'Last Sermon of Jesus'
John 16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."
The Lord gave this last sermon just before His arrest. The Holy Spirit was given specifically to the Jews only when they were still the people of God. During the three years of discipleship under the Lord Himself, the disciples were still unable to understand the things of God because they were not given the Holy Spirit and they were mostly unlearned fishermen.
Mark 10:32b-34 Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."
Many times our Lord Jesus told His disciples clearly that He would be betrayed (by Judas), scourged and killed on the third day, He would resurrect but they refused to accept it. They could not accept His death since they wanted Him to be glorified as the King of Israel so that they would rule with Him. The disciples gave up everything for the wrong motive of gaining earthly rewards in riches, positions and power.
Mark 10:36-37,41 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."... And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.
Mark 16:9-13 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
After the resurrection of our Lord, the disciples did not believe the testimonies of Mary and two other disciples. They were so disappointed and sad, for their dreams of ruling with King Jesus on earth were over.
How then can we expect those worldly disciples (without the Holy Spirit) to accept teachings such as:
1. Consider others better than yourself,
2. Love your enemies,
3. Bless those who curse you,
4. Give to the needy without any repayment,
5. Love one another as Jesus had loved (died for) us.
1John 3:14-16 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
