A Critical Conjunction by Stephen Davey

A Critical Conjunction
I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:12-14 John chapter 16 represents the final section of Christ’s farewell message to His disciples (before His passion week), and a series of conjunctions make all the difference in the world.  Think of other passages in Scripture where such wonderful theological truth is hinged on that simple word “but.”  Consider Matthew 19:25-26, which reads:  When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”   Or Genesis 50:20, where Joseph says to his brothers: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Or 1 Corinthians 15:16-20, where Paul says: For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. The list goes on and on.  Jesus knows that Judas is about to identify Him with a kiss of betrayal. He is aware that when He is brought through unjust tortures and trials His disciples will scatter. So you can feel the urgency in His voice as He delivers the bad news: “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” I can only imagine what must have been rolling around in these disciples’ minds. What hasn’t He told us? Is there some secret we don’t yet know? But Jesus interrupts their inhibitions by declaring the good news. He effectively says, “I didn’t teach you all you need to know, but the Spirit is coming to teach you the rest.”  Friends, this promise isn’t only for these disciples; this promise is for us. Through the ministry of these men, we have received the promised teachings delivered to them by the Holy Spirit. We have the New Testament, which they and others were inspired to write before they died. We also have the Holy Spirit Himself, who is an even greater gift. Do you ever struggle because of the fact that Jesus isn’t here in a physical sense? Are you ever frustrated that you can’t pick up a phone and call Him, or knock on His door, or ask advice about a job or relationship? Cling to this little conjunction today. We will one day see Christ face to face, but until then He has sent us the Holy Spirit to comfort us (John 16:7), convict us (John 16:8), and guide us closer to Him.