"Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:32-33
Part 2
Yesterday: Jesus Prepared His Men for His Death
Jesus knew that the coming days for the disciples will be the hardest they have seen since they began to follow Him. This is why He is preparing them. What do they still need to know?
Today: Jesus Will Die “Alone,” but He is “Not Alone”
“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come.”
Jesus was here, living with His creatures on the earth to fulfill His Father’s will, giving His life for their salvation. The promises given throughout the Old Testament are about to be accomplished.
“The long-looked-for hour… is so close that it has virtually begun. The time for the arrest of Jesus is near”[1] (Robertson).
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee” (John 17:1).
Within just a few hours, Jesus will be hanging on the cross, and His disciples will have gone into hiding.
“That ye shall be scattered.”
This seemed like an impossibility to their guileless minds. They love the Lord, and surely they will remain by His side. Jesus knew each of them well. They will “cut and run” and will all stay away for a little while in their weakness.
“And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Mark 14:27).
Jesus said they will be scattered. John, as he wrote of this (John 16:32), used the ancient word meaning, “to scatter…of those who routed or terror-stricken or driven by some other impulses, fly in every direction…”[2] (Thayer).
As Matthew and Mark retold this in their Gospels, they use a stronger word that means, “to scatter abroad, disperse, to winnow… to throw the grain a considerable distance, or up into the air, that it may be separated from the chaff…. to gather the wheat, freed from the chaff into the granary”[3] (Thayer).
“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31).
It is as if they will be winnowed to see if there is any good grain there, and where they will land when they are gathered. With Peter’s denial of His Lord in just a little while, he seems to be the weakest, but we need to remember Jesus’ words to him.
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31-32).
“Every man to his own.”
For a time, it will seem that it is “every man for himself” with the disciples.
“To his own… To his own home…”[4] (Vincent).
They momentarily fled to the safety of their homes. It has been said that “home is the place that when you go there, they have to let you in.” That is probably true for most, but not for Jesus.
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).
“You shall see me die, and suppose that my work is defeated, and return to your own dwellings”[5] (Barnes).
“And shall leave me alone.”
The disciples will run and leave Jesus to die alone. This is sad but not unexpected.
“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
No one wants to die alone, by themselves. Jesus the God-Man felt the same way. David’s Messianic statements about Christ show us how He felt.
“Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20).
Jesus, after His arrest, could find none of them.
“And they all forsook him and fled” (Mark 14:50).
We must say that Peter and John did return and follow from a distance to see what will happen to Jesus.
“None of them stood beside Jesus and said, ‘I have given my life to this Man. What you accuse Him of, you may accuse me of also.’ Instead, it was fulfilled what Jesus said: All of you will be made to stumble because of Me (Mark 14:27)”[6] (Guzik).
“And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.”
Jesus was “alone,” but “not alone.”
“My Father is with me.”
As Jesus was dying, He said to His Father, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34c). And yet He still had the confidence in His Father for Jesus addressed Him as, “My God, My God” (15:34b). Even though the Father turned His back on His Son as He bore our sin, Jesus could still say with confidence, “Into thy hands, I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
“In all these sufferings He had the assurance that God was His friend, that He was doing His will, that He was promoting His glory, and that He looked on Him with approbation [approval and praise]”[7] (Barnes).
Believers, our Father will never forsake us in the hour of our need. When it comes our time to die, He will be there for us. Even if we have no family or friends around us, our Father will be there with us.
“The Christian can die saying, I am not alone, because the Father is with me. The sinner dies without a friend that can alleviate his sufferings – without one source of real joy”[8] (Barnes).
Every child of God can say with assurance,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
What Jesus said next to His disciples will prepare their hearts for what is coming in their lives. Come back tomorrow as we see Jesus’ final words to His men before He dies.
Quote: The Christian, a true child, loved by God, never dies alone. His or her death is treasured by God. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword. John 16:32.
[2] J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Thayer, ibid.
[4] M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword. The emphasis is his.
[5] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. John 16:32.
[6] David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Mark 14:27.
[7] Barnes, ibid.
[8] Ibid. The emphasis is mine.