About this episode
This episode discusses Jesus' teaching to his confused disciples about suffering and its necessity in the context of faith.
Jesus knows his disciples are confused. He's just told them that in a little while they won't see him, and then a little while after that they will see him again, and they've basically said, "Yes, we understand none of this." So he does what any reasonable teacher would do: he compares the whole situation to a woman in labor. He's telling people who are about to watch him die that the suffering is not the end of the story, but it is absolutely necessary to the story. If you've ever wished you could skip the hard part and get straight to whatever good is supposed to come from it, this one is worth your ten minutes. Watch the episode on video: https://youtu.be/nZZEdaTtPc8 ----------------- My new book, The Edge of the Inside, is now available. You can get a signed copy or in whatever form you prefer: https://www.edgeoftheinside.com/ Join the online community and get access to exclusive content and experiences: https://www.jeremyjernigan.com/online-community Trying to make sense of faith? Download my free Deconstruction Field Guide. It's a ten-page resource to help you navigate what's next so you don't have to do it alone. https://www.jeremyjernigan.com/opt-in
People in this episode
Host: Jeremy Jernigan
Topics covered
- faith
- suffering
- spiritual growth
- Christianity
- teaching
- discipleship
Keywords
- labor pains
- John 16:16-33
- suffering
- disciples
- faith
- spirituality
- Christianity
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Edge of the Inside
Places: John
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- A Creative Force (John 18:1-14) · May 17, 2026 · 10 min
- The Prayer of Jesus (John 17) · May 10, 2026 · 9 min
- The Unfinished Sentence (John 16:5-15) · April 26, 2026 · 9 min
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