever things he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you the things that are to come. 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. 16:15 All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you.Today's Lesson
In Today's Scripture, Jesus tells His disciples more about the Spirit of God. He tells them that it is to their advantage that He leaves them now. If He goes away, He can send the "other Counselor" to them. The indwelling life of the Holy Spirit will be better for them than the physical presence of Jesus because the Spirit will never leave them. Their time with Jesus is short because He will soon have to leave.
Jesus tells them that even though He has many things to tell them, there is not enough time. But, they should not worry. When the Spirit comes, he will guide them into all truth. "He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine, and will declare it to you." Just as Jesus took the things of the Father and declared them to His people, the Spirit will take the things of the Son and declare it to His people. And, since the Father has given everything over to the Son, the Spirit will be bringing them everything of God. There is nothing about God that He is not willing to reveal to even the least of His people. We are only limited to what we are willing to learn.
Jesus tells them that the Spirit will convict the world in respect to sin, righteousness and judgment. He will convict men of sin because they do not believe in Jesus as the Christ of God. But, most people are unwilling to acknowledge their sin and hide from it as much as they possibly can. This does not mean that the Spirit has failed to fulfill His task. It only means that these people are unwilling to listen to God's judgment. They know in their hearts that they are full of sin, just as you and I would be if it were not for the forgiveness that is ours in Christ.
In every way, God is trying to reveal Himself to mankind. God is not hiding from us. When I was young, I used to play a game called "Hide the Thimble" with my sister. We would hide our mother's thimble in a room and the other would have to find it within a certain time. One day, after the third or fourth round of the game, I placed the thimble in plain view in the very middle of the room. As my sister entered the room and began to look in all our usual places, I was amazed that something could be hidden so easily in plain view. She was so busy searching for the thimble that she could not see it!
In the same way, we go about the strenuous effort of searching for God. We seek Him in ritual and ceremony. We read books and listen to men who claim to understand how we can get in touch with Him. Jesus told the Pharisees, "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me. Yet you will not come to me, that you may have life." In the same way, we search and study, but God has always been standing right before us, trying to tell us about Himself.
Through faith in Christ, we all have access to the Holy Spirit of God. This same Spirit is the one that reveals God to us. God wants to be known. God wants us to listen. If we will only open our hearts to Him, He is willing to tell us His story. It is the story of love and acceptance and sacrifice. It is the story about a Father who was so concerned that He was willing to send His Son to His enemies. It is a story about a love that is willing to overcome all things in order to express itself.
Are you willing to listen to God's story? Are you willing to surrender your heart to the storyteller?
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