What More Has Jesus to Say?
John 16:12–15
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” (ESV)
Prayer
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son to complete our redemption by going to the cross for our sakes. We ask that you send your Holy Spirit among us through your Word that we might be led to repentance and faith in Christ alone for our salvation. Guide us to know and believe the truth of your Word, which you have graciously caused to be recorded by the Holy Spirit through pens of the apostles that we might know the truth. Amen.
Dear Friends in Christ,
People have been misunderstanding the Bible and taking passages out of context for a long time. “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Jesus’ statement, “I still have many things to say to you… When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth,” has often been grossly misinterpreted. People argue that this means the Bible is not the last word and it doesn’t have all the truth of salvation that we need. Therefore, more revelations from God should be expected. They suggest that we need more than the Bible.
Of course, this isn’t what Jesus means at all! This careless interpretation of Scripture reflects what St. Paul calls, distorting the Word of God and handling it deceitfully (II Corinthians 4:2). Statements of our Lord are taken out of context, turned and twisted like rope, stretched like a slinky, and remolded like clay, until they say just what the interpreters want. I normally never suggest someone using Google to understand a Bible passage because you will get some of the strangest interpretations that have nothing to do with the actual meaning. But Google was not the beginning of ridiculous interpretations of Scripture, it has been going on for a long time.
About five hundred years ago when King Philip II was contemplating a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, that narrow neck of land joining the North and South American continents, he was warned against it by priests who quoted to him Jesus’ words from Matthew 19:6, “What God has joined together, let not man separate.” Of course, this passage has nothing to do with building canals, separating continents, and connecting oceans, but to marriage between a man and a woman.
When a medieval Pope wanted to prove his authority and power to convict heretics, he quoted our Lord’s word, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). This passage from the Book of Acts does not talk about killing heretics, but the eating of animals for food.
People have been misquoting Scripture for a long time. Today, we see the same thing. Instead of seeing Scripture as a clear and understandable book, people argue that the Bible is simply a matter of interpretation. They suggest that there really isn’t a right and wrong answer for how we should interpret the Bible and that it is up to you to decide. No wonder we have so many strange beliefs today with this attitude in the air. But this is wrong. We can know Truth. The Bible is clear. The Psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32).
Our lesson for today teaches us the importance of understanding God’s Word, a work so important, that our Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. To help us gain a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work, let’s take a look at Jesus’ statement, “I still have many things to say to you…” and ask the important question, “What more has Jesus to say to us?
There are some who suggest that Jesus has been continuing to reveal more and more throughout history, even after the time of the apostles. For instance, the Roman Catholic Church claims that the Holy Spirit is continuing to reveal things that the apostles couldn’t understand in the first century. They believe that the opinion of the Pope and tradition is just as valid as the Bible. This is why you can have a Pope today who has views that are contrary to Scripture regarding Moral Law. They believe that the Bible is insufficient source of teaching. Yet, it’s not just the Catholic Church that does this. Most mainline Protestant churches teach that God is continuing to reveal more. Whether that be the Pastor who claims to receive a special message from God or a person who wants a sign from God like speaking in tongues.
Man has always wanted more from God—more explanation, more proof, more “freedom.” Even devout Christians can be tempted to look for signs from God for his approval or blessing.
But is this what Jesus meant when he said, “I still have many things to say to you”? To answer this question we must first understand who Jesus is talking to. Is he talking to me and you? Is he talking to the Pope? Is he talking to the Pentecostal preacher or the anyone who is looking for a sign or voice from God? No.
Jesus was speaking to the apostles. The ones who joined him in the solemn assembly in the upper room the night before his crucifixion. All the truth they needed for their salvation Jesus had told them; yet, smitten with grief and puzzled about his imminent leaving, they couldn’t grasp it all. Instead of going into further explanation he comforted them with the promises, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”
After a little while his promise would be fulfilled. First, Jesus would die and rise again. Then after his ascension, Jesus would pour out the Holy Spirit on his apostles on the Day of Pentecost, who opened their understanding and “guided them in all truth.” What was this truth? “He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”
The Apostles preached all the truth, the message of Christ’s forgiveness which he earned on the cross. The preached not part, but all the truth, exactly as Jesus had ordered in the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19). All these things the Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance (John 14:26) and inspired their writing of the Scriptures (II Timothy 3:16). “Nothing” they could say with St. Paul, “nothing have we kept from you… we have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God,” that is, all the truth of salvation (Acts 20:20, 27).
The New Testament Scriptures are God’s word because they are the testimony of those men to whom Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the authors of the New Testament that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. This makes the apostolic Scriptures, along with the prophetic books of the Old Testament, the only standard for the Church’s teaching. We do not need any tradition beyond the tradition written down in the Bible. We don’t need any more revelation from God. Jesus didn’t promise the apostles that the Spirit of truth would guide them into some truth with more truth to be revealed gradually through the history of the Church. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” You and I can be confident that the New Testament Scriptures are God’s final word to us. There is no more truth to be revealed than what is written down by the apostles. In fact, the Lord issues great warnings to any who would add or detract from its content (Revelation 22:18,19, Deuteronomy 12:32).
The Holy Spirit would not teach anything new, but only guide the disciples to a clearer understanding and appreciation of Christ. They often, as you recall in the Gospel accounts, did not understand the meaning of Jesus’ words at the time—but they would! After Pentecost, the Apostles went forward with a newfound boldness and clarity of Christ, which they would proclaim before crowds and kings!
On our own, you and I were even further off than the disciples. We were blind to the truth. And this is why, our Lord Jesus continues to send the Holy Spirit, the Helper. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. The Holy Spirit holds the mirror of God’s Law before our eyes so that we see our own sin and the punishment which it deserves. He shows us our inability to save ourselves and convinces us to see that true righteousness was won for us by Jesus bitter suffering and death on the cross. The devil has been judged. His head has been crushed and we have been freed from his power and rule.
The Holy Spirit now guides, leads, and comforts us with the Gospel. He takes what is Christ’s and declares it to us. The Holy Spirit credits to us Christ’s righteousness. He reckons to us the flawless life of Jesus who went to the Father. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles and through them the entire Church into all truth. At the center of it all is the truth that God forgives unworthy sinners fully and freely because of Christ’s suffering and death in our place. This is the truth that we need to hear, know, and believe!
As the disciples left that upper room that night before his crucifixion, they would go through a period of severe testing, as we are now today. There is turmoil in this world, the church, moral decline in society, as well as troubles and sorrows in our own lives. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to continue to proclaim Christ’s word to us through the Bible.
When we are distressed by this world, hear him say, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When we are worried about the growing opposition to the church, hear him say, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against [My church]” (Matthew 16:18). When we are worried and fearful of the coming storms, hear him say as he did to his disciples on the stormy sea, “Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27). When you are troubled by your sins, hear him say as he did to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). When death is near, listen to him say, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:1–2).
These words from Christ are nothing new, but what could be more comforting, refreshing, and life-giving? Martin Luther once wrote, “From the beginning of my Reformation I have asked God to send me neither dreams, nor visions, nor angels, but to give me the right understanding of His Word, the Holy Scriptures; for as long as I have God’s Word, I know that I am walking in His way and that I shall not fall into any error or delusion.”
We do not need any new revelations, new truths, or a special messages from God, when we have his written Word through which the Holy Spirit leads, guides, and comforts us. The hymn puts it well (ELH 521:1):
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The Bible is God’s Word to you. It will not fail. It “is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). Christ’s victory is yours. Believe it! Amen.