PLAIN LANGUAGE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now You are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that You know all things and that You do not even need to have anyone ask You questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

"You believe at last!" Jesus answered.

John 16:25-31

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“This makes us believe that you came from God.”

The words spoken by Jesus’ disciples had to be music to their Master’s ears. We know by His response:

"You believe at last!" Jesus answered.

Why was Jesus so elated?

We need to remember His history with His disciples to find the answer.

Jesus had hand-selected each member of His exclusive inner circle of followers and then spent three years educating and preparing them to carry on His work after He departed, a reality the disciples hadn’t really grasped right up to the moment this exchange took place. For as Jesus talked to His disciples after the Passover meal in our scripture passage today, He was less than 24 hours from death. By nightfall on the following day (the day we know today as Good Friday), Jesus will have surrendered His Spirit and be placed in a tomb.

As we look back on Jesus’ teaching, we find that He often used parables to convey spiritual truths to His followers. These parables were often grounded in hypothetical situations with a lot of figurative language. Most of the time, the special instruction went right over the heads of the disciples, so much so that Jesus often had to go back and explain the meaning of the parables in simpler language with the hope His followers might finally understand what He wanted them know.

Well, as we go back to our passage for today, we see Jesus telling His disciples that a time was just ahead when He would no longer speak to them in figurative terms but rather would use plain language. From that point forward, they could expect nothing but straight talk from Him and, as we have seen in recent devotions, that straight talk would come by way of the Holy Spirit who Jesus would speak through to communicate with His followers after He departed. It would be a radical departure from the in-person relationship the disciples had with Jesus but it would be better than anything.

A change in the communication between Jesus and His disciples wasn’t the only departure from the norm that was ahead. Note that their dedication and devotion to Jesus, God’s one and only Son, would lead to an even greater intimate relationship between the disciples and their Heavenly Father. He would love them because they loved His Son and believed that He had indeed been sent from heaven to earth by God to save them and others.

Now this was a lot for the disciples to take in, especially taken in sum with everything else Jesus had told them following their time together in the Jerusalem upper room. But unlike before, we see that Jesus’ followers completely comprehended everything that He had said to them. They recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was using clear language in speaking to them, refraining from using figures of speech. It was epiphany by definition.

We know the light bulb had come on for the disciples through their words:

“Now we can see that You know all things and that You do not even need to have anyone ask You questions.”

Jesus speaking to them in clear and concise language led to a clear and concise comprehension of everything He said. The disciples were fully aware that Jesus was all knowing (or omniscient) and therefore there was no need to ask Him anymore questions. Everything He said now in plain language could be taken at face value and accepted as truth, a truth that included Jesus’ special origin from God the Father.

Today, Jesus still speak to those who place their belief, trust, and hope in Him, and He does so in plain language. As we read the scriptures or seek His guidance and direction, we - like the disciples of old - can expect to get absolute truth from our Savior, a truth passed down to us through the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God for the gift of His all knowing Son, who always comes to us with clear and perfect guidance when we need it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com