John 16
CHAPTER 16
These things have I spoken to you, so that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming, when whoever kills you shall think that he offers service to God. 3 And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father nor me. 4 But these things have I spoken to you, so that when the time comes, you may remember what I told you. And these things I did not say to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go to Him that sent me; and none of you asks me, Where do you go? 6 But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. I will send him to you. 8 And he, when he comes, will convict the world in respect of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. 9 Of sin, because they do not believe in me. 10 Of righteousness, because I go to the Father and you see me no more. 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.
12 I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he shall guide you into all the truth. For he shall not speak from himself; but whatever he shall hear, these shall he speak; and he shall declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He shall glorify me; for he shall take what is mine and shall declare it to you. 15 All things, whatever the Father has, are mine. Therefore I said: that he shall take of mine and declare it to you.
Jesus promises to see the disciples again
16 A little while, and you will see me no more; and then a little while, and you shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Some of his disciples questioned each other: What is this that he said to us? A little while and you will see me no more; and then a little while and you shall see me, because I go to the Father? 18 They said: What is this that he said? A little while? We cannot decipher what he said.
19 Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them: Do you inquire among yourselves what I said? A little while and you will see me no more, and then a little while and you shall see me? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you: You shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. You shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy! 21 A woman when she is in labour has sorrow, because her hour comes; but when she has delivered the child, she does not remember her anguish, because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 You now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one will take away from you. 23 And in that day, you shall ask me no questions. Truly, truly, I say to you: If you shall ask anything of the Father, He will give it you in my name. 24 So far you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be made full.
25 These things have I spoken to you in figurative language. The hour comes, when I shall no longer speak to you in figurative language, but shall show you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you shall ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you. 27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and came into the world. Now I leave the world and go to the Father. 29 His disciples said: Now you speak plainly and not in figurative language! 30 Now we are sure that you know all things, and do not need anyone to question you. By this we believe you came from God.
31 Jesus answered them: Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour comes, yes, has come, when you shall be scattered, every man to his own home, and you shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things have I spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good courage; I have overcome the world.
Commentary
16:2 Jesus didn’t tell His disciples to leave the synagogues, even though they were full of false teaching and behaviour. He predicted that His followers would be excommunicated from the synagogues because they taught the Truth about Him. The early church grew initially from witness made to Christ in the synagogues. We shouldn’t be worried about ‘guilt by association’ with those who believe and act wrongly; we should try to teach them and witness to them about the real Christ, and in time they will exclude us if they are not of the Truth.
16:5 None of you asks- Did Jesus say this in tones of sadness and disappointment, or of irritated criticism? Consider how He spoke v. 31 also.
16:12 Have a look at 1 Cor. 3:2 and Heb. 5:11. These verses in the later New Testament allude here. The New Testament writers such as Paul were so full of the words of Jesus that they consciously and unconsciously alluded to them all the time. The word of Jesus should so abide in us that we do likewise.
16:17 This is a paradox- the believers would see Jesus when they could no longer see Him. The work of the Comforter is such that we can as it were see Jesus as realistically as the disciples did during His life on earth. But this is if we let the Comforter operate fully.
16:33 I have overcome- But He had not yet died and thereby overcome the world. He so believed that He would overcome that He spoke as if He had already had.
