The Difference a Word Makes

Joh 16:23 And in that day you shall ask Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 
Joh 16:24 Before now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. 

Joh 16:25 I have spoken these things to you in parables, but the time is coming when I shall no more speak to you in parables, but I will show you plainly of the Father. 
Joh 16:26 At that day you will ask in My name; and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you, 
Joh 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God. 

Joh 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world. Again I leave the world and go to the Father.

The bible has so many important things to say. It is difficult to understand all without careful reading and meditation. For example, the verse above is about Jesus conversing with disciples about His earthly ministry and recapping some important points. In verse 23 He explains that His disciples asked a great many things of Him while He was on earth, but that would change. No longer would they ask Him, but would ask The Father in His name. Verse 26 shows that Jesus had been the intermediary to relay requests to the Father, but when He left the world, another would become the intermediary between mankind and the Father. He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, which was to come and become part of all those following Jesus. The Holy Spirit would become a translator for all prayers to the Father as well as an intercessor to the Father for each individual. Thus, the Holy Spirit would also be a teacher, recalling the words of Christ and what The Father’s will is in answer to the prayer requests and miscellaneous desired tasks.

Verse 28 explains how Jesus came out of The Father and was sent to earth to accomplish several missions. Things like telling about God and His will, teaching, healing, comforting, encouraging and putting history into perspective. Then, one word “again” jumps out when He speaks of leaving. When do you know that Jesus was here before? The answer must be when He walked the earth with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. We know, that God the Father and the Holy Spirit are both Spirit and could not be seen. Thus, it was Jesus that walked and conversed with the first couple. It was Jesus’s footsteps that Adam and Eve heard after they sinned to cause them to hide themselves. and cover themselves. It was Jesus that killed a sinless animal to make them clothes of skin. This was the first blood sacrifice.

Later, Jesus would offer another blood sacrifice for sins. He allowed Himself to be killed, a sinless offering, to cover our sins. It was impossible to cover all sins obeying the Laws, the 10 commandments, God gave to Moses. All mankind had sinned, if for no other reason than being part of the bloodline of Adam and Eve. Jesus was sent to correct the imperfection of the law that could not save, but only guide man toward God. Now, that mission was to be completed and Jesus could again return to Heaven and his Father. there, His glory would become higher than all else for eternity and even higher than it was before He came to earth in the presence of sin.