NOTES for Joh 16:29-33

It always seems to us that what the Lord gives is poor and scant. The parables are incomprehensible to us, and the explanations are too blunt and crude. The apostles heard all sorts of things that evening, but the bitterest words still lay ahead. They had barely said that they understood everything when they received the reply: “You will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone.” It would seem so important to understand what is being said, and we so want detailed instructions for dealing with God and the world. But understanding cannot replace love, devotion, and faithfulness to the God who goes to the Cross.