Not Punishment, But Protection

Jesus’ words in John 16:12 pierce the heart at first glance, “There is so much I want to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”

So much more. Can you even imagine hearing those words form the Savior who would soon be departing from the presence?

On His side is all readiness. To impart to His friends all the things He heard from the Father. But revelation can only be transferred to the mind which can receive it.

One commentator says it this way, “Jesus was saying, ‘You cannot bear the discovery, for which reason I judge it more prudent to be silent for the present.’”

Jesus had given His students an outline but no details. Because they couldn’t yet bear the news. They were still full of Jewish prejudices, among other things.

Remember that the disciples still had slightly a “divided mind”. Luke 8:14 explains about the seed that fell among thorns. It expresses a class of people, such as these followers of Jesus, who heard the Word, but entertained other ideas and who allowed the distraction of other voices to rattle them off course. They were sadly still occupied by the “cares” of the world, so it hindered them from developing full maturity. In fact, the Greek word for “cares” is Merimnao which means divide; fracture.

Every time Jesus speaks, the weightiness of His presence is released, it’s referred to as, “the weight of His glory”! And what happens when you place that weight (God’s revelation in His spoken word) on the part of the person already divided and fractured? The fracture gets worse! And these fractures... the cares of this world... actually deaden our ability to hear from God.

The Father is looking for people to be hosts of His presence, and people who have weight-bearing capacity for what He wants to say.

We must choose to be single focused when it comes to Jesus. We must be committed to hearing His voice only. We must be determined to refuse outside influences.

Jesus had already told them more than they understood. They were being taught to master the present lessons before they were fit for more. The water is always greater than my cup is to contain! The meal more bountiful than my plate. The rain more abundant than my garden!