John 16:1-4 1These things I have spoken to you in order that you might not fall away. 2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Jesus’ teaching at the last supper with his disciples was to prepare them for what lay ahead. They would face great temptation to compromise their faith and turn away from Jesus. Judas had already left and missed all that Jesus said in these chapters. Peter would face his own big trial while Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin. Every one of the disciples, including the other ten apostles and those who gathered around Jesus, would face the challenge of faith. Their understanding of the situation was limited. Their faith was not mature. The Holy Spirit had not come in power.
Jesus had planted the seeds of faith in their hearts, but the seeds needed to grow and mature. The roots of their faith needed to grow deeper through memory and experience. All the right ingredients were present, but what was lacking was the power of the cross and resurrection. The danger was to fall away (skandalisthēte). The verb used here has many possible translations in the New Testament but here has the sense of apostasy and forsaking Jesus and all they were taught.
In verse 2, Jesus gives some specific details of what the disciples might face. The first opposition would be social ostracization from their community of faith in the synagogue. They would be rejected by their fellow Jews. The synagogue was the center of community life for Jews. It was a place of faith nurturing, education, worship, and fellowship. To be case out would break many social ties and lead to isolation, ridicule, and even persecution. The opposing Jews would think that by killing the followers of Jesus, they were cleansing the land of heresy. They were serving God by getting rid of the disciples.
Verse 3 gives the real reason the disciples would face persecution: their opponents did not know the Father or Jesus. This is the most serious verdict anyone can receive. The Jews claimed they were serving God but were actually rejecting God’s truth as revealed in Jesus. By rejecting Jesus, they were rejecting the Father. Since Jesus was the Way, Truth, and Life (14:6), not believing in him cuts one off from these. The crucial connection between Jesus and the Father is clearly stated once again. The Jews were blind to this connection because of their hardened hearts. They would pass on their opposition to Jesus in the form of persecution to his followers. All disciples should expect some degree opposition because of our faith in Jesus. We should recognize that people oppose us
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