Scattered
John 16: 1-33 (May 27)
My son will be graduating from high school next week. He is enjoying all the end of year fun that comes with being a senior... senior picnic, trip to Disneyland, yearbook signing, early dismissal, and the rest. He is spending a lot of time with these kids he has been doing life with since his adoption in kindergarten.
I talked to him the other day about his future plans. Those plans require moving to another state, far from these familiar faces. I explained to him that the sadness he was feeling about that is a normal passage of life, where a teenager goes from thinking these friends are everything, to a day when they will have trouble remembering the names and faces of their high school class.
Kids grow up. They move on. They scatter to different places, away from each other.
That is what JESUS is telling the disciples in today’s reading. They won’t always be together. They will scatter and have to rely on themselves and the truth they know about God.
He reminds them again that he will soon be leaving them. (Just like the class of 2022) He tells them that his leaving is a good thing, because until he leaves the Holy Spirit won’t come.
He talks of God’s coming judgement of the world because the world has refused to believe him. But for them, the Spirit of truth will guide them. The Spirit will be the message bearer from Jesus to his disciples.
These men are told again that they will mourn when Jesus is taken from them, but they will rejoice when they see him again! ( Sounds like a fun class reunion)
He likens it to labor pains. Oh, the pain we women endure for the sake of birthing our children! My daughter will be facing that pain this Fall, and she is fully prepared for any and all pain relief she can get.
Even so, she will experience some level of pain. But that pain will be so worth it when that sweet baby boy makes his appearance.
That is how the disciples will feel. And it seems they finally get it! “Now we understand that you know everything and there is no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”
FINALLY! Don’t you just know Jesus was glad to hear this?
He goes on to tell them that they will end up leaving him alone, but he won’t really be alone because he is with the Father. He warns them that they will have many trials and sorrows. And they will handle them on their own, with the help of the Holy Spirit because they will be scattered from each other.
I wish I could shield my boy from the trials and sorrows that are sure to come his way. I can only offer him the wisdom that life has taught me... friends and acquaintances are two different things. Acquaintances come and go, but real friends hold tight to their friendship...even when life causes them to scatter.