Musings From the Gospel of John – Number 45

The Scriptures covered in this post are from John 16:26-28.

John 16:26-28 NASB reads as follows: “On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Notice that Jesus says that on that day you WILL ASK IN MY NAME, and I am NOT sayings to you that I will request of the Father ON YOUR BEHALF. Emphasis is mine. You will recall that in the last post I had indicated that “on that day” pertained to the day in which Jesus ascended into heaven and returned to His and our Father. I am thinking that these particular Scriptures that we are looking at here now, strongly support that assumption I have made. Let’s check it out a little further.

And WHY will Jesus NOT have to relay our requests to the Father?

Jesus told His disciples this reality because He wants them and us to understand that how His communication with God the Father worked when Jesus was here in the world, in the flesh, is NOT going to be the same as it was, AFTER He has returned to the Father.

Because, as Jesus indicates in verse 28, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Now I could be wrong on this but I’m thinking that Jesus wants us and His disciples to note and understand that even though He will no longer be physically with us, because He is or will have left the world, and will be now present with the Father, there is no longer a requirement for Jesus to pray for us like Jesus did while Jesus was here in the flesh, in the world, nor is there a requirement for Jesus to relay or pass on our requests, that are asked in His name, to the Father, because now that Jesus has left this world and is with the Father, that separation between the Father and the Son, that existed because Jesus was here in the flesh, is no longer in effect.

Philippians 2:5-7 NASB reads as follows: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.”

Even though Jesus was continually fulfilling the will of His and our Father, without sin, while Jesus was here in the flesh, and even though He was not filled with the Holy Spirit with measure or sparingly (John 3:30-34), Jesus spent much time in prayer, to His and our Father, while Jesus was here in the flesh and not directly present in the face to face presence of the Father.

This separation between ourselves and God, now, because we are in the flesh, is real. God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us but we have not as of yet received our new bodies, nor have we experienced seeing God face to face. Hence we communicate with God our Father by praying to Him in the Name of Jesus.

And Jesus is basically telling us that when we do pray to our Father, in His name, because Jesus as the Son of God, is once again, existing in the form of God and equal with God, there is no requirement for Jesus to relay our requests to the Father. And most importantly, as verse 27 states: “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” Our prayers and requests are heard by God our Father BECAUSE OF in whose name they are voiced.

There are all kinds of Scripture verses that come to mind right now, one of them being John 10:30 where Jesus says: “ I and the Father are one.” And yes, I am aware that Jesus is our High Priest and can and does intercede on our behalf with regard to sins that we have committed, and confess, because we are His sheep, but our prayers are heard by God our Father because of Jesus, who is the firstborn of many brethren, into whose family, we have been adopted.

Bear in mind that I am just a layperson and undoubtedly there are other aspects that I may have overlooked but the fact is that Jesus took the time to point out this change that was going to take place AFTER He ascended back to His and our Father.

In this study of the Gospel of John, as we go through it, one cannot help but be aware that the words that Jesus spoke and what He communicated to us, are not those of an ordinary man. The detail that Jesus takes the time to communicate to us is simply astonishing and is continually woven in the provided quoted narrative. The three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), are constantly being referenced to and this particular Scripture is just one of many examples that demonstrates the complexity and reality of God visiting us in the flesh in the person of God the Son. So many times we look to the healings that Jesus performed and the supernatural abilities He possessed as proof of who Jesus is, but His spoken words are more than enough to clarify beyond all doubt, of who He is.

More to follow.

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!