Jesus is spending time with the disciples to prepare them for his Passion and the trials they will face. During this teaching (John 14-17), Jesus mentions “joy” five times. Is it appropriate to even mention “joy” when the primary source of that joy is about to leave them?
Jesus clearly knew about “joy” in ways that made a profound difference for him and his disciples, and we believe, for us.
It is not hard to find inappropriate things in life.
Last fall there was a high school football game between two Cleveland, Ohio, area schools. High school football games should be hard work. But also, fun. The game was played at the Beachwood High School field, and at halftime the officials were informed that the visiting team was using the word “Nazi” in some of their play-calling. Beachwood is a community where 89.5% of the population is Jewish, and yet the opposing coach thought it was okay to use that vile word. (His school allowed him to resign the next week, when most thought he should have been fired that night.)
Inappropriate, off-handed comments at funerals, weddings, family gatherings and the like — we’ve all heard them. Truth be told, we’re all probably guilty of some of these in our own lives at one time or another.
Most of the time these are inappropriate because they do not respect the reality of the situation in which they are spoken. Which brings us to Jesus’ words in our text today ...
The seriousness of this situation
Jesus is clearly preparing his disciples for his death, and in that context, some of his words could be heard as inappropriate:
- “Do not let your hearts be troubled ...”1
- “I will not leave you orphaned.”2
- “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”3
- “Abide in me as I abide in you.”4
After this extended discourse recorded by John in chapters 14-17, we are told that Jesus went out with his disciples to the garden in the Kidron Valley where he was arrested. From there you can follow, reading the accounts in the four
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