Day 4

Scripture to Read: John 16:16-22

Jesus laid out for the disciples what was about to happen over the next three days. In John 16:16-22, Jesus told the disciples that there would be some time when they would not see Him. Jesus was referring to the time that His body would be laid in the tomb after His death on the cross. Jesus said it like this in John 16:16, “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” Even though Jesus had told His disciples several times about His upcoming crucifixion, they still did not understand that Jesus would and must die to fulfill the Father’s perfect will, for they said to one another in John 16:18, “We do not know what He is talking about.” Since Jesus knew they were confused, He then told them in John 16:20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.” Jesus knew the disciples would grieve deeply over His death on the cross but that the religious leaders who hated Him would rejoice, thinking they had finally gotten rid of what they considered a demon-possessed man. Then, Jesus used a great illustration in John 16:21-22, telling them how a pregnant woman goes through much pain during childbirth but that once her child is born, she forgets about the pain she experienced and rejoices that her child has been born. The disciples would also rejoice in Christ’s resurrection.

Challenge & Application

• In times of loss and grief, what Scriptures do you go to to remind you of the hope we have in Christ? • Knowing what God has taught you, how have you been able to minister to others who have faced grief and loss?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

Jesus knew He’d return to the Father and wanted His disciples as prepared as possible. Jesus told them in John 16:5, “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’” We know that both Peter and Thomas had asked Jesus in John 13:36 and John 14:5 where He was going, but not because they wanted to know His...

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Day 2

The Holy Spirit is God, and many believers often forget that fact. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit is referred to as a thing and not as God, but He is 100% God. Jesus knew everything the Holy Spirit would do, so He gave the disciples (and us) insight into His handiwork. Jesus said in John 16:8-11, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world con...

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Day 3

In John 16:12, Jesus told the disciples that He had more to say to them but that they were not quite ready to hear what He needed to say. They weren’t prepared because the Holy Spirit had not come to live in them yet. Then, Jesus told them in John 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He wi...

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Day 4

Jesus laid out for the disciples what was about to happen over the next three days. In John 16:16-22, Jesus told the disciples that there would be some time when they would not see Him. Jesus was referring to the time that His body would be laid in the tomb after His death on the cross. Jesus said it like this in John 16:16, “A little while, ...

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Day 5

The disciples had been with Jesus for three years. During that time, Jesus taught them to pray, but they had Him right there with them, so their fellowship with God the Father was not something they fully realized they needed. Jesus told them in John 16:23-24, “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, i...

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Day 6

Jesus spoke to the disciples about how He had used figurative language as He used the term in John 16:16, “a little while,” and then He used illustrative language as He spoke of the pregnant woman and her child in John 16:21-22. But as Jesus spoke about the Father, He spoke plainly to the disciples. In John 16:27, Jesus told the disciples how...

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Day 7

Jesus responded to the disciples' claim that now they felt like they fully understood. Jesus said in John 16:31-33, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken ...

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