To Joy (part 17)
I have a granddaughter who asks me some tough questions about God and the Bible. She’s puzzled, for instance, as to why God had so many people, including children, killed off in the Old Testament. So we talk and reason together, not only learning from each other, but a lot about each other too. Wonderful times.
But one day I won’t be around for these animated chats, or be on call any time to help her through her puzzlement. Which made me wonder what I could do now in preparation for that time. And here in John 16:23 was the answer.
Jesus has been helping his disciples through their puzzlement too (verses 17-19), but he accepts that one day he won’t be with them in person either. When that day comes – or “In that day” as he phrases it in verse 23 – “you will no longer ask me anything.” And if he’d stopped there, well, imagine the reaction my granddaughter would have if I said, “Sorry, old girl, but the day’s coming when I won’t be around and you’ll no longer be able to ask me anything,” and left it at that.
But Jesus didn’t leave it at that. He said, “Yes, it will be tough (Now is your time of grief, verse 22), but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
So even though he wasn’t with them in person anymore, they would see him again, and in such a way they’d experience an unshakeable joy for the rest of their lives, because they could go “directly to the Father and he’ll give you whatever you ask for by using my name,” verse 23.
Using his name would be the means by which he would remain alive to them. And this way I come alive to my granddaughter after I’m gone too, because I’ve told her already she too can go to God directly for help. So she can go to the Father and say, “Granpy told me I could come to you directly for answers, so I’m coming in his name. He also told me that when I ask you for help with my puzzlement I am guaranteed an answer from you, because you want my joy to be complete. That joy began when I was able to talk things over with my Grandpa in person, but he said you’ll make my joy complete when I come to you. Granpy said, so in his name here I am.” Just like we can say to the Father, “Jesus said, so in his name here I am”…(continues Friday)
