In this episode, we are focusing on John 16. John 16 is in the middle of a unique portion of John’s gospel that some Bible scholars call Jesus farewell discourse. It’s a section of scripture that starts after Jesus washes the disciples' feet and ends before Jesus is arrested. John 14-17. It’s become one of my favorite sections of scripture and I’ve read it dozens of times, in the last year.
So once more take a moment and imagine that you are there, walking with this close-knit community of Jesus-apprentices through a vineyard in the evening before Jesus goes to the cross. That’s why scholars call it his farewell address. But these aren’t last words, they are commencement words. This is Coach Jesus giving the locker-room talk of his life. In the space of a three-chapter conversation and a one-chapter prayer, He will hit on multiple themes but over and over again, he will say this... "You will have trouble." All kinds of trouble. In John 16, the last words we will hear Jesus say are, "In this world, you will have trouble, but don't be afraid, for I have overcome the world!"
So let's dive in and see the resources and the hope that Jesus gives us in times of trouble!
