Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Thursday, March 27, 2014 Read John 16:25-33 Our reading for today serves as a good summary of much of what has been said previously. Nothing new is added that has not been said before. Jesus says that he has spoken to the disciples in “figures of speech” but now he is speaking as clearly as he can. Jesus came from the Father and is returning to the Father again. His origin is with God and his destiny is with God. The disciples now appear to understand completely what Jesus is saying. They profess firm belief. Yet, Jesus seems still to dash some of that certainty by telling them again that they will soon be scattered. The power of death the looms in the cross will be too strong for them and they will abandon Jesus for the time being. All of this has been said earlier in chapter 13-14. It has been repeated in various ways in chapters 15-16. The importance of knowing the origin and destiny of Jesus, the meaning of his leaving which is through crucifixion, and that his leaving will cause great pain for his disciples and lead them to flee in abandonment is at the heart of Jesus’ message to them. And with it is the clear promise that Jesus’ leaving will ultimately result in his coming to them again in the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete who will take what is of Jesus and make it real for those who believe in him – and ultimately this world will be overcome through the death/resurrection/ascension of Jesus. As we think back over the chapters 13-16 we are faced with a challenging and complicated task of interpretation. On the one hand, it is clear that the final editor of John’s gospel wants his readers to hear all these words in the context of the final meal that Jesus shared with his followers. We have not yet spoken of chapter 17, but we can add that chapter as well. So, perhaps it is good for us to think of all of this as part of the meal scene – that’s the way the final editor has presented it. Yet, on the other hand we have been confronted with the puzzling comment at the end of chapter 14 where it seems clear that the meal has ended. I have interpreted that to mean that an original version of the meal scene in John’s gospel was only chapters 13-14. I think there is good reason to make that judgment as I have stated earlier. But, the issue of the meaning of Jesus’ “leaving and returning” was so important that more is needed. It is likely, as we have observed from listening to the synoptic gospels that Jesus spoke of the difficult life that would unfold for his followers following his death and resurrection and of the challenge that understanding the meaning of his death and resurrection would be for them. I have suggested that one way of looking at the material in chapters 15-16 is to see them as “extra” words that the final editor of John’s gospel had available to him regarding this struggle. The final editor has attached these words here, in the context of the meal, to augment and reinforce the primary message in chapters 13-14. What better place to insert these important words? In a way they are necessary to make the message in chapters 13-14 more clear and powerful. In that way they function well for us as well. The importance of the meaning of Jesus’ “leaving and returning” cannot be overemphasized. Together, all of these words add power and assurance to us as readers. We can be thankful for all of them!