It’s John Chapter 16 and Jesus is finishing His talk with the disciples. He has told them some wonderful things:
He is going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house.
He will send the Holy Spirit to guide them and teach them.
They will live very productive lives.
He will return to get them.
They will have eternal life.
But He has also told them some troubling things:
Judas will betray Him.
Peter will deny Him.
Jesus is going to leave them soon.
The world will hate them.
They’re going to have times of extreme grief and sorrow.
Now in vs 1 of Chapter 16 He explains why He has told them these things:
““I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”
John 16:1 NLT
As with everything Jesus does, it’s to strengthen their faith. He is always totally truthful with them. And when His words come to pass they will believe even more strongly that Jesus is who He says He is.
But even with some of this bad news, Jesus tells them not to worry. The Holy Spirit will be with them, keeping them on track, reminding them of what Jesus has said, and showing them the truth about God the Father.
The lesson for us is this:
The Christian life is not a smooth ride with no problems. But when we do encounter the problems Jesus says we can expect, we have to remember His promises.
