Weaving Soon – John 16: 20a

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.

As Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to begin the next day, he weaves a pattern of ideas before them.

You will not fall away (v1)
They will put you out of the synagogue (v2)
People will kill you (v3)
I warned you! (v4)
He is going to the Father (v5)
He goes for our good (v7a)
Jesus will send the Advocate when he is gone (v7b)
The Advocate will prove the world wrong (v8-11)
The Spirit will guide you into truth (v13)

The paradox of spiritual life, life in God, verses the physical life, life in the world, is the main pattern in the tapestry Jesus weaves. In today’s verse he continues the pattern; “… you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.”

How could life with God be so out of sync with life in the world? Why would the world rejoice at the death of the one who healed and forgave them in the name of God?

Jesus knows. The answer is not pretty.

Food for thought: Draw two circles on a piece of paper. Label one circle “’Life with God” and label the other circle ‘“Life in the world.” Put a mark in the circle that includes most of the things you want in life. Now put a mark in the circle where you hope to spend the eternity that comes after this life. How does your heart and your hope align?

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