What day is Jesus speaking about to His disciples? One could, of course, think that He is speaking about the day of His Resurrection, when everything will finally become clear to the apostles and all their questions and perplexities will be resolved. But were they resolved after the Resurrection of their Teacher? The question is not straightforward....
What day is Jesus speaking about to His disciples? One could, of course, think that He is speaking about the day of His Resurrection, when everything will finally become clear to the apostles and all their questions and perplexities will be resolved. But were they resolved after the Resurrection of their Teacher? The question is not straightforward. Of course, after the Resurrection they understood what Jesus meant when He spoke to them about the completion of His earthly path, but in other respects the apostles still had many questions and perplexities, as well as illusions. It is enough to recall how, already on the day of the Ascension, they were still waiting for their Teacher finally to "restore the kingdom to Israel."
As we can see, understanding was not so simple, and it came to the apostles in its fullness only on the day of Pentecost, when under the action of the breath of God they became different people, joining themselves to the Kingdom. But does this mean that all their questions disappeared at once and all their perplexities were resolved? In part, yes, but if we speak of complete clarity, then it can clearly come only on the day of Judgment, when the Kingdom is revealed in all its fullness. Before that day it is premature to speak of such a resolution. Perhaps, when Jesus speaks about that day when His disciples will no longer ask Him anything, He has in mind not the day of His Resurrection after all, but the day of His return in glory, the day of Judgment and the final triumph of the Kingdom.
For now, He says to the apostles: I came into the world from the Father, and now I am leaving the world again and going to the Father. And it seems to them that they understand Him. They are probably thinking that He is leaving them in order to return soon with a victorious heavenly army, to return as a triumphant victor - the way, in their opinion, the Messiah was supposed to appear to Israel. And He, of course, understands perfectly well what they are waiting for and hoping for, and therefore says that very soon they will all scatter, leaving Him alone: for there will be no victorious war. And in fact there will be no war at all - only death on the cross and Resurrection, and the Kingdom that is "not of this world."
19
19:1 Having passed through - Galatia and Phrygia, which were termed the upper parts of Asia Minor. Certain disciples - Who had been formerly baptized by John the Baptist, and since imperfectly instructed in Christianity.
19:2 Have ye received the Holy Ghost? - The extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, as well as his sanctifying graces? We have not so much as heard - Whether there be any such gifts.
19:3 Into what were ye baptized - Into what dispensation? To the sealing of what doctrine? Into John's baptism - We were baptized by John and believe what he taught.
19:4 John baptized - That is, the whole baptism and preaching of John pointed at Christ. After this John is mentioned no more in the New Testament. Here he gives way to Christ altogether.
19:5 And hearing this, they were baptized - By some other. Paul only laid his hands upon them. They were baptized - They were baptized twice; but not with the same baptism. John did not administer that baptism which Christ afterward commanded, that is, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.