1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.”And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”
This follows chapter 15 without a break in thought. The world hated the disciples. The Spirit would comfort them, but the hatred wouldn’t stop.This certainly wasn’t a prosperity gospel.
Persecution happens because people don’t know the Father or the Son (1 John 5:1).
stumble (v.1) — be ensnared. Forewarned is forearmed.
out of the synagogues (v.2) — To Jews, this mean excommunication, to be considered a heathen, but even more, they would be killed. Paul himself did this (Acts 8:1-4; 26:9-10; Philippians 3:6). Then he was saved and suffered the same fate.
Christ’s words were also a prophecy (v.5), so when these things happened, the apostles would have assurance of Him.
none of you asks (v.5) — Instead of asking for more truth, they just grieved.
Christ was a “Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,” and believers are “in the world as He was in the world.”
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