Day 89, John 16
Good Day Everyone! Today we celebrate St. George!
St. George is always pictured on a horse and killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady! The dragon stands for wickedness, the lady stands for God’s holy truth! St. George was a brave martyr who was victorious over the devil! Perfect saint for today and especially with our reading of John 16! Jesus has overcome the world!
He was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and he was one of the Emperor’s favorite soldiers. Now Diocletian was a pagan and a bitter enemy to the Christians. He put to death every Christian he could find. George was a brave Christian, a real soldier of Christ. Without fear, he went to the Emperor and sternly scolded him for being so cruel. Then he gave up his position in the Roman army. For this he was tortured in many terrible ways and finally beheaded.
So boldly daring and so cheerful was St. George in declaring his Faith and in dying for it that Christians felt courage when they heard about it. Many songs and poems were written about this martyr. Soldiers, especially, have always been devoted to him.
We all have some “dragon” we have to conquer. It might be pride, or anger, or laziness, or greediness, or something else. Let us make sure we fight against these “dragons”, with God’s help. Then we can call ourselves real soldiers of Christ. .
(He is the patron saint of England and Catalonia so we should pray today for those countries!)
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=280
I see three powerful points:
- Better for You that I Go
- What is this Little While?
- Take Courage
1- Better for You that I Go
I want to go back to end of Chapter 15 for a minute… look at Jesus words…
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.
And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”
Please notice here that the words say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father — which is why we say this in the Nicean creed each Sunday —
The Holy Spirit testifies to the Son — and so do the apostles because they were there! The apostolic faith!!!
Jesus tells them right away in Chapter 16 that He is telling them this so that they do not fall away!
Let me say that again…. SO THAT THEY DO NOT FALL AWAY!
Do you know anyone who has fallen away from the faith?
This word is for them too!!!
How many fell away during the last scandal in the church — how about the current persecution of the POPE — people fall away when the church or they personally are threatened –
Jesus said that the HOUR is coming — the Hour means suffering — when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God –
Isn’t this crazy — how many times over and over have these words of our Savior come true! He told this to us for a reason — so we would not fall away when it happens but be strengthened!
Jesus gets specific with them because he is going to the one who sent Him! The Father!
And Jesus can’t believe that NOT ONE of them asked Him WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
HE says this — and says that they have grief in their hearts!!!
I take from this that the emotion –the sadness — distracted them from asking the right questions!!! Doesn’t that happen to us?
They were asking — How will we know the way? and Show us the Father! but not Where are you going?
Jesus says, it is better for you that I go…
“For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.”
“But if I go, I will send Him to you”
And what will He DO??? Three things…
Jesus says that when HE COMES — OK so the Spirit is a HE — and a person!
He will CONVICT the world in regard to sin,
and righteousness,
and condemnation!
“Sin because they do not believe in me…
righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me,
condemnation because the ruler of this world has been condemned”
OH my goodness I just love this — especially the first part …
that the Holy Spirit will convict our hearts to know sin!
I love what the Holy Spirit will do when He comes and only if Jesus goes…
The Spirit of truth will guide you to all truth! He will not speak on His own but on what He hears…
and — how about this — he will declare to you the things that are coming!!!
OK so this is how there is prophecy and wisdom and knowledge!!!
Jesus says that He will glorify Jesus because the Spirit will take from what is Jesus’ and declare it to us!!!
OK so now this is awesome — the same way Jesus glorifies the Father by taking from what is God the Father’s and giving it to us!
This is true son- ship — we can only do that in JESUS by the Power of the HOLY SPIRIT!
This was painful — and hearts were troubled… but so much good was coming!
2- What is this Little While?
So then we see this over and over mention of the “LITTLE WHILE” the same way that we see “THE HOUR”
This became the million dollar question — what is this little while — and there was some confusion on the second coming — that it was going to be in a little while — and we are still here waiting!!!
So what was Jesus talking about — He was referring to His resurrection!
I absolutely LOVE the analogy to the woman in labor who is in major pain but then after she has the baby can’t remember the pain but only the JOY of the gift of new life in the baby!
So this little while – is like the resurrection where Jesus is on the cross and then rises from dead in three days –
Can also be that little while that we suffer at death — to then see Jesus when we go to heaven!
Key here is no pain no gain — and this is good pain — even if we can’t see that in a human way – Jesus helps us along to see the analogy!
Your grief will become JOY — you will weep and mourn and then be glad — this sounds like the true happiness we hear about in the beatitudes!
3- Take Courage
Jesus then says, “Amen, amen I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
Jesus had said that He couldn’t tell them everything — that they could not bear it!
Now Jesus is speaking plainly to them — and they realize it!
He is telling them in plain words exactly what will happen and about the Father!
Jesus says “the Father Himself loves you, because you love Me and have come to believe that I came from God!”
OK so here we have it — finally that Jesus came from God — and it is clear — and because of this clarity the disciples echo Peter as ONE they say that
“Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God”
OK so shouldn’t Jesus be so happy — whooo hooo these guys finally got it!
Like My Fair Lady — By George They Got it!! Oh and on St. George’s feast day!!!
It only took three years BOYS! And what does JESUS say ?—
Same thing that He says to Peter — in a certain way…
“Do you believe now? Behold,
the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
So you see — we are never alone — Jesus knew they would all scatter — and that is what usually happens when we suffer –
many times people leave us because they can’t handle it — whatever the suffering — could even be a persecution as in Jesus case — where people don’t want to be associated with you!
But the key is to know that we are never alone — even if it looks that way!
And the Victory is already won — so take courage —
means TAKE your fears and face them HEAD ON — Courage is facing your fears and moving forward —
We do this by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT!!
The battle has been won and yet we are still in the fight — we know the ending — Jesus overcomes evil!
Whoooo hooo — let us fight today like victorious soldiers of Christ that we are!
Please share!
