John 16:5-33

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Yesterday evening our Life group held its weekly meeting with five members attending. We studied John 16:5-33 using questions from The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups, which Serendipity House, Littleton, Colorado, 1988, had given me permission to use, and had lunch. Here are the questions and a combination of my answers to them and what I can remember of the others’ answers to them.

The Work of the Holy Spirit (16:5-16)

  1. What are the disciples feeling now?
    The disciples are sorrowful because Jesus has told them that he is going to leave them.
  2. How would you paraphrase the three goals of the Spirit’s work given in verses 8-11? What other roles does the Spirit play (14:16-17,26-27; 16:13-15)?
    I had, “The three goals of the Spirit’s work given in verses 8-11 are convicting people that they are sinners because of their unbelief in Jesus, revealing to them the righteousness brought about by faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, and demonstrating to them that Satan has been defeated. Other roles that the Holy Spirit plays are leading the disciples into all truth, reminding them of what Jesus told them, and giving them peace.” The others in the group had similar answers except for their paraphrases of the second goal of the Spirit’s work in verses 8-11. Mine was adapted from the comment in the NIV Study Bible. I can’t remember what the others in the group had. The ESV Study Bible has, “Jesus will no longer be in the world to teach about true righteousness, and so the Holy Spirit will come to carry on that function, through illumination (v. 13) and through the words of believers who bear witness to the gospel.”
  3. If you were a disciples, how would you feel after hearing verse 16?
    I had, “If I were a disciple, after hearing verse 16 I would likely feel as confused as [the disciples] did.” Another in the group said that she would feel hopeful because of the promise that Jesus made in the verse.

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy (16:17-33)

  1. What tones of voice do you hear in verses 17-18? If you were there, would Jesus’ answer (verses 19-28) encourage or confuse you more?
    I had, “I hear a confused and questioning tone of voice in verses 17-18. If I were there, Jesus’ answer would likely encourage me as it encouraged them.” The others had similar answers.
  2. What event is Jesus referring to in verses 20-22?
    Jesus is referring in verses 20-22 to his death and resurrection.
  3. What characterizes the relationship we can have with the Father because of Jesus (vv.23-27)?
    Because of Jesus we can ask the Father for anything in Jesus’ name and He will give it to us.
  4. Do you think that the disciples truly grasp what Jesus says in verse 28? Why?
    Most in the group thought that the disciples grasped what Jesus said in verse 28, but I said that didn’t think that the disciples truly grasped what Jesus says in verse 28 because they deserted him when he was arrested (Mark 14:50).
  5. Why would the disciples be both alarmed and confused (vv.29-33)?
    We gave different reasons for why the disciples would be both alarmed and confused, mine being that they didn’t really understand Jesus’ relationship to the Father.

Reflect

Serendipity Bible asks these Reflect questions about 16:17-33. Answer question 1 or questions 2 and 3.
We had different answers to these questions. These are mine:

  1. Both Jesus and the world offer a form of peace (14:27; 16:33), joy (15:11; 16:22-24) and love (13:34-35; 15:9-19). Have you experienced each type? What is different between them?
    I’ve experienced each type. The difference between them is that what the world offers I external and temporary but that what Jesus offers is inner and permanent.
  2. How do you deal with change? Moves? Job transfers? Transitions from one stage in your life to another? How has “pain” helped you to grow up?
    In my younger years I had several moves and job transfers but didn’t deal well with them.
  3. From your experience, how could you comfort someone going through change?
    From my experience I could comfort someone going through change is that God will be with him or her throughout the change.

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