A reflection on John 16 from our Sunday sermon

When Mom Knows Best

Growing up in the 1980s as an only child meant finding creative ways to entertain myself. No internet, no YouTube—just imagination and whatever I could find in the backyard. I vividly remember being about five years old, playing with a particularly good stick I’d found under my grandma’s tree. As I threw it higher and higher into the air, my mom came outside with a warning: “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I assured her it was fine.

“Well,” she said, “when you hit yourself in the eye with that stick, don’t come crying to me.”

You can guess what happened next. That stick came down and hit me directly in the eye. As I held my throbbing eye, trying to stay quiet so she wouldn’t know she’d been right, I wondered: Does my mom know the future?

She didn’t, of course. She just had parental intuition. But as Christians, we have something far greater—we can listen to our God who actually does know the future and can tell us things to come.

Jesus Prepares His Disciples for What’s Ahead

In John 16, we find Jesus in one of His most intimate moments with His disciples. His public ministry has ended. Judas has already left to betray Him. With just hours before His arrest, Jesus focuses entirely on preparing these eleven men for what’s coming.

When Jesus tells them, “A little while and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me,” we can feel their confusion. They whisper among themselves, trying to understand. What does He mean? They’ve heard Him speak of His death and resurrection, but it doesn’t compute with their expectations of what they think the Messiah should be.

What strikes me most is Jesus’s compassion. He doesn’t rebuke them for their confusion. Instead, He gently asks, “Are you deliberating together about this?” There’s no harshness in His tone—just a teacher’s patience with students who are struggling to grasp a difficult truth.

From Grief to Joy: A Promise We Can Trust

Jesus then gives them—and us—a beautiful promise wrapped in a familiar image: “Whenever a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy.”

As someone who has witnessed many births (though never experienced one myself), I understand the power of this metaphor. The pain is real, intense, and overwhelming. But it leads to a joy that transforms everything. Neither diminishes the other—the pain doesn’t cancel the joy, and the joy doesn’t erase the reality of the pain.

Jesus was preparing them for the grief they would experience at His crucifixion. They would weep. They would lament. The world would rejoice at His death while they mourned. But their grief would turn to joy—a joy no one could take away.

Direct Access to the Father

Here’s where Jesus shares something revolutionary: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

This isn’t a blank check for selfish desires. Instead, this is about God providing what we need to fulfill His purposes. When we align our lives with His will, when we seek to live for His glory, He promises to provide what we need.

Think about it: Jesus is telling them that after His resurrection, they’ll have direct access to the Father. No intermediary needed. They can approach God’s throne with confidence, knowing He will hear and answer.

The Father’s Love for You

Perhaps the most beautiful truth in this passage comes in verse 27: “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”

So many people misunderstand this. They think Jesus is the loving one who protects us from an angry Father. But that’s completely untrue. The Father sent the Son because He loved us. And now, for those who love and believe in Jesus, the Father’s disposition toward us has changed from wrath to grace, from judgment to love.

If you take nothing else from this message, know this: If you love Jesus, if you believe in Him, God the Father loves you. Despite what the world says, despite what your experiences might tell you, despite your failures and shortcomings—God loves you.

Take Courage in Christ’s Victory

As Jesus concludes this teaching, He makes an astounding statement. Remember, He hasn’t gone to the cross yet. He hasn’t risen from the dead. But He declares with absolute certainty: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

He states His victory before it happens. While His disciples are about to witness what looks like the greatest defeat imaginable, Jesus knows the outcome. He has already won.

Living in Light of These Truths

Just as I would have done better listening to my mother’s warnings, how much better could we navigate this confusing life if we simply took our Father at His word?

Here’s what we can know for certain:

• If you love Jesus and trust in Him, the Father loves you
• You have direct access to the Father in prayer
• Whatever you need (not want) to live for Him, He will provide
• In this world, you will have trouble, but in Christ, you have peace
• The victory already belongs to Jesus—and to us through Him

These aren’t just nice thoughts for Sunday morning. These are truths to build your life on. When grief comes, remember it will turn to joy. When you face obstacles, remember that Jesus has overcome. When you feel alone, remember that the Father Himself loves you.

The disciples didn’t fully understand these words until after the resurrection. But when they finally saw Jesus alive again, these promises transformed them from fearful deserters into bold witnesses who changed the world.

We have the benefit of looking back at the fulfilled promise. We know He rose from the dead. We know He conquered death. And because of that, we can face whatever comes with courage, joy, and peace.

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This blog post is based on the sermon “Take Courage” from John 16, delivered on Sunday, June 8th, 2025. To listen to the full message, click here for the audio recording.