John 16:29-31 29His disciples said, “Look, now you are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. 30Now we know that you know all things and have no need for anyone to ask you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 

After Jesus had repeated his key points multle times, the light was finally dawning in the disciples’ minds–at least they thought so. Minimally, they understood the key point that Jesus came from God. This point was not difficult to accept because no one could do the miracles he had done. His knowledge was beyond anyone else. His teachings contained powerful truth. Not even the great religious minds of the Pharisees and Teachers of the law could stump him in a debate. Clearly, he was at least a great prophet.

Had they really understood and believed who he was? Did they think more highly of themselves and their spiritual insights than what Jesus had just told them? Their statement in verse 29 has the ring of empty pride or baseless conviction. They were saying, “Oh, we know who you are. We have you figured out.” They had put Jesus into a safe box of their own making. They defined Messiah the way they liked–with having divine power to heal and teach. They had not understood yet the cost of the cross and the meaning of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Jesus saw through all their confusion and arrogance, as indicated with his rhetorical question in verse 31 and clarification in verse 32. With a rebuke, he corrected the disciples’ pre-conceived ideas and warned that their pride would soon crumble, with each scattering when the real pressure came. That were not wrong in their belief, but it was only partial. The hour was still to come, referring to his suffering and death. The time of testing was already beginning. Jesus’ predictions are clear, but even with such details, the disciples would be powerless in their own strength to overcome the temptations.

The Synoptic Gospels record how they failed to pray in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus did. They would soon run away and leave him alone to face the mobs and accusing Jewish leaders. But Jesus knew he was not alone because he had the Father, which becomes evident in the prayer of chapter 17. John does not record the disciples’ response to what Jesus had just said. He had essentially just put all of them in the same category as Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter.

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