Called to Testify
Sunday School Lesson
February 7
Lesson 10 (KJV)
Called to Testify
Devotional Reading: John 1:37–51
Background Scripture: John 1:37–51; 4:25–42
John 4:25–42
25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29. Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30. Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
31. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41. And many more believed because of his own word;
42. And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Key Verse
Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.—John 4:39
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Summarize the impact of the Samaritan woman’s witness.
2. Explain the sense and reference of Jesus’ illustration in John 4:35.
3. Identify elements of Jesus’ approach to evangelism that he or she will use.
HOW TO SAY IT
| Ahab | Ay-hab. |
| Assyrians | Uh-sear-e-unz. |
| Gerizim | Gair-ih-zeem or Guh-rye-zim. |
| Messiah | Meh-sigh-uh. |
| messianic | mess-ee-an-ick. |
| Omri | Ahm-rye. |
| Palestine | Pal-uh-staihn. |
| Samaritans | Suh-mare-uh-tunz. |
| Sychar | Sigh-kar. |
Introduction
A. Unnamed but Not Unimportant
The American Midwest is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. Large acreage produces tremendous yields as farmers use state-of-the-art seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, and specialized equipment. Farming has grown to be so productive that only 2 percent of the American population needs to live and work on farms to feed the other 98 percent.
But those figures were reversed for most of history: before mechanization as a result of the industrial revolution, 98 percent of people lived on farms due to the labor-intensive nature of the work. It’s no wonder, then, that agricultural contexts, references, parables, illustrations, etc., are encountered so often in the pages of the Bible. That was their world—a world foreign to the large majority of people living in industrialized countries today.
To grasp the truths of the Bible most fully, we need to step into that world. Why did Jesus decline a suggestion for lunch by speaking of sowing, reaping, and harvest? What connection did He see between fruit and eternal life? And what did all that have to do with an unnamed foreign woman with whom He had just spoken? Today’s lesson answers those very questions.
B. Lesson Context
Fullest understanding of today’s text requires some insight into the relationship between Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day. When King Solomon died in about 930 BC, the nation of Israel split into two parts: the northern 10 tribes were then often referred to collectively as Israel, while the remaining tribes to the south were called Judah (example: Jeremiah 50:4).
King Omri of Israel built the city of Samaria to be his capital in about 875 BC (1 Kings 16:23–24). He ruled from Samaria as did his infamous son Ahab (16:29), establishing the city as a lasting site. Both kings aroused God’s ire because of their idolatrous religious practices (16:25, 33).
Ignoring warnings of the prophets led to judgment (2 Kings 17:13). The ultimate form of that judgment came when the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel about 722 BC (17:5–18). Many Israelites were exiled, and outsiders were brought in to resettle the land (17:24). Israelites who were not taken into exile were left impoverished and without clear identity for many years.
Eventually, the resulting mixture of people came to be known as Samaritans. They developed a religion that accepted the five books of Moses but did not recognize the other books that make up the Old Testament. When Samaritans offered to help rebuild the Jerusalem temple destroyed in 586 BC, the Jews refused (Ezra 4:1–5). This angered the Samaritans, and we see some of this anger come out when Nehemiah began to rebuild the city walls (Nehemiah 4:1, 2).
About a century before Christ, a ruler of Judea destroyed the Samaritans’ rival temple on Mount Gerizim. This and other things caused deep animosity between Samaritans and Jews. For the Jews of Jesus’ time, Samaritans were not quite Gentiles but were definitely not Jews either (see Matthew 10:5; note the attempt to discredit Jesus in John 8:48).
Our lesson begins after Jesus and a Samaritan woman discussed her marriage situation (John 4:16–18). Jesus’ knowledge of her personal life astounded her. For this reason, she addressed Him as a prophet (4:19). She changed the subject to the less personal but quite controversial topic of the proper site for worship. Jesus’ answer cut through this temple-location controversy to get to the heart of worship: spiritual surrender to the Lord (4:23–24). Such truth telling had opened the woman to discuss matters of the heart as today’s text opens.
I. A Woman’s Declaration
(John 4:25–30)
A. Messiah Revealed (vv. 25–26)
25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Both Jews and Samaritans looked for the Messias, or Christ; these Hebrew and Greek words both mean “anointed one.” The Jews believed He would be a national leader who would free them from foreign oppression, based on expectations tied to King David (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Because Samaritans held only the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy as Scripture, they did not share any such expectation. Instead, they emphasized the Messiah’s role as a teaching prophet who would tell … all things and bring the people back to true faith, reminiscent of Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15–18).
26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Jesus did not seek to set the woman straight regarding whether the Jewish or the Samaritan understanding of the Christ was correct. Instead of laying out every Scripture regarding himself (something He would do after the resurrection; see Luke 24:25–27), Jesus simply claimed to be the one she was waiting to meet.
The woman had already affirmed Jesus to be a prophet. Her reaction to His escalating claim to be the longed-for Messiah is delayed until John 4:28–29, below.
B. Disciples Startled (v. 27)
27. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
The disciples returned just then, having come from the village with food (John 4:8). The author, John, was one of these men, so he had firsthand knowledge of the group’s reactions. They marvelled, but were not bold enough to ask Him What or Why. Their timidity contrasts with the woman’s own insistence on asking Jesus questions (4:9, 11–12).
C. City Challenged (vv. 28–30)
28. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men.
The woman’s abandonment of her waterpot—representing the errand that brought her in contact with Jesus in the first place—to return to the city suggests a hurried, excited departure. In initiating conversation with the men there, she cast aside any cultural restraints from doing so. Any shame at being an adulteress was overcome. She had to spread the news.
| What Do You Think? What “baggage” do you need to leave behind so that your witness for Christ is not impeded? Digging Deeper In what ways do the things of Matthew 4:20–22; Mark 1:20; 10:28; Hebrews 12:1; etc., differ from one another in terms of how, when, and what to leave them behind? |
29. Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Her straightforward message has two parts. First, she gave evidence that Jesus was something more than an ordinary man. Second, she proposed, in the form of a question, a tentative conclusion to that evidence. In wondering whether Jesus might be the Christ, the woman challenged others to come and investigate for themselves.
30. Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
The woman’s testimony intrigued the people enough so that they wanted to investigate her claims. She was a disreputable person in this community, but they could not ignore her earnest and fascinating testimony. If this man truly was the Messiah, they wouldn’t want to miss a chance to meet Him and hear His teaching.
II. A Crop Prepared
(John 4:31–38)
A. Spiritual Food (vv. 31–33)
31. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
The disciples either mentally dismissed the woman as being unimportant or simply moved on to what they thought was a more pressing task: lunch. Perhaps they themselves were hungry and wanted Jesus to begin the meal.
32. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
The word meat refers to food in general, and Jesus’ cryptic statement forms something of a parallel to the “living water” He offered to the woman earlier (John 4:10). It also foreshadows Jesus’ coming self-description as “the bread of life” and “living bread” (6:48–51).
33. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
The confused disciples did not detect His reference to spiritual rather than physical food. And once again, they did not ask Jesus the question that was on their minds. Instead, they spoke one to another (compare Matthew 16:5–12).
B. Spiritual Harvest (vv. 34–35)
34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
A theme of the book of John is that Jesus had been sent by the Father with a mission to finish (also John 5:36; 17:4). At the heart of this work was bringing people to faith in Jesus (6:29). Knowing of the disciples’ confusion, Jesus began explaining: His meat was spiritual in nature. Doing the work of him that sent Jesus (5:19) was the great sustenance for His soul. While the disciples had been away in pursuit of food for the body (4:8), Jesus had been busy ministering to an open-minded woman. Doing so was what energized Him.
35a. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?
Jesus began to apply an illustration or metaphor by describing a typical agricultural timeframe. His disciples are well aware that crops are ready to harvest following the sowing of four months earlier.
35b. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
This verse is one of the great missionary mandates in all of Scripture. The time for harvest is not future! The time for evangelism, the harvest of souls, is now! The fields Jesus wanted the disciples to see were not plots of wheat or barley, but of people. We might imagine that as Jesus spoke He pointed to the people coming toward Him from the city (John 4:30, above).
For a field to be white means the heads of grain have turned from green to a light-brown color. This indicates the grain is fully mature. When it comes to sharing the gospel, there is no time to waste. As on that auspicious day in Samaria, so too are fields ripe and awaiting harvest today. Some of the disciples had been told previously that they were to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17); now they hear, in effect, that they will be farmers of men as well!
C. Spiritual Reward (vv. 36–38)
36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
In the Palestine of Jesus’ day and before, farming involved intensive labor from people and animals. Field laborers prepared the soil, sowed seed, watered, and weeded. When harvest (reaping) time came, different persons might cut the grain stalks, bundle the sheaves, thresh the grain, and winnow the chaff in larger operations.
In evangelism as in farming, there is sowing and reaping (compare Matthew 13:1–9, 18–30). The gospel must be shared (sowed) for faith to bear fruit (be ready to reap). The result is a crop of believing persons (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). The goal is not a full granary, but a full Heaven—full of saved souls, those who have life eternal.
The workers are rewarded with satisfaction for productive work. They will rejoice together, both now and in the hereafter (see Luke 15:3–32; compare Galatians 6:7–9).
37. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Jesus quoted a traditional saying. Reaping requires previous work: sowing. If no seeds are planted, there will be nothing to harvest. Though the disciples didn’t realize it quite yet, the moment to reap was swiftly approaching (see John 4:39–42, below).
| What Do You Think? Which skill do you need most to work on: sowing or reaping? How will you do that? Digging Deeper How does 1 Corinthians 3:6–9 influence your thoughts in this regard? |
38. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
This verse has a sense of climax for God’s plan to fashion a people according to His will. Prophets had been sent to call people to repentance, the most recent being John the Baptist (see Mark 1:4; Acts 13:24). Moses’ testimony recorded in the law had sown seeds among the Samaritans. Jesus himself further prepared the heart of the Samaritan woman. Little did Jesus’ followers know at the time that they were being trained to fulfill the coming Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20).
Speaking to Be Understood
I grew up in the city. But my first ministry was to a small town in Iowa. Because I wanted to minister effectively, I had to gain a basic understanding of farming life. This involved learning a new vocabulary, almost a new language.
I knew what corn and beans looked like when they came out of a can. But it was a different matter to see what they looked like in a vast field and to be able to talk about that competently. When preaching and teaching, it was helpful to translate my theological language into terms more relevant to the people.
When Jesus spoke of a ripe spiritual crop, His audience understood Him easily. He spoke their language. As we bring the gospel to the unbelieving world, we may sometimes unwittingly speak in “Christian-ese,” a language that has no meaning outside of our own “city … on an hill” (Matthew 5:14). How can you change your “city” language to enhance your witness to a “farming” world?
—C. R. B.
III. A Community Transformed
(John 4:39–42)
A. The Woman’s Testimony (v. 39)
39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
The idea of testimony leading to faith is a central pattern in the Gospel of John (see John 1:7). Its author desires to testify about Jesus and bring readers to faith (21:24). Jesus’ inspired words and miraculous works are testifiers themselves—that He is the one sent by the Father, the Messiah both the Jews and the Samaritans have been looking for (see 5:36). All this is ultimately reflected in the book’s purpose statement, found in John 20:30–31.
The episode at hand is an integral part of this intent. The Samaritan woman’s acceptance that Jesus had supernatural knowledge of details of her life brought her to trust Him and share her testimony with others. The result was that many believed on him, accepting that He was God’s promised Messiah.
The triggers that lead to faith are different for each person. We want to expect that people will believe when they hear a clear, simple presentation of the gospel—and this does indeed happen. But other approaches may be used too. A dramatic life experience may drive people to find God. The story of a friend whose heart was changed can be a powerful motivation to believe.
| What Do You Think? How might you discern situations that call for personal testimony over a logic- or evidence-based presentation of the gospel (John 14:11; Acts 17:2; etc.), and vice versa? Digging Deeper What other Scripture passages are helpful in making this distinction? |
B. The Samaritans’ Request (v. 40)
40. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Given the cultural context, it is surprising that Samaritans would ask a Jew to visit with them (see Lesson Context; compare John 4:9b; Luke 9:51–53). This speaks to the powerful impact Jesus has already had in this brief encounter.
| What Do You Think? What, from your personal experience, can you teach a fellow believer about crossing boundaries with the gospel? Digging Deeper From best to worst, how would you rank-order your skills at reaching across the boundaries of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and nationality? |
C. The People’s Belief (vv. 41–42)
41–42. And many more believed because of his own word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
For some of the Samaritans, the woman’s testimony was enough for them to believe (John 4:39, above). Now we read of belief also having come to many more … because of his own word. These particular villagers did not discount the woman’s testimony, but they needed more—they needed their own experience (compare and contrast 20:25). Beyond the small group of the disciples (2:11), these Samaritans stand as the first community in the Gospel of John who accept Jesus as the Christ. (John 2:23 speaks of many who “believed in his name” in Jerusalem, but that was not a close-knit community like this one.)
The concept of Christ was discussed earlier (see John 4:25, above). That marked an escalation in the woman’s faith, and now the phrase Saviour of the world marks an escalation for the entire community. Whereas their messianic expectations had focused thus far on what the Christ would do for Samaritans, they had come to grasp that Jesus had come for much more than just Samaritans. He came not merely to teach about right worship or to restore Samaria; He came to save the world (John 3:16–17).
| What Do You Think? Which aspects of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan can and should you use in your interactions with unbelievers? Explain. Digging Deeper Which aspects should you not use? Why? |
Drawn by a Friend’s Words
In his early adulthood, one of my grandfathers was a functioning alcoholic. He worked all week, but when Saturday came, he got drunk. Grandpa was a mean drunk, willing to fight anyone. One day a friend came by and said, “You ought to go down to the church. The preacher can quote more Scripture than you can imagine.”
His friend’s challenge struck a chord in Grandpa’s heart. He went to the meeting, and he turned to Christ. Life changed for Grandpa and his family. Alcohol was no longer a part of their home. The ripples of this faithful decision are still seen throughout our family.
The Samaritan woman’s testimony caused waves in her community. She aroused their curiosity sufficiently that they went to hear Jesus. His words caused them to believe in Him. When the story of your life is told, how many people will be able to say that they sought Jesus because of your testimony?
—C. R. B.
Conclusion
A. Women of Faith
The story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well serves several purposes in the book of John. It teaches the spiritual nature of true worship (John 4:23–24). It clarifies the identity of Jesus as the chosen Messiah, or Christ, from God (4:25–26). It portrays Jesus as fearlessly moving beyond the boundaries of orthodox Judaism to an awkward encounter with a Samaritan (4:9). And it demonstrates the influence a person of conviction and urgency can have when talking to others about Jesus (4:28–30, 39). She was both a part of the harvest and a farmer-sower. Her work contributed to a fruitful harvest, indeed!
Many who read the Gospel of John can identify with her: a forlorn, rejected person, ostracized by her community. A woman who came to get water at a time of day when she knew others wouldn’t be there—only to encounter Jesus and be transformed. The village’s object of derision became the mouthpiece of the Lord to bring others to faith.
It would be nice to know the name of the Samaritan woman. It makes us wonder about other women of faith whose names are lost to history. Many of them have spoken out to bring others to faith. Many taught their sons and daughters to pray. Many read Scripture to their children to plant seeds of faith. Some even have lived with unbelieving husbands who finally submitted to Christ as Lord after years of patient prayer by their wives.
Their names may be unknown to us, but they are not unknown to God. He has written their names “in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Someday in Heaven, we may be able to look into that book and learn the Samaritan woman’s name, the name of one whose testimony changed her community forever. Will yours?
B. Prayer
Father, give us the boldness of the Samaritan woman in sharing the good news about Jesus! It is in His name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Help reap the fields that are ripe for harvest!
KID’S CORNER
How Our Advocate Works
Sunday, February 7, 2021
John 16:1-11
John 16:1-11
(John 16:1) “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
A true disciple of Jesus Christ will follow Him wherever He leads, but Jesus had to tell His disciples that they could not go where He was going. They could not follow Him further yet, for He was soon going back to the Father. Someday, He would come back for them and they would go to be with Him, as He had promised them in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” But between the time He left them and came back for them to take them to the place He had prepared for them they would face persecution and death themselves—even as He would soon suffer and die on a cross. He needed to forewarn them about what would soon happen to Him and to them so they would not stumble or fall away from believing in and following Him according to the truths He had taught them for three years. If His disciples faced an unknown future and began doubting when all things seemed wrong, they might turn from following Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So, in John chapter 16, Jesus began talking specifically about some of the trials and temptations they would soon face.
(John 16:2) “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
Just as the first followers of Jesus Christ were soon expelled from the synagogue, where they testified about Jesus and worshiped with their fellow Jews, there have been times throughout history when “religious” people in a church have persecuted the true followers of Jesus by excluding them from fellowship and even murdering some. Throughout history some rulers of this world, including some political and religious leaders, have tortured and murdered Jesus’ followers. The life of the Apostle Paul proves the fulfillment and truth of Jesus’ prophecy, for Paul once persecuted many of the first Christians. Before the Apostle Paul changed his name from Saul, he approved the stoning of Stephen. In Acts 8:1, we read, “And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.” When the Apostle Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa he spoke of his former persecution of Christians. In Acts 26:4-6 and 9-11, Paul confessed, “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors . . . Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.” In the name of their god, some have murdered Christians and others. Some in synagogues and churches have persecuted, have excluded, and have murdered those who have tried to follow Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures. When these trials happen to Christians today, Jesus’ followers should not be surprised but remember some of Jesus’ promises about the Holy Spirit’s help in the Gospel of John.
(John 16:3) “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
In the gospels, Jesus foretold all who would follow Him what they could expect in this world from following Him and His moral and spiritual values and teachings. Many do not want to live according to the absolute, objective moral and spiritual standards that God has revealed in the Bible; therefore, in various ways they persecute those who try to follow and obey Jesus. To strengthen their faith in Him rather than have them doubt and stumble with thoughts that He had given them false promises of security and prosperity in the world, Jesus forewarned His disciples. Because they know neither the Father nor the Son (the One who came to make the Father known) unbelievers persecuted Jesus and will persecute all His followers even today because they do not know God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in John 8:19, when the Pharisees asked Jesus, “‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’”
(John 16:4) “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
No follower of Jesus Christ who reads the Bible should be surprised when hardship and persecution come as a direct result of trying to live faithful to Jesus Christ, of trying to obey Him in all things, of trying to love and serve others as He loved and served others. Jesus warned His disciples (and all who would believe in Him) that they would suffer if they followed Him as He directed. When Jesus was with them in the flesh, He could easily keep His disciples from doubting or stumbling because He could physically stand between them and His persecutors and He could keep teaching them. He could easily answer the questions of both His persecutors and His disciples. The verbal and physical attacks of those who did not know the Father or the Son fell first upon Him and then upon them. After Jesus rose from the dead and empowered His disciples to testify about Him as Lord and Savior of the world, the attacks of unbelievers would naturally fall upon them as the physical and visible representatives of Jesus Christ and His teaching. Those of this world do not want to hear the teachings of Jesus or the Apostle Paul who wrote in Romans 8:5-6, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace;” therefore, they persecute and try to silence Jesus’ followers. By doing so, they forfeit the joy, life, love, peace and eternal life that the Holy Spirit gives daily to believers by the grace of God through their faith in Jesus Christ.
(John 16:5) “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
The revelation of Jesus Christ and the Bible reveal and teach God’s people more truths as they obey Jesus’ teachings in the Bible over time. After Jesus revealed much about himself and His mission to His disciples, He revealed even more as His death and departure neared. The Holy Spirit that Jesus would soon send to His disciples would reveal more truths to them and through them the Holy Spirit would create the New Testament and the New Testament Church. At that moment, His disciples were so shocked that they might not have thought to ask, “Where are you going?” or they were focused so much on their own needs when they learned that they would lose Jesus’ presence to think to ask the question about “where” Jesus was going.
(John 16:6) “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Sorrow filled their hearts when they learned that Jesus was going to leave them, the One who loved them and the One they had come to love. After being His disciples and enjoying love, peace, and fellowship with Him, they were sorrowful to learn that they would lose fellowship Him and also lose their fellowship with those in the synagogue. Even worse, they learned that some would hate them and want to murder them. And while persecuting them, their persecutors would think that they were serving God by doing so.
(John 16:7) “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
Even though the coming events would bring them much sorrow, and even though their fearful anticipation of Jesus leaving them filled them with grief, Jesus assured them that the results would be for their own good, for their benefit, to their advantage. Jesus had to go away before He could send the Advocate to them as their ever present “Defense Attorney,” as their indwelling Guide, Helper, Comforter, and Counselor. Jesus had to die an atoning death for them so they could be forgiven for their sins, cleansed from their sins, and prepared to receive the Spirit of holiness and truth into their lives. It would be to their advantage for the Holy Spirit to live within them at all times when they were scattered, persecuted, and murdered. When the world saw them as abandoned and helpless, they would never be powerless, alone, or separated from God. In the flesh, Jesus could not be with all of them everywhere all the time. But the Holy Spirit whom He would send them could be with them all. And the Holy Spirit has been and will be with every follower of Jesus until He comes again. Notice what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not an “it” or an impersonal power; for Jesus promised, “I will send Him to you.”
(John 16:8) “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
The Holy Spirit is an Advocate or Defense Attorney for the one who follows Jesus as His disciple. To the world or to the one who follows the ruler of this world and the world’s way of life, the Holy Spirit is a Prosecuting Attorney. Most people do not like to hear that what they are doing is wrong, but the Holy Spirit through the life, works, and words of those who follow Jesus reveals to those of this world that they are doing wrong—which can lead to the persecution of Christians in some way. The world is wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit will work to convince an unbeliever that they are wrong about sin and death in order to lead them to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will work on the conscience of an unbeliever, but the unbeliever may harden their conscience and in a hateful response persecute Christians and the Church. On the other hand, learning the truth about Jesus Christ along with the work of the Holy Spirit can lead an unbeliever to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation from sin to receive the gift of eternal life from Him.
(John 16:9) concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
Those of this world do not believe in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But Jesus is the Savior of the world, and He came to reveal the Father. Through the believer’s moral and spiritual way of life (though not yet perfect), in their truthful words, and by their joyful, loving, and peaceful way of life, the Holy Spirit proves the world is wrong about the best way to live and how people can live the best way by following Jesus. Despite overwhelming evidence and the work of the Holy Spirit to lead them to believe and repent, many of those who live according to the ways of the devil and who love this world will persist in unbelief and rebellion against God.
(John 16:10) and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
The world is wrong about righteousness because living rightly according to the commands and teachings of Jesus is a righteous way to live. Since all have sinned, no one can be righteous apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross, apart from accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and apart from the Holy Spirit living and working within those who follow Jesus. When God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, God proved that all Jesus said and did was true and right. The Holy Spirit will help believers teach these facts about Jesus Christ to the world. The world may think righteous living does not matter, but the world is wrong and there is a coming judgment when Jesus Christ returns according to His timing.
(John 16:11) and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from their sins and from the just punishment that all sinners deserve—judgment that all His followers once deserved. The Holy Spirit uses the truth of God’s word and the life of Jesus’ followers to lead sinners to saving faith in Jesus Christ. God has condemned the ruler of this world for his rebellion against God and for his many works of evil in the world—evil words and works that he still uses to lead those of this world to believe in evil thoughts, use evil words, and do evil. Sinners can choose to follow the ways of the condemned ruler of this world; or with the help of the Holy Spirit, sinners can turn from the devil, turn from a sinful way of life, and choose to follow Jesus Christ and His teachings in the Bible. The Holy Spirit shows the world the Way of salvation. He works in the world through the Truth that He has revealed in the Bible’s teachings and through the Life of Jesus. He abides with and works within the hearts and minds of those who try to imitate Jesus morally and spiritually so they can teach people about Jesus. When the followers of Jesus are persecuted or tempted to walk once again in the ways of the world, the Holy Spirit empowers them and helps them remember that though the ruler of this world still rules some under the sovereignty of God, this ruler has been judged and condemned by the King of kings and the Lord of lords who sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
How Our Advocate Works
Sunday, February 7, 2021
John 16:1-11
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you (John 16:7—KJV).
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you (John 16:7—NASB).
Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7—NRSV).
The Holy Spirit bestows many gifts on believers, and of major importance the Holy Spirit serves as their Advocate. He works as an indwelling Defense Attorney. When those of this world attack Christians, their Defense Attorney can give them the words to speak. When spiritually attacked, their Defense Attorney can remind them of Jesus’ words, so they do not lose confidence in their Savior and Lord. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit could only come after He went away. Jesus went away when He died on the cross and later ascended into heaven, which He and the Father planned because they wanted to forgive repentant sinners and uphold the just laws and kingdom of God at the same time. Together, they planned for Jesus to shed His blood so repentant sinners could be cleansed from all unrighteousness and become spiritually prepared to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, who would guide them to live for God in a hostile world. In addition, the Holy Spirit works as a Prosecuting Attorney in the lives of believers and in the Church. Through the church, He proves the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment. He convinces some that sin has consequences, living right is important to God, God has condemned the ruler of this world, and God will execute judgment. In the world, the Holy Spirit works through believers to help those He has proved wrong to repent and by grace receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Thinking Further
How Our Advocate Works
Sunday, February 7, 2021
John 16:1-11
Name ___________________________
1. What can keep us from stumbling?
2. What might you say to someone who said that they became a Christian because they wanted security and all of their daily needs and requests to be met by Jesus?
3. Why do some people ridicule and persecute Christians?
4. Why was it an advantage or benefit for Jesus to go away?
5. What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would do in the world?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. What can keep us from stumbling? The truths that Jesus has revealed can keep us from stumbling, but we need to keep believing them and acting on them no matter what happens. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, works within us as Christians to teach us and remind us of what Jesus taught as recorded in the Bible. Our faith and trust in God and the Bible can keep us from stumbling, and we can pray for the Spirit of Jesus to help us moment-by-moment when we are tempted to disbelieve and do wrong.
2. What might you say to someone who said that they became a Christian because they wanted security and all of their daily needs and requests to be met by Jesus? Perhaps remind them that they can find security, true and eternal security, only in Jesus Christ and by trusting in Him for everything. In this life, Christians can be persecuted and killed by those who do not know the Father or the Son. Jesus will meet all of our real needs, and our greatest needs are salvation from sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, understanding the Bible, and receiving the gift eternal life through believing in Christ.
3. Why do some people ridicule and persecute Christians? They do not know the Father or the Son.
4. Why was it an advantage or benefit for Jesus to go away? So believers could be justly and mercifully forgiven for their sins; so believers could be cleansed from their sins; so they could be prepared for the Holy Spirit to come and live within them as their Advocate; so Jesus could pray for them from heaven; so Jesus could prepare a place for them in heaven; so Jesus could come again and take them to be with Him in heaven.
5. What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would do in the world? John 16:8-11—And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
Word Search
How Our Advocate Works
Sunday, February 7, 2021
John 16:1-11
Name ____________________________
E W O R R O S E T A C O V D A
X G M S W I T N E M G D U J Z
R B A V Y D K P K V L I Q A S
E U G T X T E D I H T U R T S
F T R N N D P N F H C D P V E
R K E M O A C G M U S X H O N
A G W A P R V E H E B R C G S
R E L U R O W D S R D P O Z U
W N I O X T H Z A E E N J W O
L J G E R W D Q L B V L O B E
E W U H C I H M T M O Q S C T
J C I M U R F E I E R E F E H
A T D R L T S Y J M P A G J G
C J E V E I L E B E Q T P Y I
H E L B M U T S G R O G W L R
Stumble
Glorify
Guide
Advocate
Believe
Worship
Remember
Condemned
Sorrow
Ruler
Truth
Advantage
Righteousness
Prove
Wrong
True and False Test
How Our Advocate Works
Sunday, February 7, 2021
John 16:1-11
Name __________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
1. When Christians suffer some may be tempted to stumble and lose confidence in Christ. True or False
2. Some persecute and kill Christians because they think this will honor their God. True or False
3. Those who persecute true Christians do not know the Father or the Son. True or False
4. Jesus did not want His followers to think about the future or what might happen to them if they kept following Him. True or False
5. Jesus decided that it was time to go back to heaven and help the angels fulfill the Father’s plans. True or False
6. The disciples rejoiced when they learned that Jesus was going away, because they wanted Him to be happy. True or False
7. Jesus wanted to stay on earth with His disciples so when the Holy Spirit came they could work together with His disciples. True or False
8. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into the world to make the world happy in the Spirit. True or False
9. The Holy Spirit would prove that the world was wrong about sin and refusing to believe in Jesus is a sin. True or False
10. The ruler of this world has been condemned. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- True
- True
- True
- False
- False
- False
- False
- False
- True
- True
Prayer
Father, give us the boldness of the Samaritan woman in sharing the good news about Jesus! It is in His name we pray. Amen.