When Will You Believe?

As I write this, we are in the 8^th week of ordinary time. However, I want to take us back a little, reflecting on the Gospel reading for Monday of the 7^th week of Easter (Year B), which presented us with a scenario in which the disciples of Jesus proclaim their belief, saying:

See, now You are speaking plainly and are not using any figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came forth from God (John 16: 29-30).

It makes you wonder what was happening before. Were they clouded by a superficial faith that could not result in salvation? Or maybe they were just impressed with what He was able to do but did not really understand the truth about who He is and what He came to do.

The Promise

During the Last Supper, Jesus promises His disciples the Ministry of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:13). The influence of which ministry will be to bring about clarity to the ideas which the Lord Jesus presented and which were perceived to be hard to understand. For example, when He taught about the Bread of Life, many deserted Him because of the unpleasant statement  (cf. John 6:60). Also, at the cleansing of the Temple when the Lord Jesus spoke about raising the temple in three days, John reports that when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered what He said and they now believe (cf. John 2: 22).

Thus, speaking of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus states,

All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you (John 16:15).

As part of this prediction, the Lord Jesus points out that an hour will come when what He once taught them in figures of speech will be told them plainly (in direct terms) about the Father (cf. John 16:25). Clearly, the Lord gives His closest followers more insight than He gives the crowds; yet, He still does not reveal every possible detail. Why? Because they cannot bear them at present (cf. John 16:12).

What makes a surprise is that in these last few moments, the Lord Jesus has been rather blunt in His speech. He has both warned and encouraged them on the hardships and persecutions that they will soon face but He wants them to remain faithful, knowing that this is all part of God’s knowledge and will. Their confidence should be inspired by the knowledge that nothing they experience will catch God by surprise.

Birds of a Feather

Probably thinking that the teaching work of the Holy Spirit will be a one-sided momentary event, they reiterate their confidence in the knowledge of Christ. Notwithstanding their misinterpretation, the disciples think they have already arrived at the state of spiritual understanding (cf. John 16:30); only to have the Lord (again) bring them back to a state of humility….

Do you now believe? (John 16:31).

Like, seriously, guys! Indeed, this is the time that all of you are going to scatter; and you will leave me, alone but don’t fret over it. Much as none will stand with me, I will have the Father with me. It is quite easy to identify with the fired-up enthusiasm of the disciples which makes them profess their unwavering faith. The Lord Jesus knows them (and us) better than they (we) know them(our)selves. He warns them that the fervor will quickly wear off (like what happens to us after a revival retreat). When the storm begins to gather around Him, they will quickly disappear. Like them, we have often vowed to turn aside from things that separate us from God, only to fall at the very first hurdle.

Like them, many of us have tried to serve the Lord Jesus out of a sense of duty or because we have discerned the need to do so. We, just like the disciples, assume to already have the spiritual clarity, and end up once again leaving Jesus, alone. The Lord empathizes with the disciples’ failure (and ours, too) to understand the ministry that He sets up. He recognizes the initial fear, doubt, and panic. He emboldens us to have peace of mind and to take courage in the Resurrection because His victory will overshadow all these troubles. Then He asks us again, “Do you now believe?”

Being at Peace

I am quite at home among the disciples who are such slow learners. I find sense in the fact that faith is always beyond that which I claim to know, beyond that which I presume to imagine, and even beyond that which I dare to hope for. The good news is that the Lord Jesus sees it all. He has no illusions about my fallible heart, but He promises peace to me as well. He knows that we may not be able to cope with the challenges, and are likely to be scattered in all directions. Yet He does not despair over us. That is why He asks us to not be discouraged; to instead stand steadfastly with Him. That is why He reassures us to be at peace because the Lord God is with Him.

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace (John 16:33a).

Jesus knew the relationship He had with the Father and drew strength from this knowing. He invites us into this same relationship so that we remain connected with Him (and the Father) and never feel alone. This is the foundation and basis for the Christian hope – the victory of the Lord Jesus over death, and His ongoing presence in our lives. His is a saving and energizing presence. He has conquered anything that can make for discouragement and despair. Just as He has overcome the world, so shall we in time, overcome the world.

Called to Courage, Called to Believe

The disciples could not (and neither can we) accuse the Lord of having tricked them into becoming His followers. Remember the answer that the Lord Jesus gave to Peter when he pointed out that they had left everything to follow Him (cf. Matthew 19:27-30 & Luke 18:28-30). Like them, we rest assured to receive many times more in this age. Better still, we receive eternal life in the age to come.

We should therefore not be surprised when living the Gospel entails some difficulties. Nevertheless, we pray for those who are undergoing serious persecution and are everyday facing danger to their lives. We must remember the strong statement that the Lord makes:

But take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33b).

He says, “I have overcome”. He does not say, “I will overcome”. He means that it is done, and we are invited to share in this victory. No matter what is happening around us, He is in control and will always overcome. We just have to talk to Him about our fears and doubts. Then we ask Him to give us faith in His power to overcome all of them. We should have a sense of not being alone. We can ask the Lord God to not leave us alone; to always be with us. Then we can experience that peace of which John speaks.

Furthermore, we must take comfort from the patience He displays with the disciples. He looks past their present failures and sees what they will become. They will bear steadfast witness to Him, even as they face torture and death. We must ask for the grace to be forever beginning (and forever becoming) unimpeded by our past failures, and always open to growth and change. We develop courage and conviction in prayer.

The remembrance of the events leading up to the crucifixion is life-giving. It gives hope and courage to the disciples in their times of persecution. The conviction that the Father is with Jesus always is shared with all of us. We must grow in the awareness of God’s presence – always with us, always near us, and always on our side – God’s indwelling in us.

Think of the disciples and other saints who have gone ahead of us. Even when I think I am alone, I am united with them in prayer and encouraged by their invisible companionship, especially when I pray the Lord’s Prayer – Our Father, who art in Heaven….This is how I draw strength from remembering – that when I pray, I am never alone.

Our Action Points

The point is that we must not get out of intimate contact with God. Intimacy with no contenders. Personal intimacy. An intimacy that draws me to spend time with others who believe in Christ. The intimacy that makes me trust in God. We must not lean on our religious understanding. We must realize how we hinder our understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ and His mission for us.

We need to rely on the Resurrection on a much deeper level. We need to cultivate the habit of continually seeking His counsel on everything. We need to be patient with Him as He knows how best to prepare us. We must go away from making our self-proclaimed common-sense decisions and pushing them to Him for blessing.

We must understand that there is no way He can bless what is not in His realm. We must guard against becoming prideful, arrogant persons who think they know what to do in every situation. The sense of duty should not be the throne of our life. Our reason for doing something should always be in obedience to the Lord.