Daily Devotions
My Song In The Night (Gospel of John)
我夜间的歌曲 (约翰福音)
Difficulty In Comprehension
Text: John 16: 16 - 18
DIFFICULTY IN COMPREHENSION
The Disciples struggled to comprehend the deep teachings of Jesus. One of His statements certainly puzzled them.
“A little while, and you will not see Me; And again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father. Then some of His disciples said among themselves. ‘What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; And again a little while, and you will see Me’, And, ‘because I go to the Father.’?” They said therefore, ‘What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.’”
John 16:16-18
1. The statement of Jesus may be analysed thus:
a. “A little while, and you will not see Me”
i. This thought puzzled the Disciples.
ii. They could not understand the phrase “a little while”.
b. “And again, a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”
i. This statement also puzzled the Disciples.
ii. They just could not grasp what Jesus was trying to say.
2. Some of His disciples
a. They talked among themselves.
b. They should have asked Jesus to clarify what He said and meant.
c. But they did not speak to Jesus about this statement He had made.
d. They could only repeat what Jesus said and nothing more.
3. “They said therefore, ‘What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
a. The Disciples should have asked Jesus to clarify but they did not do that.
b. Instead, they had only questions instead of answers.
c. The matter could have been clarified immediately if only they had asked Jesus.
REFLECTIVE OF THEIR SPIRITUAL STATE
The lack of comprehension of what Jesus said was reflective of the spiritual state of the Disciples.
1. They lacked skill in comprehension of difficult teachings.
2. They lacked courage to speak to Jesus. This was an unhealthy spiritual state of affairs.
经文:约翰福音 16:16-18
难以理解的教训
门徒力图理解耶稣深奥的教训。祂说的其中一句话更是使他们困惑。
“‘等不多时,你们就不得见我;再等不多时,你们还要见我。’有几个门徒就彼此说:‘他对我们说‘等不多时,你们就不得见我;再等不多时,你们还要见我’,又说‘因我往父那里去’,这是什呢?’门徒彼此说:‘他说‘等不多时’,到底是什么意思呢?我们不明白他所说的话。’”
《约翰福音 16:16-18》