John 16:28–30 (WEL) “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” 29 His disciples said to him, “See, now you are speaking plainly without a figure of speech. 30Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to ask you. Because of this, we believe that you came from God.”
V28 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
Two facts:
Where did Jesus come from?
- Heaven, the home of God.
- Titles—the Holy One of God (Psalm 16:10 and Mark 1:24), Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 12:6), Lord of Hosts/Armies (Isaiah 6:1–5), Messiah (Daniel 9:25–26), King of kings, Lord of lords, and many more. His titles imply His commission.
- Age—no age; He is eternal without beginning or end (1 John 1:2 and John 8:58 (I AM is the name of God who is eternal).
- Commission—the Passover Lamb, Messiah, Creator, Firstborn in rank and privileges, Lord of the Church, Shepherd of Israel, Shepherd of the Church, and probably 100 more titles of our Lord Jesus.
Where is Jesus going?
- Paradise (the good compartment of Hades for 3 nights and days (Matthew 12:40)—Luke 23:43
- On earth for 40 days—from the Passover to His ascension.
- Heaven until the Second Coming to reign over the universe for 1,000 years (Zechariah 14 and Revelation 20:1–7)
The Rapture occurs just before the Tribulation, the 7-year period to deal with Israel (Daniel 9:25–27 and Revelation). Jesus comes to the earth’s atmosphere but does not touch the earth.
Jesus is God and is eternal:
(The Moody Handbook of Theology) “(3) Christ’s titles prove His eternal existence. (a) Yahweh. In John 12:41 the apostle says that Isaiah saw ‘His glory,’ a reference to Christ in the context. John, however, quoted from Isaiah 6:10 where He is clearly referring to Yahweh (cf. Isaiah 6:3, 5). John thus equates Jesus with Yahweh, the Lord of the Old Testament; because Yahweh is eternal, then Jesus is eternal. (b) Adonai. In Matthew 22:44 Christ quotes Psalm 110:1, ‘The Lord says to my Lord,’ and applies it to Himself. The term ‘Lord’ is Adonai, one of the Old Testament names of God. If Christ is designated Adonai, then He is eternal, for God is eternal.”
V29 His disciples said to him, “See, now you are speaking plainly without a figure of speech.”
Jesus had previously taught them that He had come from heaven, which is both a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 53, Isaiah 9:6, etc.).
The Greek word for figure of speech/proverb is G3942 παροιμία paroimia, which means (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged – Little Kittel)) “the paroimía is a sentence or proverb summing up what is said.”
Further comment:
(Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged – Little Kittel)) “John uses paroimía three times (10:6; 16:25, 29) but more in the sense of ‘obscure speech’ that needs interpretation. Later, clearer speech about heavenly things will replace this more difficult form of statement, i.e., when Jesus reaches the end of his life’s task and tells the disciples that he is going back to the Father (16:29).”
V30 “Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to ask you. Because of this, we believe that you came from God.”
Principle: Jesus does know everything and because He is loving, He uses that knowledge correctly.
(Holman Commentary) “Doubt can also turn to faith because the Spirit illumines us. These disciples had the right answer. But Jesus had just finished telling them he was speaking figuratively and would have to do so until the little while had passed. But they claimed to understand everything, to recognize his omniscience. They said they believed he came from God. This was the last week Jesus would spend with these disciples before the crucifixion. They had been listening to him teach and watching him work for three and one-half years. Now suddenly they claimed they had reached the conclusion that he came from God.
“Of course, naiveté still clouded their thinking. They did not yet have the Spirit’s illumination. The difference between not understanding and understanding the Bible comes not from years of seminary training, but from the presence and teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.”
We learn:
- Jesus’s eternal home.
- Jesus is God.
- The disciples’ faith that Jesus knows everything.
Questions:
- Do you believe Jesus is God?
- How do you handle doubts?