Where are you going? is a common question when someone heads toward the car or starts getting dressed in a way that isn’t their usual attire for staying at home. When my boys were home, as teenage drivers, they were never to leave home without telling me where they were going. We were on vacation this past week, and we were asked this question many times.
In John chapter 16, Jesus is trying to tell His disciples that he will be going away. He is talking about his death, but they do not understand. He tells them in verse 15 “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asked me, Whither goest thou?” They had given themselves over to grief because He was leaving. If they had asked Him where He was going, He would have comforted them. He could have told them of the bigger picture of life. They would have seen that there is comfort in the perfect eternal hereafter. They could not imagine life without Him. Instead of hearing the whole story, they wallowed in excessive grief.
He goes on to tell them in verse 7 that it is necessary for Him to go away; this is the only way the comforter can come. This comforter can be everywhere at the same time. He can and will dwell in the hearts of believers, but first Jesus must leave them. He could only be in one place at one time as the Godman. If some of the disciples went to one city and the others to another, only some would have Him with them.
John 16:6-7 “But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
This comforter they would receive after He returned to Heaven would serve as an internal guide. A guide that will reprove us. He will convince or convict the unsaved of their sin by applying the truths of God to their minds and cause them to feel the guilt of their sin. In verse 9, it is because they do not believe in Him. He will also alert the saved when they are about to sin to persuade them not to sin. Of righteousness because they condemned the only one who was innocent of any sin. Jesus was trying to prepare them for His exit, but as He states in verse 12, they could not bear the truth at that moment. Instead of asking where was He going, they gave themselves up to grief and confusion instead of asking why He was about to leave them. His last statement in verse 13 should have given them great hope, but they were operating in the physical realm rather than the spiritual.
Joh 16:8-13 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12-13 “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
In verse 16, we see the words that perplexed them. “A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.” In verses 17 and 18, they talked among themselves, wondering what He was talking about. Finally, in verse 28, Jesus says, “I came out from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go unto the Father.” Verse 29, they believe they have an ah-ha moment.
John 16:17-18 “Some of his disciples therefore said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye behold me not; and again a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith.”
John 16:29-30 “His disciples say, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark saying. Now know we that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.”
Jesus was no longer speaking to them in parables, but He was speaking clearly and directly.
In John 16:31 “Jesus answered them with a question “Do ye now believe?”
Do you know where you are going? If you are certain of your salvation, then the answer is Heaven, and there is no need to worry. Yet when we are afflicted, we are much like the disciples. We look at our circumstances and begin to allow grief or worry to consume us. Soon, we forget where we are going. We want a quick fix or a good pity party. We should ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and to show us what God is trying to teach us. If we ask He will answer. If the grief is overwhelming, run to Him, and He will give consolation. Do not misunderstand, there will be things that we will not understand until we get to Heaven. This is why it is so important that we put our total trust in Him. He knows where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.
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