The process of being created in God’s image is a matter of transformation of the mind. Transformation is possible only when we do the following:
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We see these principles in the following stories:
Matthew 13:10-17: The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
COMMENTARY: The secrets of the kingdom of heaven are the revelations that God only gives to New Covenant disciples. They qualify themselves as disciples when they disengage from their religious system — especially its religious leaders — and tune their spiritual ears to listen only to God’s voice. It can be said that when they read the Bible, they listen for the meanings between the lines of the written words
This attitude contrasts with Old/First Covenant religionists who interpret the Bible literally and look to religious leaders to teach them. Even though they are reading the same words that New Covenant disciples read, they interpret the Bible as parables and mystery because they do not have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear God’s spoken voice. There are three main reason why they do not understand the secrets:
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12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
COMMENTARY: Only New Covenant disciples have the ability to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Because they no longer waste their time listening to false prophets and reading their Bibles for literal understanding, they have learned how to hear God’s voice. The more they listen, the more they hear.
Old/First Covenant religionists do not have the ability to hear God’s voice. All they have is their literal, intellectual knowledge of scripture. They may not actually lose what they know, but, in comparison to New Covenant disciples, who are growing in understanding, they appear to be losing what little understanding they do have.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ” ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religionists are diligent in their efforts to see the literal meanings of scripture and hear the literal interpretations of scriptures spoken by false prophets, but they do not hear God’s voice or understand the secrets he has planted in scripture.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religionists have spent so much time trying to interpret the Bible literally that their ability to hear God’s voice has been greatly limited. They are so preoccupied with trying to understand the literal Bible using their intellect that they do not understand symbolic, spiritual meanings with their hearts.
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
COMMENTARY: Blessing is code language for being a New Covenant disciple. They see and hear (i.e. understand) with their spiritual eyes and ears (i.e. hearts).
The prophets and righteous men are Old/First Covenant religionists who have studied long and hard to find meaning in the mysteries of the Bible. Their righteousness is self-righteousness based on their fleshly efforts to connect to God through physical, intellectual effort.
Matthew 13:33-35: He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
COMMENTARY: Jesus was not just trying to be artistic, or literary, or cute, or challenging, or even deceptive when he spoke parables. As verse 35 says, he was uttering things hidden since the creation of the world. He was in fact speaking truth, the understanding of which was only accessible to New Covenant disciples.
These parables are not understandable to Old/First Covenant religionists who can only grasp the meanings of the literal words. New Covenant disciples, on the other hand, grasp the deeper, mysterious, spiritual meanings of the story (i.e. parable) which convey much more than simple words can convey.
These spiritual meanings are communicated by the spirit of God speaking to the hearts of New Covenant disciples whose hearts are open and humble like little children who are not afraid to ask questions that might make them look ignorant. On the other hand, deep spiritual meanings are hidden from Old/First Covenant religionists who are wise in their own eyes. Their knowledge of God comes from the literal words of the Bible and human teachers who repackage their personal interpretations of the literal words for others to hear. This is knowledge for sure, but it is human knowledge, not the deep, intimate, precise, thorough kind of knowledge that comes as a spiritual gift to those who listen to God’s spoken word.
Mark 4:30-34: Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
COMMENTARY: The Bible is full of mysterious parables that can also be described as symbolic language in which God uses natural things to represent spiritual truths.
Religion promises to teach the meanings of the Bible to people who gather together to hear the teachings of false prophets. God, on the other hand speaks to his disciples when he is alone with them in their secret place (i.e. heart) and when they study with one another. It is only while alone with God that people have opportunity to ask questions. And it is only when people ask God for understanding that he explains deep mysteries to them.
Deep mysteries are not all explained at one time. Revelation is usually a slow process. We see this principle in the statement about the mustard seed maturing into a great tree. Faith that God will speak to his people directly is very small when they first leave religion where they previously put their faith and trust in false prophets to teach them. If they stay disconnected from religion, however, and if they are faithful to ask, seek and knock with the faith of a little child, they will sooner or later hear Gods voice speak and reveal mysteries to them. Their faith will grow exponentially with each succeeding revelation.
John 10:1-6: “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
COMMENTARY: The gate to understanding is the spoken word of God. The sheep pen is religion that enslaves people. That is why they need to be led out. New Covenant disciples who speak for God are shepherds who lead them.
Watchmen are New Covenant disciples who open the gate so that the sheep can understand that they must listen to God’s voice themselves. After they learn to hear God’s voice, they will never again listen to strangers (i.e. false prophets) who try to lead them.
Luke 10:17-24: The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” 21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Turning to the disciples, He said privately *, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, 24 for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
COMMENTARY: The wise and intelligent people are those who interpret the Bible literally. But they are wise an intelligent only in their own eyes and in the eyes of those who trust them. They are Kings, Queens and Princes and False Prophets.
Infants, on the other hand, are New Covenant disciples who, are like little children who do not pretend to know anything and are eager to learn. They are full of questions which they do not hesitate to ask because they have no fear of looking stupid or unintelligent.
These infants always read the same words in the Bible that Old/First Covenant religionists do but they never assume that they understand the literally words. They constantly question what the mysterious, confusing parts mean and listen for God’s voice to explain those parts to them. They do not listen to false prophets.
John 6:1-69: After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber’i-as. 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
COMMENTARY: Jews and Christians think God evaluates them according to the extent of their religious activity. The truth is that he does not look at outward appearances but looks at the heart to tests what is in the hearts.
It is hard for Jews and Christians, therefore, to understand when they are being tested because they are generally unaware of the true conditions of their hearts. They are unaware because of the deceptions foisted upon them by generations of false prophets who emphasize religious activity rather than the heart.
The testings are all forecast by the choice Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden: Eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or the Tree of Life. This choice is the essence of temptation. Putting this in Biblical language, the choice is between Old/First Covenant religion and the New Covenant. It is also the choice between interpreting the Bible literally or symbolically.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.
COMMENTARY: Philip and Andrew failed the test by looking at the situation in a purely natural way. All they could think about was a multitude of physically hungry people with only a small amount of natural food for them to eat.
Most people who read and interpret these verses literally will relate to Philip and Andrew. They see a natural problem and look for natural ways to solve the problem. This is what religionists do. They cannot see the spiritual side of a situation. They fail the test.
Jesus, on the other hand, understood the spiritual context of the situation. He did not see physically hungry people. Rather he saw spiritually hungry people and he knew how to feed them.
The miracle that Jesus did was not a natural miracle. It was a spiritual miracle. The bread and fish that he gave to the people was spiritual food — not natural food.
The test for Jews and Christians is to interpret the story as a spiritual miracle. Anyone who interprets the story in literal terms fails the test.
14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
COMMENTARY: It is interesting to notice that Jesus resisted the possibility that the people who were following him would make him king over him. Jews who are strictly monotheistic will find this commendable, but Jesus’ actions should be incomprehensible to Christians who like to think of Jesus as their king.
Verse 15 should also be a caution for religious leaders who, in God’s view, are kings of their own religious kingdoms.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Caper’na-um. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, 20 but he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
COMMENTARY: Christians who like to quote the miracle of Jesus walking on water totally miss that the story is a picture of God overcoming evil in the form of religion. All through the Bible, water has two meanings that must be understood if the imagery of the picture is to be understood.
On the one hand, water symbolizes spiritual life that comes from God’s word spoken to the hearts of New Covenant disciples. And on the other hand, water symbolizes the destructive power of religion that God heaped on the world of religion in the time of Noah.
Applying the symbolic of water as religion, we see a picture of Jesus the living word of God overcoming religion. The disciples were tossed about and frightened by religion until they welcomed the living word into their lives. It is a picture of the New Covenant succeeding Old/Covenant religion. It is the same imagery found in Genesis 1:1-5 where we see the spirit hovering over the water and bringing forth light from darkness.
22 On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 However, boats from Tiber’i-as came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper’na-um, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
COMMENTARY: The people who followed Jesus in boats did not do so because they had observed the miracle of multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Rather, they sought Jesus because they had eaten the spiritual bread that only Jesus provides. They had tasted this spiritual bread and wanted more.
27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.”
COMMENTARY: The message here is that religious food based on literal interpretations of the written Bible perishes, and that spiritual food gives eternal life. We find this principle in the wilderness story where Israel was compelled to work to acquire perishable food by physically picking it up every day except the seventh day.
This story of Israel in the wilderness is a parable of the Old/First Covenant when people work to learn about God by reading the literal Bible. It is a more or less daily process in which what is learned spoils and does not last. But on the seventh day (i.e. Sabbath) they did not have to work for spiritual food. It was a day of rest. Instead of doing religious work, all they need to listen to the God’s voice.
This story is a parable of the transition from Old/First Covenant to New Covenant. Old/First Covenant religionists feed themselves more or less daily by performing religious work — including reading the Bible. This daily gathering of manna ended, however, when Israel made the transition from the wilderness to the promised land (i.e. New Covenant).
After entering the promised land, New Covenant disciples live in a perpetual, seventh day Sabbath in which they do no religious work because they are fed spiritual food by the spirit of God. God feeds them by his spirit when they listen to his voice.
The wilderness period of working for religious food that does not last represents written, Old/First Covenant laws given by Moses to Israel. This is a parable of all religious laws and traditions created by religious leaders who use the written words of the Bible as their guides. God contrasts this wilderness experience with the promised land which in which people listen to God’s spoken voice and do not depend on the literal, written words of the Bible.
The seventh day (i.e. Sabbath) represents the Promised Land which is the New Covenant. No religious work is necessary for New Covenant people and they do not follow a law-giver (i.e. religious leader) like Moses. They do follow a spiritual leader in the form of Joshua who is a type of Jesus and a model warrior who fulfilled God’s spiritual laws by leading Israel into battles to overcome the religious enemies that represent religious cities, kingdoms and nations that occupied the promised land.
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.”
COMMENTARY: In the Bible, bread, like water, has two kinds of symbolic meanings. It can mean religious food which does not give life or spiritual food from the mouth of God which does give life.
Moses gave Israel religious food in the form of written laws given on Mt. Sinai. These written laws are the basis for religion. They are equated with manna which perishes, and are contrasted with true, life-giving bread which comes directly from God when he speaks from heaven.
Since God’s throne is in heaven, and since God dwells in the midst (i.e. in the inner man/spirit) of his people, heaven is within the spirit of people — not up in the sky. Thus, the bread of life comes from God when he speaks to New Covenant disciples through the holy spirit to the spirit of man.
34 They said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; 39 and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
COMMENTARY: Jesus’ statement that he is the bread of life must be reconciled with God’s statement that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. To understand this, we must first understand the Biblical symbolism of bread.
The only conclusion we can take from Jesus’ response is that whatever he says is the spiritual equivalent of words spoken by God. This is possible not only for Jesus but for all New Covenant disciples who embody Jesus name/character. That is why he says elsewhere that his follower will do even greater things than he has done.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.
COMMENTARY: The statement ‘And they shall all be taught by God’ is a reference to the New Covenant which provides that God will teach his people directly by his mouth through his spirit.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life.
COMMENTARY: To understand this verse, we must first accept that man does not live by natural bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Belief, then, must refer to belief in the spoken word of God.
We must conclude then that Jesus, the one speaking, was speaking on God’s behalf and not speaking for himself. This is consistent with Jesus’ statements elsewhere that he speaks for God. That qualifies Jesus as a true prophet. We conclude, therefore, that all true prophets speak words that are the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
COMMENTARY: In Bread, Food and Wine we report that manna is symbolic language for the written word of God.
In verse 49 we read that those who ate the manna died in the wilderness. This is hard to understand until we remember that only God’s spoken word gives spiritual life.
Verse 50 refers to the spiritual, hidden manna that God speaks from his throne in heaven (i.e. the hearts of New Covenant disciples.
Because Jesus spoke for God, his words gave spiritual life just like God’s words. These spiritual, life-giving words (i.e. bread) are also symbolically called flesh.
Religion unnecessarily and wrongly converts spiritual bread/flesh to physical bread that is used for religious ceremonies (e.g. Eucharist, communion). This is wrong because the nature of spirit is that it cannot be seen or handled in any way. If a religious activity can be seen, it is not a matter of faith because faith cannot be seen. These religious ceremonies, therefore, are unclean food.
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper’na-um.
COMMENTARY: This is a very difficult passage for people who interpret the Bible literally to understand and apply. Understanding depends on belief that spiritual life comes only from the spoken word of God. Eternal life, therefore, is only available to people who listen to and obey God’s voice.
These verses make sense only when interpreted symbolically:
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COMMENTARY ABOUT BLOOD AND ETERNAL LIFE: As was reported above, religion wrongly associates flesh with Eucharist/communion bread, and blood with Eucharist/communion wine. This attempt to apply symbolism to scripture is wrong because it associates two natural objects (i.e. bread with bread and blood with wine). This is not the intent of Biblical symbolism.
The intent of Biblical symbolism is to associate a physical/natural object with a spiritual concept as provided in the “first the natural and then the spiritual” principle. Associating physical bread with physical bread and physical blood with physical wine is meaningless religion.
Bread and blood are the natural objects used throughout the Bible to symbolize God’s voice.That is why we read so many scriptures in the Old Testament about blood sprinkled on the people. The imagery of being covered with the blood always symbolizes being covered with the spoken word of God. See Blood, Swords and Arrows for more about this symbolism.
Religion always makes the mistake of wrongly applying symbolism to its rituals and artifacts. This is why God is so opposed to religion: It substitutes natural objects and activities for spiritual truth. Thus, as religion focuses on natural things (i.e. rituals and artifacts), it successfully diverts people from spiritual truth.
This problem especially relates to the issue of eternal life in the following way:
| In religion, eternal life is perceived as a positive extension of the religious life that people enjoy while they are physically alive. The only difference is that eternal life is thought to exist somewhere in heaven above instead of on earth. In religion, eternal life is perceived as the positive opposite of a negative eternity spent in hell by people who are not suitably religious.
There are at least five problems with this theology:
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60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
COMMENTARY: Verse 63 affirms that religious activity has no spiritual value. Only spiritual words spoken by God or his true prophets (i.e. New Covenant disciples) are able to impart spiritual life because they are the only people who have God’s spiritual laws written on their hearts.
64 But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” 66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67 Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
COMMENTARY: The context of verse 66 following verses 60-61 suggests that the ones who drew back from Jesus were bothered by his teaching about eating flesh and drinking blood. Looking only at the literal meaning of eating flesh and drinking blood, it is easy to understand why they were repelled at such teaching.
If we assume that those who drew back from Jesus understood the spiritual meaning of what Jesus said, it is also easy to understand why they were repelled. If they understood that eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood meant that God wanted them to stop listening to religious leaders and start listening to God’s voice spoken through Jesus, this interpretation would also be difficult for them to accept. Making such a break from religion is very hard to do. Not everyone is willing to suffer the backlash from friends and family that the Bible promises. See Religion is the Enemy and Sibling Conflict for more about the conflict that people who leave religion can expect to experience.
It appears that Jesus’ disciples understood the difference between religion and the New Covenant. They were willing to suffer the consequences of leaving religion for the sake of obtaining eternal life with God.
John 16:16-29: 16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” 17 Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” 19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” 29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.
COMMENTARY: This story make the point about asking questions when you do not understand the meaning of the parables. Since the Bible is mainly parables (i.e. figures of speech), it is critical to ask questions all the time while reading — especially when encountering passages that do not make sense.
The time that is coming to which Jesus refers is the time when people become New Covenant disciples. These are people who have Jesus’ name (i.e. spiritual character). They understand the figures of speech without Jesus’ help because they can hear God’s voice for themselves.