John 16

David Lipscomb Commentary On John 16 AND OTHER WORKS OF THE SPIRIT STATEDJoh_16:1-15 1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble.—Jesus foretold that these things would come to pass so that when they did happen his disciples might not be discouraged and caused to fall by appalling things com¬ing upon them. To tell them beforehand would assure them that he was divine and would insure confidence in him. To stumble in the Bible generally means to fall into sin. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you shall think that he offereth service unto God.—He told them these things to prepare them for the trials, persecutions, and afflictions to which they would be subjected. [Not merely a physical driving forth, but excommunication and deprival of all synagogue privileges. All this was to be the bitter ingredient in the cup. It is one thing to be persecuted by those whom we not only know to be wicked, but who know themselves to be wicked. But to be persecuted by those who, like Saul of Tarsus, means to do right, and think they are serving God in making us suffer is quite another thing. It is calculated to make the sufferer wonder whether he is doing right himself.] 3 And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me.—All these persecutions and afflictions they would bring upon the disciples because they neither knew the Father nor Christ. Their failure to know God and his Christ causes men to hate those who obey the laws of God. [This was to prepare them against the persecutions they would be called upon to endure. He assures them that though the zeal of their persecutors might be a “ zeal of God,” yet it would not be according to knowledge. Their religious education and training gave them no real knowledge of the Father or himself. Consequently the disciples need not waver or be uncertain about their own religious status on account of persecution.] “ These things” are the persecutions even unto death which Jesus had just told his disciples they would suffer. This was evidently spoken by way of explaining why the world would so severely persecute them. It is but another way of saying there is eternal and uncompromising enmity on the part of those who know not God and his Son Jesus Christ against those who walk with God and believe on the Lord. 4 But these things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come,—[The hour of their fulfillment.] ye may remember them, how that I told you.—[Remember¬ing thus that he had predicted the sorrows, they would also remember the joys beyond and be comforted and upheld.] And these things I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you.—These afflictions that would come upon them, he did not tell them in the beginning of his minis¬try because he was abiding with them. But now he is about to leave them, he forewarns them that when the trials come upon them they will remember them and not be driven from faith in God and in him. [He advanced in his instruction just as they were prepared to receive it. By degrees had he re¬vealed to the disciples the dark, rugged, and bloody pathway that they should be called upon to travel. In the beginning of his ministry he did not teach of these things for the reason they were not prepared to receive it. In the second year of his ministry he began to gradually unfold them, but only in the hour of his departure does he reveal to them the trials that are to come upon them. The greatest of all their trials, unless the promised comforter came, would be the departure of the Lord.

While he was with them the bolts of hatred and malice would be thrust at him, but when he was gone and they repre¬sented him on the earth these bolts would hit them. As long as Jesus was with them these personal trials of the apostles would not begin, and therefore he saw no necessity of burden¬ing their hearts prematurely with their anticipation. But now he was to be taken from them, so he unfolds it.] 5 But now I go unto him that sent me;—[Jesus shows himself conscious of preexistence, of having come from another world to which he was to return by the way of the cross.(17:5.)] and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?—The Father had sent Jesus into the world to perform a work; when he has reached the time to finish that work he will return to his Father. [They had asked this question (John 15: 36, 14:5), but they had become so preoccupied with themselves and the desolate condition in which his going would leave them that they had ceased to. ask him. His human yearning for sympathy shows itself in this tender reproach.] 6 because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.—Peter (13: 36) and Thomas (14: 5) had both asked this question, but now when his going away is at hand, none ask “ whither goest thou?” but sorrow fills their hearts. [They were entirely given up to their gloomy fore¬bodings.] 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth:—The Father provides for all things; the Son creates or embodies the purposes and provisions of the Father; and the Spirit then gives life and order to this creation, gives law to guide and promote and perfect and multiply the order created by the Father. [This is not an assertion of his veracity, as though they had doubted it, but an intimation of the necessity of its communication, and of the necessity of his departure. And now he proceeds to give grounds for the latter point.] It is expedient for you that I go away;—[With their false ideas of an earthly political kingdom with Jesus their king, nothing could have seemed harder to receive than this. They might submit to the inevitable, but that the departure of Jesus should be expedient— desirable— this was too hard to receive.] for if I go not away, the Comforter— [The Holy Spirit, called in the footnote “ Advocate or Helper.” ] will not come unto you;— [Jesus evidently holds this up as a supereminent gift to obtain which might well justify any sacrifice on their part, even giving up the precious companion¬ship with him which had been the joy of their hearts.] but if I go, I will send him unto you.—[The death of Christ was necessary to his glorification. For some reason not revealed even Jesus, here upon earth in his natural human con¬dition, could not, or at least did not, confer upon them super¬eminent gifts of the Holy Spirit. While he was with them the Holy Spirit reached them through him. In the future the Holy Spirit is to reach the world through them.] The work that Jesus had begun in the disciples could not be completed and perfected unless the Spirit came and completed his work. The work of the Spirit was needed to complete and perfect them to dwell with God and to do the work he had chosen them to do and to fit them to enjoy the home and blessings of God forever. If they had understood these things they would have rejoiced at Jesus leaving them since he left to send the Spirit that they might receive the greater blessings. 8 And he, when he is come,—[It is strange in the light of these words, and, indeed, this whole conversation, that any can be found to deny the personality of the Holy Spirit, and to speak of him as a mere abstract influence. Here, as in re¬gard to Satan, Jesus made a very uncertain use of words, if he did not know, and mean to assert, the personality of the Holy Spirit.] will convict the world—[Not by direct work upon their hearts, but as the event shows (Acts 2:37), through the life of the apostles, declaring the wonderful works of God. He came not to the world, but “ unto you,” the disciples. The world could not receive him directly (14: 17), and never can, as the world. But the apostles received him, and through their testimony he reaches the world.] in respect of sin,—[This convicting and convincing work of the Holy Spirit is entirely in relation to Jesus Christ. The world had no consciousness of sin in regard to him, believing him either fanatic or impostor in the claims which he made. The Holy Spirit is to show them that they are sinners against Christ.] When the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, his first work was to bear witness that Jesus was from God, that the world had rejected and crucified him; but that God had raised him from the dead and had made him both Lord and Christ. The Spirit did this work of bearing witness of Christ through the apostles, who, under the guidance of the Spirit, bore witness themselves of the works he had done, of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to his Father, and the descent of the Holy Spirit who was directing the works they saw. and of righteousness,—He not only convicted the world of sin in crucifying the Lord, but they presented him as the Holy One, through whose mission the sinner could be made righ¬teous. and of judgment:—Judgment in which the wrath of God against sin and the reward of righteousness would be exe¬cuted. [The power with which Jesus is to be clothed to judge the world.] 9 of sin, because they believe not on me;—The greatest, be¬cause the sin of all sins, without which no sin could be blotted out, is the sin of unbelief in the Son of God. [He proceeds to describe the method of the Holy Spirit’ s mission to the world. It is logical in character. The sin, the supreme sin, the acme of the world’ s sin, is to be shown in the rejection of Jesus Christ. If the world had no other sin to answer for, this will be enough to destroy it if it shall persist in it after the Spirit has done his work.] 10 of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more;—His righteousness in himself doing the full righteous will of God, and through his death making others righteous he went to his Father where they would no more see him on earth. [The death of Jesus, had it been perpetual, would have been a tremendous argument against his claims. But when the Holy Spirit demonstrated his resurrection and ascension to the Father, and his power in the invisible world for good, it establishes the truth of those claims, and his consequent righteousness, beyond a peradventure.] 11 of judgment,—[That is, of impending judgment of the world by Christ.] because the prince of this world hath been judged.—The evil one is the prince of this world. He became so when man, the ruler in Eden, chose to follow Satan rather than obey God. All in this world had been intrusted to man, and he transferred his allegiance of the world to him instead of God. Jesus came into the world to rescue man and the world from the rule of the devil. The final conflict was now at hand. He would surrender himself to the power of the devil, go down into the grave, and there in the devil’ s own prison house overcome him, burst the bonds of death, and condemn him as a usurper of the prerogatives of God.

The prince of this world used the rulers of the kingdoms of the world to bring Jesus to the grave. [Satan’ s great power was death. The world had ever been in bondage to him through death. (Hebrews 2:14-15.) This power he had exercised even over Jesus; but this only temporarily and by permission. The resurrection of Jesus broke his sceptre and announced his judgment. He was a criminal at the bar instead of a mighty lord. But he who had power to judge the universal conqueror of humanity would certainly have power to judge the world. Thus complete and logical is the argument of the divine advocate of Jesus as predicted by Jesus.

For its fulfillment read Acts 2 and indeed the whole line of the apostolic ministry, which was and is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the world.) 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.—Jesus could teach only as they were able to understand and appreciate. Their dullness precluded his teaching them now. He could transfer it to the coming of the Spirit who would qualify them for, and guide them into, all truth. [The death of Christ would have a wonderful clarifying effect upon their spiritual vision, and also to give a great uplift to their moral strength, and an indescribable intensification to their faith. Under these changed conditions revela¬tions, which now would be beyond their comprehension, would be clear to them, and doubtless the “ forty days” (Acts 1:3) were full of these sayings.) 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth:—The mission of the Spirit to them was to complete the revelation of God’ s will to them. Notwithstanding their inability to receive all the truth then, the Holy Spirit would complete the revelation to them, would guide them into all the truth. [The “ you” here is specific to the apostles. “ All the truth” comprehends redemption through the death of Christ, the relation of grace to the law, the conversion of the Gentiles without any Mosaic legal condition. In a word, the contents of the epistles and the apocalypse so far as they pass beyond those of the teaching of Jesus.) for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak:—The Spirit, like Jesus himself, would not originate what he spoke, but would speak what he heard from the Father. The Spirit would become the representative of the Godhead on earth. and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. —[All the things that are revealed. This is confined to the apostles. It opens up no place for modern visionaries with their claims of new and advanced revelations. He was to de¬clare to them not only what might be necessary for their guid¬ance (Acts 20:22-23), but for the benefit of the church.] 14 He shall glorify me:—[His mission is to exalt or glorify Christ. It pertains entirely to him. It is to advance his glory that he comes.] for he shall take of mine,—[He has nothing to communi¬cate of his own. He takes up the work where Christ stops and carries it to completion.] and shall declare it unto you.—He will from the Father re¬ceive the full and perfect knowledge of the Son of God, and make it known to the disciples. This was done on Pentecost when the Spirit revealed the full mission and character of Christ to the apostles, and through them to the world. [This verse is decisive against all additions and pretended revelations subsequent to and besides Christ, it being the work of the Spirit to testify and declare the things of Christ, not any¬thing new and beyond him.] 15 All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you.—Jesus and his Father are one in their character and pos¬sessions. As the Son of God, he was heir to all things, there¬fore in revealing the things of God, they made known those of Christ the Lord. [We are here shut up to two alternatives, either that Jesus of Nazareth is not only the Christ, but the Son of the living God, in all that those words can imply of deific attributes and essence, or that he was the most arrogant pretender that the world has ever seen.] HIS AND RETURN John 16:16-24 16 A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.—In a little while he would be taken from them and go into the grave where they could not see him and, in a little while he would appear again and they could see him. These things would be brought about as pre¬paratory to his return to his Father. 17 Some of his disciples therefore said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye behold me not; and again a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Be¬cause I go to the Father?—The apostles were still ignorant of his coming death, burial, and resurrection. He had told them, but it differed so far from their ideas of what his cause would be that they could not perceive by dying and rising again. 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith.—They say among them¬selves that they cannot understand the meaning and desired to ask him to explain it. 19 Jesus perceived that they were desirous to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves concern¬ing this, that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not, and again a little while, and ye shall see me?—Jesus, without being told, knew their thoughts and their desire to ask him and himself asked if they wished him to explain his meaning. [This power to read their thoughts proves he was more than human.] 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and la¬ment, but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.—The results of their grief and sorrow would be followed by joy and gladness. [This was in a few hours fulfilled. His disciples were broken¬hearted and wept at the grave. “ We trusted that he would restore the kingdom of Israel” was the wail of buried hopes. At the same time his enemies were rejoicing over what they thought was a glorious victory. But soon all was changed. The glad news came, “ The Lord is risen.” They heard him exclaim “ all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth,” then they saw him ascend into heaven, then they “ returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Their sorrow, in¬deed, was turned into joy.] 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is bom into the world.—He illustrates by the pain and anguish of a woman in travail chased away by the joy that a man is born into the world. [The figure of a woman in travail was used to illustrate sudden sorrow and anguish. (Isaiah 21:3; Hosea 13:13; Micah 4:9.) But here Jesus gives it a new application by asserting that joy comes out of the pains of travail.] 22 And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice,—So now in his going away sorrow will fill their hearts to be succeeded by joy when they see him again. and your joy no one taketh away from you.—Their joy shall be permanent; none shall deprive them of it. The resurrec¬tion of Christ foretokens the resurrection to eternal life of all who believe in him. [Jesus refers to his own appearance to the disciples after his sufferings and resurrection, which would turn their sorrow into joy. That joy would be perma¬nent. All enemies on earth combined with those of the under¬world might assail them, but “ no man could take it” away.] 23 And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name.—Then they shall be brought into immediate union with God the Father and in that state they could approach him directly without the intervention of a mediator. He will gladly answer them himself. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name:—As yet they had not regarded Jesus as the mediator through whom they must approach God. He had not entered upon his me¬diatorial work, and so they had asked nothing in his name. ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.— When he had suffered and died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world and ascended to his Father as the Great High Priest and Advocate with the Father, then they must ask in his name, as his servants and representatives, purchased by him, and the fulness of the blessings would make their joy full. AN END OF IN Joh_16:25-33 25 These things have I spoken unto you in dark sayings: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in dark sayings, but shall tell you plainly of the Father.—These things he teaches now in parables or illustrations, but when his death and resurrection were accomplished, he would speak plainly and they would then have learned enough to understand. 26, 27 In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have be¬lieved that I came forth from the Father.—After his resurrec¬tion and ascension they were to ask in his name. Then he does not say he will ask the Father for them because by their faith in him as sent of God and their love and obedience to him God would of his own love bless them. 28 I came out from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go unto the Father.—He had been with God, had been sent forth by God into this world. Soon he would leave the world and return to God. 29 His disciples say, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark saying.—They thought they comprehended his plain statement and so claimed; but it is very doubtful if they grasped its meaning, or if they did, it slipped from them, for after his crucifixion they still did not understand that he was to die, be buried, and rise again. 30 Now know we that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou earnest forth from God.—By virtue of his knowing their thoughts and answering their difficulties they claim to know that he is from God and knows all things. These impressions seemingly clear at times would often vanish and their hearts would be beclouded with doubts and uncertainty. 31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?—This was asked in view of their lack of steadfastness in their faith. 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone:—He here presents the trials that they would be called upon to undergo by which their faith would be tested. They would forsake him— all of them leave him alone. The feeling of loneliness seems to creep over him. and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.—He was not alone, for God never forsakes his children that are faithful to him in the darkest hour. 33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.—He transfers his own source of joy to them. In the world tribulation, persecution, and sorrow would come; but he had overcome the world. He had done it for them, and the Father would be with them as he had been with Jesus. They could overcome the world, too.

Verse 1 This chapter concludes the discourse leading up to the great intercessory prayer. It has the whole world in view (John 16:1-11) with its relation to the Holy Spirit, emphasis upon the Spirit’s relation to the apostles (John 16:12-15), and final remarks before the great prayer (John 16:25-33). These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble. (John 16:1) These things … indicates no break between these two chapters. Gaebelein noted that: The thought might have arisen in their minds that the coming of the Spirit would change things as far as the world is concerned; but he guards them against such a false hope and gives them a prophetic warning so that they might not be offended.[1]The particular things referred to were Judas’ treachery, Peter’s denial, the fact of his approaching death, and the continuing hatred of the world. Not be caused to stumble … This rendition is preferable to that of the KJV; because, as Hovey wrote: In the New Testament, (this word) never denotes causing one to stumble physically, but always morally, in other words, meaning … “to cause one to fall into sin or apostasy."[2][1] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of John (Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1965), p. 302. [2] Alvah Hovey, Commentary on John (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1885), p. 310.

Verse 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you shall think that he offereth service unto God.The apostles might have anticipated their expulsion from synagogues, for they had witnessed what was done to the blind man (John 9:34); but, at this stage of their development, they could not have been aware of the frenzied hatred that would fall upon them when they began their worldwide proclamation of the gospel. Out of the synagogues … This was a penalty dreaded by every Hebrew, meaning loss of social acceptability, employment, and all access to the religious life of the community. Excommunicated persons were held to be worse than pagans and were the object of total rejection and hatred. Killeth you … The world’s hatred of the apostles would never be abated by the mere penalty of excommunication; they would be murdered. Christ also revealed here that their murder would be motivated by religious considerations. As Barnes put it: The people of God have suffered most from people who were conscientious persecutors; and some of the most malignant foes Christians ever had have been in the church, professed ministers of the gospel, persecuting them under pretense of zeal for the cause of purity in religion.[3]Dummelow tells us that “There is a Jewish saying, `Every one that sheddeth the blood of the wicked, is as he that offereth a sacrifice.’"[4] Paul himself, before his conversion, was a conspicuous example of this very type of persecutor. [3] Alfred Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1954), p. 344. [4] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 801.

Verse 3 And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me.The world’s hatred of truth derives primarily from ignorance; but it is not an excusable ignorance. (The world’s ignorance) is rather a part of their sin, but a part which accounts for the rest. That when light came into the world, they loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19), was in a high degree sinful.[5]Lipscomb said of this: It is but another way of saying that there is an eternal and uncompromising enmity on the part of those who know not God and his Son Jesus Christ against those who walk with God and believe on the Lord.[6][5] Alvah Hovey, op. cit., p. 311. [6] David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the Gospel of John (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1960), p. 250.

Verse 4 But these things have I spoken unto you, that when the hour is come, ye may remember them, how that I told you. And these things I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you.This does not mean that Christ had not previously taught them of the persecutions coming upon them; because there had been many strong words to the effect that they would have to “deny” themselves, take up the cross, and suffer will and hatred. All such previous words, however, were understood by the apostles in a frame of reference to themselves as part of a company led by Jesus. Here Christ revealed that they would be without his physical presence during the trials, sufferings, and death they would endure. From the beginning … This repeated (John 15:27) phrase is of the utmost consequence, limiting the application of this discourse to the apostles, and making it inapplicable to Christians of all ages, except in a secondary and limited sense. Many serious and devout students of God’s word have missed this extremely important fact. See under John 16:13.

Verse 5 But now I go unto him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?The apostles, overwhelmed with the sorrowful implications of the Lord’s departure for themselves, were not considering the implications of that departure for the Lord himself. Instead of rejoicing that Jesus would shortly resume his eternal glory with the Father, they thought only of their own loneliness and suffering. Understandable as their attitude was, the Saviour was sensitive to this preoccupation on their part with the implications for themselves alone.

Verse 6 But because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.These words seem to have been spoken more in wonderment and tenderness, rather than in censure. The Lord knew how difficult it was for them to grasp the full meaning and significance of the crisis events then unfolding.

Verse 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you.Nevertheless … shows that this reference to the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-15) follows naturally the situation of sorrow and depression of the apostles. The departure of the Lord would not be the total disaster they were thinking of, but was a necessary prelude to the sending of the Spirit. Allegations like that of Windisch that these references to the Spirit do not “fit” are erroneous and contrived, much like saying that the hump on a camel does not fit! It is expedient for you … These words suggest those of Caiaphas (John 11:50). “The high lines of politics, said Caiaphas, is that we get rid of him. The high line of God’s policy, said Jesus, is that I go. Thus all the folly and wickedness of man is at last resolved into harmony with the divine government. “It is expedient,” said the politician; “It is expedient,” said the King and Redeemer."[7]I will send him unto you … See under John 15:23; John 15:27. Jesus’ sending of the Spirit was the same as the Father’s sending him. Note on the expedience of Jesus’ departure out of this world: The establishment of a worldwide religion with benefits of salvation from sin and eternal life for all humanity would have been impossible if the head of it had remained on earth, limited by earthly conditions, physically present at only one place at a time, inaccessible unless approached through other men (as did the Greeks, John 12:21-22), dependent upon human systems of communication, and his every contact with humanity subjected to monitoring and interpretation by human aides with their inevitable taint of fallibility and bias. An earthly head of such a thing as the true church of Jesus Christ is an impossibility revealed by this verse. If the holy Head of our blessed faith had himself remained on earth, there would have been no Holy Spirit to guide and comfort. Jesus Christ is the one true head of the true church in heaven “and upon earth” (Matthew 28:18-20). Whatever any man, therefore, may be “head of,” it is not the holy church of Christ. ENDNOTE: [7] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel according to John (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Co.), p. 260.

Verse 8 And he, when he is come, will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.Convict the world … The means of the Spirit’s convicting the world was explained thus by Lipscomb: He will convict the world, not by direct work upon their hearts, but as the event shows (Acts 2:37), through the life of the apostles, declaring the wonderful works of God. The Holy Spirit came not “unto the world” but “unto the apostles.” The world could not receive the Spirit directly (John 14:17), and never can, AS THE WORLD. The apostles received him, and through their testimony he reaches the world.[8]And he … Personal pronouns referring to the Holy Spirit throughout these pages emphasize the personal nature of the Spirit. The Trinitarian concept of three persons in the Godhead is in these verses. See under John 16:14-15. Convict … Regarding this word, Westcott noted that: It involves the conceptions of authoritative examination, of unquestionable proof, of decisive judgment, and of punitive power. He who “convicts” another places the truth in a clear light before him, so that it must be seen and acknowledged as truth … He who then rejects … rejects it with his eyes open and at his peril.[9]The issue of whether the world will or will not receive the truth is not treated here. The Spirit will “convict” the whole world by witnessing the truth to the whole creation; but every man, through the exercise of his own free will, will determine his own destiny by his reaction to the truth, either receiving it or rejecting it. Sin … righteousness … judgment … The comprehensiveness of these terms is boundless. Here are the two fundamentals of man’s spiritual condition and the two options, or alternatives, open to him. The Spirit convicts of sin, revealing man’s fallen estate and bondage to Satan, and showing his total helplessness to achieve through his own efforts any healing of his condition. The Spirit also convicts of righteousness by revealing the mystery of how a man may acquire a righteousness not his own, that being the righteousness of Christ, available to all who receive and obey the gospel, thus being inducted “into Christ,” and identified with Christ as Christ. “Sin … righteousness … judgment …” Over against these three words stand three proper names: Adam, Christ, and Satan. Through Adam came sin; through Christ came righteousness; and upon Satan the penalty of ultimate judgment shall fall (John 16:11). As Westcott observed: The “world” acting through its representatives, had charged Christ as a sinner (John 9:24). Its leaders trusted that they were “righteous” (Luke 18:9), and they were at the point of giving sentence against the “prince of Life” (Acts 3:15) as a malefactor (John 18:30). At this point the threefold error (Acts 3:17), which the Spirit was to reveal and reprove, had brought at last its fatal fruit.[10]Any human intelligence capable of understanding the phenomenal connections of these three words (sin, righteousness, and judgment) with all that was previously written in John, and so dramatically presented in Westcott’s words above, and as encompassing in their total significance the entire history of Adam’s race from Eden to the Great White Throne - any mind which sees all that can only marvel at a critic’s conclusion that such words “do not fit.” The sun, moon, and stars do not fit any better than these words fit the context. [8] David Lipscomb, op. cit., p. 253. [9] B. F. Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 228. [10] Ibid., p. 229.

Verse 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged.Of sin … See under John 16:8. The soul that does not believe in Jesus Christ is convicted of sin. Of righteousness … The world is convicted of this by: (1) Christ’s return to God, and (2) the absolute finality of Christ’s work - “ye behold me no more.” Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to God were irrefutable proof that his total message was from God; and his remaining thus at God’s right hand signaled the total completion of the righteousness which he wrought. As Westcott said: This revelation once given was final, because nothing could be added to it (I go to the Father); because after Christ was withdrawn from human eyes (Ye see me no more), there was fixed for all time that by which men’s estimate of righteousness might be tried.[11]Of judgment, because the prince of this world … Calvary was intended by Christ’s enemies as their judgment of him; but God made it the judgment of his enemies, particularly of Satan, the prince of this world. The cross indeed bruised the heel of the seed of woman, but it bruised the head of Satan. Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection condemned the value-judgments of men. Wicked men, living lives of conformity to the will of their prince (Satan) behold in Christ the rejection by Almighty God of their principles of judgment. The way of Christ was declared by his resurrection to be the right way.

The Spirit of God would never cease from Pentecost and ever afterward to convict the world of what righteousness really is. The world’s traditional values were set aside by God’s judgment of the cross; and the prince of this world has been summarily judged and condemned, and all who follow him shall partake of his judgment and destiny. Turning, now, from the work of the Spirit as it concerned the world, Christ spoke of the work of the Spirit within the apostles. ENDNOTE: [11] Ibid.

Verse 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.This verse is not a separation between the fourth and fifth Paraclete sayings, but a connective making them, in fact, one saying, the first part dealing with the Spirit’s relation to the world, the latter with the Spirit’s work in the apostles. The need of the apostles that something should be done for them is what this verse states. There were many things the apostles could not understand until afterward. As Barnes said: There were many things which might be said. Jesus had given them the outline, but he had not gone into details. These were things which they could not then bear.[12]The apostles were still full of Jewish traditions; and such ideas as the total replacement of Judaism by Christianity, the cessation of the sacrifices, and the elimination of circumcision and the office of the high priest these were some of the things they could not have understood at the moment, although Jesus had indeed told them all things. Their true enlightenment would come under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. ENDNOTE: [12] Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 347.

Verse 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.This is a verse of nearly incredible importance in the proper understanding of Christianity. Here is the cornerstone of faith. The errors grounded here are colossal, and the general misunderstanding of it has perverted millions of disciples. He, the Spirit of truth … See under John 16:8. Shall guide you into all truth … The most poisonous errors have been widely held and devoutly believed by Christians of all generations, thus leaving an intolerable burden upon any view that would make these precious words a promise to all believers. Jesus was here speaking to “apostles only.” (See under John 15:27 and John 16:4.) Again, the very manner of the Spirit’s guidance of the apostles into all truth by bringing to their “remembrance” what Jesus had said (John 14:26) denies the application of this promise to Christians who have never “heard” the Lord say anything. Again, there is the limitation that the Spirit shall not speak “from himself,” thus prohibiting the notion that the Holy Spirit would initiate new doctrine, formulate new truth, or announce new teachings in any manner beyond or in addition to the “all truth” Jesus had already delivered to the apostles (John 13:3; John 16:15). The Father delivered all truth to Jesus (John 13:3); and Jesus delivered all truth to the apostles, promising that the Spirit would enable them to remember “all truth” (John 14:26); and, therefore, only the apostles of Jesus could have been guided into all truth. In the writings of the apostles of Jesus is found “all the truth” as far as Christians are concerned. He shall guide … indicates a progressive revelation from one level to higher levels; and thus Revelation with its prophecies of the future exceeds what the apostles at first knew. In fact, this Gospel, written so long after the synoptics, has deeper insight into the mysteries of the kingdom of God than appears in them; but even here, the Holy Spirit did not go beyond what Jesus said, the greater insight resulting from more extended study of Jesus’ words. Only in the matter of prophesying future events would it appear that the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles apart from the exact words of Jesus, and even this may not have been done except in the same manner as that of Old Testament prophets. If this word “guide” indicates (from its suggestion of a journey) a progression, in some degree, beyond the actual words of Christ, it was strictly limited to the apostles. Such a proposition as the following is absolutely untenable: A guide always means a pilgrimage, and a guide always means a process. The whole church of God today has a fuller apprehension of the truth than had those twelve men. The Spirit has been guiding us into all truth![13]The Lord did not promise that the Spirit would guide “us” into all truth, but “them,” the blessed apostles; and, as for the notion that arrogant, selfish, secular, materialistic Christendom, as now almost universally constituted, has a “fuller apprehension” of truth than the apostles of Jesus Christ that notion has all but destroyed Christianity from the earth. For he shall not speak from himself … indicates that the Spirit is not the originator, or primary source, of truth, but a “remembrancer” of the truth conveyed by the Lord to the apostles. Gaebelein’s explicit words on this are helpful. He said: He does not speak from himself, that is, independently of the Father and the Son … Furthermore, he will show things to come. This was fulfilled in the inspired witness of the apostles … Let no one therefore think that the Holy Spirit continues now to give prophecies through individuals. He has shown the things to come in the completed word of God, and we must turn there to know these future events.[14]A little reflection will show that the Holy Spirit could never be the independent kind of “wind in the mulberry bush” guide of human conduct that some seem to believe. If any spirit, even the Holy Spirit, could have so dominated man’s mind as to have guided him into all truth, apart from the objective demonstration of truth in the life and person of Jesus Christ, it would not have been necessary for the Lord to come in the flesh.

The subjective “feelings” of spirituals in all ages have been erroneously received as gospel truth, and the ravages of this error have been phenomenal. Gibbon recorded a remarkable incident from one of the crusades in which: Two hundred thousand people (had as their) genuine leaders a goose and a goat, carried at the front, and to whom these worthy Christians ascribed an infusion of the divine spirit.[15]Pitiful? Certainly, but not any more pitiful than millions today who are following some goose who is allegedly endowed with the Holy Spirit. And he shall declare unto you the things that are to come … This also positively proves the limitation of this whole passage in its application to the apostles only. Can anyone believe that Spirit-filled Christians of the present age have the gift of prophecy? That the apostles had such a gift is devoutly believed, but it is here emphatically denied that any Christians now have such prophetic gifts. The glorious promises of this verse are the grounds of our hope in the sacred message of the apostolic company and our reason for receiving their word as true and infallible. [13] G. Campbell Morgan, op. cit., p. 263, [14] Arno C. Gaebelein, op. cit., p. 305. [15] Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Philadelphia: Henry T. Coates and Company, 1845), Vol. 5, p. 27.

Verse 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you.Regarding the Trinitarian nature of this passage, Dummelow said: This is one of the leading Trinitarian passages in the New Testament. In it (1) the three persons are clearly distinguished; (2) their relative subordination is clearly taught, the Father giving his all to the Son, and the Son communicating his all to the Spirit; and (3) their equality of nature is distinctly affirmed, for the Son receives from the Father “all things whatsoever the Father hath,” his whole nature and attributes, and communicates them to the Spirit.[16]Tenney also saw in this verse the concept of the Trinity, writing: Each of the three persons is separate in personality and is distinguishable from the others … The three interact and also act separately; they are three individuals, yet but one God … Jesus offered no philosophical statement of the Trinity. His language was extremely simple, though the profundities of his words are still unplumbed.[17][16] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 802. [17] Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972), p. 239.

Verse 16 A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.A little while … The difference in the verbs “behold” and “see” as associated with the two “little while’s” here has occasioned all kinds of exegesis as to what is meant by the second “see.” Does it refer to his appearances after the resurrection, or to their “seeing” him in a spiritual sense at Pentecost and afterward, or is the Lord’s coming in the second advent indicated? Gaebelein strongly argued for a reference to Pentecost.[18] Barnes declared flatly that “After three days, he would rise again and appear to their view."[19] Perhaps Westcott’s device of making the meaning include all three is the best way to understand it. He said: The fulfillment of this promise must not be limited to one event, as the Resurrection, Pentecost, or the Return. The beginning of the new vision was at the Resurrection; the potential fulfillment of it was at Pentecost, when the spiritual presence of the Lord was completed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. This Presence, slowly realized, will be crowned by the Return.[20][18] Arno C. Gaebelein, op. cit., p. 306. [19] Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 349. [20] B. F. Westcott, op. cit., p. 232.

Verse 17 Some of his disciples said therefore one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye behold me not; and again a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Farther?In view of the various opinions men still have of the meaning, it is not surprising that the apostles wondered at it. The repetition of the same thought in John 16:18 indicates that they spent some considerable time and discussion on the problem of what the words meant.

Verse 18 They said, therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith.Of deep significance is the fact of the apostles’ timidity and trepidation as they hesitated to ask a question of the Saviour with whom they had been intimate companions such a long time. This deep reverence and reluctance on their part contrasts with the free and easy familiarity of some whose very prayers seem to be saying, “Look, Old Buddy, Buddy, we want you to bless us.” The question troubling the apostles was the apparently contradictory statements (1) that Jesus would go to the Father, and (2) the declaration that “in a little while” they should see him. It should be observed that the statement of Jesus, “Because I go to the Father,” in the previous verse was actually quoted from his words in John 16:10. The proximity of those two seemingly irreconcilable statements added to their doubt as to what Jesus meant.

Verse 19 And Jesus perceived that they were desirous to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not, and again a little while, and ye shall see me?Of great significance is the revelation here that Jesus knew exactly what was in the minds and conversations of the apostles, whether or not they were physically in his presence. His repeating their exact words, not having heard them, was a marvelous demonstration of his divine power; and it made a profound impression on the apostles who responded by declaring, “Now we know that thou knowest all things” (John 16:30).

Verse 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.Jesus had often predicted his Passion, as recorded three times in Matthew; and here is another plain reference to the impending death and the rejoicing with which it would be hailed by his enemies. The apostles fully understood what Jesus meant here.

Verse 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world.The analogy here strongly resembles some of the parables found in the synoptics. Fittingly, Jesus the Seed of Woman here referred to himself as a woman in the pangs of childbirth, his apostles also being identified with him as sharing in his sufferings. Her hour is come … strongly reminds the student of Jesus’ frequent references to his own “hour.” The child is the church or kingdom of God, which was in fact delivered by the agonies of death through which the Lord passed. The woman’s remembering no more the anguish and rejoicing over the child correspond to the rejoicing that followed the Lord’s resurrection. Most remarkably, Jesus never lost sight of the joy of saving sinners, the same being the motivation that sustained him upon the cross itself (Hebrews 12:2). These applications of the metaphor appear in the Lord’s own explanation in the next verse.

Verse 22 And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you.This is a plain reference to the resurrection and the rejoicing with which the apostles would hail the victory over death. Your joy no one taketh away from you … is a prophecy of the unflagging enthusiasm with which the apostles would joyfully proclaim the good news of redemption for all men throughout their lives. They were hated, persecuted, scourged, and murdered; but the last one of them went down to death shouting the joyful message, “He is risen!” Satan exhausted the total resources of hell in a vain effort to counteract the testimony of that little band of men to whom Jesus gave these words, but their joy was never taken away from them; and Satan’s purpose was totally frustrated.

Verse 23 And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name.This means that in the totally changed situation after the resurrection, the apostles would not need the Lord’s physical presence as an ever-available teacher to answer their questions and allay their doubts and fears. All that would be changed. They would ask Jesus nothing, that is, in the ordinary sense of inquiring of a human teacher. On the other hand, they would pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. This also indicates that the apostles would soon understand the great spiritual verities and would not need to ask, “Where art thou going?” (John 13:36), or “How can we know the way?” (John 14:5), or “Show us the Father” (John 14:8), or “Lord, what has happened that thou art about to manifest thyself to us and not to the world?” (John 14:22), or “What is this that he saith, A little while?” (John 16:18). All such uncertainties would disappear in the light of the events which would, in a matter of hours, be unfolded. He will give it you in my name … These words show that Jesus intended that his followers should pray, not to himself, but to the Father IN JESUS’ NAME. It surfaces here also that the giving, as well as the asking, shall be in Jesus’ name. In all petitions to the Father, the name of Jesus Christ should be mentioned as the ground of the petitioner’s right to be heard. High-sounding prayers offered in no other name, and upon no other grounds, than those of the petitioner, or even ambiguously, “in thy name,” can be nothing other than an affront to Almighty God. Ignoring or bypassing the name of the One Mediator between God and man is presumptuously sinful.

Particularly reprehensible is the custom of closing prayers with a mere “Amen,” for fear that some unbeliever might be offended by the name of Christ. Loving the praise of men more than the praise of God was fatal to believers in Jesus’ day (John 12:42); and it is beyond question fatal to fall into the same error today.

Verse 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.There are two ways of understanding this: (1) as a reprimand of the apostles because of their prior failure to pray in Jesus’ name, or (2) a mere statement of their habit up to that time, and mentioned only with a view to changing it. Surely the latter is correct, because when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he did not at that time command them to pray in Jesus’ name (Matthew 6:9-13). There is also here the mention of their joy being made full, and that hardly fits in with the idea of a reprimand. Hendriksen observed that: When a believer concludes his prayer by saying, “All this we ask in Jesus’ name,” he is not using a magic formula. What he means is, “We ask all this on the basis of Christ’s merit and in harmony with his redemptive revelation."[21]Now, of course, it is true that “in the name of Christ” is not a magic formula, but a prayer thus concluded is properly concluded. It might be stated in other ways, to be sure; but, however it might be stated, the point here is that there can never be any substitute for stating it. The sinful and fatal shortcoming of many prayers is that they are offered in no name at all, pleading no connection whatever with Christ who died for us, and having the effect of: “God, we want all this. Amen!” The holy Scriptures deny the efficacy of all such prayers. The great fact underlying the absolute necessity of praying in Jesus’ name is that, apart from the soul’s connection with Christ, no man has any right whatever to ask forgiveness of sins or any other blessing. No man has access except “in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). ENDNOTE: [21] William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1961), II, p. 335.

Verse 25 These things have I spoken unto you in dark sayings: the hour cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in dark sayings, but shall tell you plainly, of the Father.In dark sayings … These would appear plain enough after Pentecost; but, meanwhile, the heart of all of Jesus’ teachings might have been called “dark sayings.” The reason for this was complex: (1) It was a fulfillment of prophecy. (2) It was necessary to use a medium that could not be distorted by the Pharisees. (3) Finally, the dark sayings proved in the long run to be more memorable and effective than any other method could have been. Here are some of the subjects of Jesus’ dark sayings: After the temple was destroyed, he would raise it in three days. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot see the kingdom of God. He would give living water … if a man drink he shall never thirst. Rivers of living water would spring up within the believer. Except one eat the flesh and drink the blood, etc. He that believeth shall never die. Before Abraham was Jesus is. Ye are clean, but not all. A little while, and ye shall see me no more; again a little while, and ye shall see me. Etc., etc. These “dark sayings” should not be alleged as an excuse for unbelief, because there was far more than enough to make the true meaning clear for all who would apply themselves to find it. Speak no more in dark sayings … This would be fulfilled before the night was over. For practically all of his ministry, Jesus had presented himself as God come in the flesh, but he had categorically avoided (except in specific instances) saying plainly that he was the Christ, preferring to speak of the “True Vine,” “the Good Shepherd,” “The Son of man,” etc.; but, before the night was over, Jesus would declare flatly that he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, and that his enemies would behold him sitting on the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62).

Verse 26 In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.This is a further exhortation for the apostles to pray directly to God in Jesus’ name, on the grounds that the love of God for Christ is extended to Jesus’ disciples. This love of God was the result not merely of their belief in Christ (last clause) but was also based upon their love of Christ; the importance of this requirement being seen in the order of its statement here (being first), and also because, as used elsewhere in John, such love means keeping Jesus’ words and obeying his commands (John 14:15).

Verse 28 I came out from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world and go unto the Father.These words, as Jesus promised, are not dark sayings at all but the plainest possible statements of the profoundest facts in Christianity. The incarnation, the Godhead of Jesus, the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension are all included in this. I leave the world … The prophetic use of the present tense for the future here refers to his death, resurrection, and ascension. And I go to the Father … This also prophetically referred to the ascension and resumption by Christ of that glory he had with the Father before the world was. I came forth from the Father … This first clause marks Jesus’ entry into our earth life as an act of his own volition. He decided to come, chose the time and place of entry, elected the particular race that would provide him a mortal body, and timed the entire sequence of events to fulfill the 333 prophecies of the Old Testament bearing upon the first advent of the Messiah. Likewise, his departure to be with the Father was revealed here as an act of his own volition.

Verse 29 His disciples say, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark saying. Now we know that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.Strangely, the supernatural understanding of what was in the apostles’ hearts seems from these words to have been more convincing to them than even the raising of Lazarus. Needest not that any man should ask thee … refers to the omniscience of Christ. This vision of his Godhead was clear to the apostles at this point. They had seen his deity shining through the veil of his humanity and cried out, “Now we know … by this we believe.” However, as Hendriksen noted, there were still some dark waters to be crossed. He said: The light is shining brightly now, more brightly than ever before; but within a few hours it will be obscured once more. Yet, the confession made here will linger on in their subconscious minds, until, by and by, when the Lord rises from the dead and (a little later) pours out his Spirit, it will bear the fruit of calm and steadfast assurance, and this fruit will abide for ever.[22]Jesus was not deceived by the apostles’ glowing words. He knew their weakness and promptly moved to strengthen them and warn them against the awesome events that were rushing upon them. ENDNOTE: [22] Ibid., II, p. 340.

Verse 31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.Do ye now believe? … is not a questioning of their faith, which was genuine enough; but it was a warning against overconfidence. The Old Testament prophet had written, “Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7), and Mark (Mark 14:27) identified the scattering of the apostles during the Passion as the fulfillment of that prophecy. There is infinite pathos in these words. The scattering of the apostles, the smiting of the Shepherd, the Saviour’s being left alone, and his comment that he would not be really alone, for God was with him - the thoughts that tug at the heart as one contemplates such events on the night of our Saviour’s Gethsemane with the cross looming on the morrow are wholly tragic. Utterly no human consolation would be available for the Son of God when he would “tread the winepress alone” (Isaiah 63:3) to redeem men from sin.

Verse 33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me, ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.Jesus had unfolded for his apostles a full account of all that was about to happen. The betrayal by Judas, the denial by Peter, the scattering of all of them to their own homes, the hatred and rejoicing of the world at his death; and the exact fulfillment of all those prophecies would strengthen their faith AFTER IT WAS ALL OVER. That ye may have peace … Hendriksen is right in seeing this peace as a dual blessing: “It is both objective (reconciliation with God) and subjective (the quiet, and comforting assurance of justification and adoption)."[23]In the world … in me … Not even the apostles could receive the peace of God apart from being “in Christ.” In him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All spiritual blessings in the heavenly places are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). “In the world …” is the opposite state of being unsaved, without hope and without God in the world. Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world … The serene confidence and assurance of the Lord as he calmly awaited his agony and death are reflected in these words. How could he speak of “good cheer” in the face of all that he knew was about to happen? Only God could have exhibited such behavior upon such an occasion and in such a circumstance. I have overcome the world … How? He had overcome the world by overcoming the world’s prince, Satan; he had overcome by rejecting the world’s value-judgments; he had overcome by a perfect willingness to endure the worst the world could bring upon him without retreating from one word of his holy teachings; he had overcome by steadfast refusal to yield to the world’s temptations of lust and pride; he had overcome the world by living a life of total innocence and perfection and, at the same time, a life of total power, authority, and effectiveness. He had indeed overcome the world! According to Dummelow, “overcome” actually means “conquered.” He said: See the sublime vision in the Revelation, where Christ goes forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2). The victory of Christ over the world, and the victory of believers through that victory, are favorite themes of the Fourth Evangelist.[24]The marvelous words of this extensive discourse of Jesus are matched by the marvelous recall of the words, at such a long time afterward, by the apostle John.[25] The Holy Spirit did indeed, as Jesus promised, bring to his remembrance “all” that Jesus said unto them. What a wealth of spiritual truth is found in these precious words of the Lord. [23] Ibid., II, p. 343. [24] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 803. [25] Many years of further study have convinced this author that John wrote these words soon after they were spoken, perhaps as early as 30 A.D. See the introduction to Revelation. - James Burton Coffman

Questions by E.M. Zerr For John 161. State the purpose of Christ’ s words. 2. What expelling did he predict? 3. Tell what severer fate he foretold them. 4. How would such acts be counted? 5. Why will they do all these things? 6. For what reason did Jesus foretell this? 7. Why had he not told it before? 8. What is about to happen now? 9. Tell what has filled their heart. 10. This caused what hesitancy in them? 11. Why was it expedient for Christ to leave them? 12. Who was this being to reprove? 13. Why reprove of sin? 14. Of righteousness? 15. And of judgment? 16. Who is the prince of this world ? 17. Why had Jesus not said all to the disciples? 18. Tell what the Spirit was to do for them. 19. Whose words was he to speak? 20. Tell what he was to show them. 21. What glorifying was he to do? 22. In what way would he do it? 23. What things did Jesus say were his ? 24. What was to happen in a little while ? 25. To what event did this refer? 26. What would determine the second “ little while” ? 27. State the inquiry the disciples made. 28. Was it made openly? 29. What did Jesus say they would do? 30. At that time what would the world do ? 31. How would it be changed? 32. What was to cause them to rejoice ? 33. Of what were they assured? 34. When was “ that day” of 23rd verse? 35. Why would they ask nothing then? 36. What asking was to be granted? 37. In what name must the asking be done ? 38. What form of speech had Jesus used? 39. Tell the promise he made about it. 40. Of whom was he to do this? 41. They would then ask in what name? 42. Why would Christ then not need to pray? 43. Tell why the Father would love them. 44. From where had Jesus come? 45. Why had he left his father? 46. Was this journey to be reversed? 47. Give their comment on this speech. 48. Of what were they sure? 49. This produced what belief in them? 50. What hour did Jesus predict? 51. Explain “ his own” . 52. Would not Jesus be alone? 53. For what reason had Jesus spoken thus? 54. What would they have in the world? 55. Why should they be cheerful ?

John 16:1

1 To stumble is from , and Thayer defines It at this place, “To cause a person to begin to distrust arid desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to cause to fall away.” Jesus warned his apostle! of what they would have to encounter in their service for Him. The information was to forearm them so that they would not be surprised Into errol’ when it came.

John 16:2

2 They refers to the people, especially the leaders of the Jews, of whom Jesus had been saying much in the preceding chapter. Being put out at the synagogue is explained at chapter 9: 22, 23. Paul was a prominent case of this form of persecution as is revealed in Acts 26:9-11. Verse 3. Jesus always emphasized the close relationship between his F atber and Himself. He maintained that aU treatment that was accorded eith er of the two, was to be considered as being done to the other. Not knowing the Father mearit not to acknowl· elge him and not to accept bis truth. The Jews had rejected the teaching of Jesus, and he used tha t tact as evidence that they did not know his Father.

John 16:4

4 That … ye ma.y remember. A prediction becomes evidence atter It haa been fulfilled. (See Exodus 3:12 and Luke 21:13.) Said not . .. waa with you. Being with the dIsciples In person, Jesus did not consider it necessary to go into 8.8 much detail with his teaching as he did when he was about to leave them.

John 16:5

5 Jesus knew about the question asked in John 13:36 and John 14:5, but he meant they were not re¬peating it; the explanation is in the next verse.

John 16:6

6 Their great sorrow so over-whelmed the apostles that they did not “ have the heart” to inquire into the subject of their lord’s departure.

John 16:7

7 This verse through 15 forms the Anal link in the chain that was suggested at chapter 14; 16, 17. This passage gives a more itemised statement of what was to be accom-plished by the Spirit through the apos-tles. I shall comment on the present verse, also the others in their order. Expedient means “to help or be profit-able,” according to Thayer. As long as Jesus was with the apostles in per¬son, the Comforter or Holy Spirit would not come to them, for it was not the Father’s will that two persons of the Deity should be working per¬sonally on the earth at the same time. That being true, It was necessary for Jesus to “retire” from the scene and give way to the other. The Spirit would come to stay with the apostles through¬out their work, which would give Him the opportunity to accomplish certain ends that it was not intended for Christ to da

John 16:8

8 This verse is a general statement of the work of the Spirit after it has come upon the apostles. Reprove is from euegoho and has vari¬ous shades of meaning, including the conviction of those who are guilty of wrongdoing, and bringing to light what constitutes a life of righteousness. The work of the Spirit (through the mouths and pens of the apostles) that is stated in general terms in this verse, will be considered in its several parts in some verses to follow.

John 16:9

9 Of sin. The Holy Spirit was to convict the world of the sin of unbelief. John 3; John 18 teaches that un-belief In Christ constitutes sin, and the apostles were to bring that truth before the attention of the world, in¬spired by the Comforter which Is the Holy Spirit.

John 16:10

0 We have seen at verse 8 that a part of the definition of reprove is to bring to light what constitutes a life of righteousness. While Jesus was in the world personally, he taught such principles orally. But after going back to his Father, that teaching would have to be done otherwise, and He purposed to do it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit working through the apostles.

John 16:11

1 The prince of this world is Satan (chapter 12: 31; 14: 30; Duke 4:6; Ephesians 2; 2) who is to be Judged. But Matthew 25:41 states that unsaved men and women will be cast Into the same place as the devil and his angels. That denotes the unsaved will be Judged likewise, hence the Comforter was to teach and warn mankind of the judgment day and the only way to prepare for it.

John 16:12

2 Bear is from BASTAZO, which Thayer defines at this place, “To take up In order to carry or bear ; to put upon one’ s self something to be carried.” Things which would be spoken are not literal or material such as would be taken by one upon his body. The meaning of the state¬ment, then, is that their understand¬ing and memory would not be able to embrace all of the things that Jesus wished his apostles to hear. This thought will be verified by the follow¬ing verse.

John 16:13

3 With the Spirit to guide them into all truth, the apostles would not need to he overburdened with the load, but could always have the assur-ance that no truth would be omitted that was necessary for their work. The Holy Spirit is the third being in the Godhead, and is wholly subject to the authority of God and Christ who are the two other members thereof. That is why Jesus said that he would not speak of himself. Will show you things to come. Romans 8:27 and 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 teaches ub that the Holy Spirit is fully aware of the purposes and desires of God. That Is why he was able to tell the apostles things to come; he would learn it from God.

John 16:14

4 The Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus by receiving the truth, then passing it on to the apostles. Jesus called this truth his (jiine), and by giving it over to the ones whom He had chosen, it would redound to the glory of the Son.

John 16:15

5 This verse is Christ’ s ex-planation of the statement he made in the preceding verse. The Father and Son were so united In the great scheme of human redemption, that what pertained to one was a concern of the other.

John 16:16

6 A little while Is uttered twice; the first means the time until Jesus was to be crucified and buried; the second is the time of three days he would be in the grave. After Jesus went to his Father the disciples could not see him, it is true, but in order for him to go to the Father, it was neces¬sary for him to come forth from the grave, and then would come the period that would make the second absence a little while also to which Jesus re¬ferred in this important conversation.

John 16:17-18

8 These remarks were made among the apostles, unknown to Jesus (as they thought), but he al¬ways knew what men were thinking about.

John 16:19

9 Knowing the tension in the minds of the apostles over his re¬marks, Jesus relieved it by taking up the subject without waiting for them to ask him.

John 16:20

0 This verse was said in view of the same periods of time that were meant in verse 16. When Jesus was dead, his disciples wept and la¬mented (Mark 16:10). At that time the enemies of the Lord were In rejoic¬ing because they thought they had conquered the man who exposed their wickedness. But after the resurrec¬tion, and the disciples came to realize that their Lord had risen again, their sorrow was turned into joy. (See Mat¬thew 28: 8; Luke 24:41; John 20:20.)

John 16:21

1 The original word for sorrow also means “pain,” so that it applies to the bodily feeling In tills case, as well as the state of nervous anxiety of a woman at such a time. That condition would make the con¬trast all the more apparent when the joy of the happy termination was ex¬perienced, Likewise, the sorrow of the disciples at the death of their Master was more than overbalanced by the rejoicing that came upon his resur¬rection and reappearance among them.

John 16:22

2 Joy no man taketfh from you. The enemies could plunge the disciples into sadness by slaying their Lord, but the joy that would follow could not be taken from them. That was because He would be the final victor over the grave, and ascend to the Father after having filled them with joy over the resurrection.

John 16:23

3 The ascension of Jesus was soon followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. That was to guide them in all truth, so that they would not need to ask Jesu3 personally for information, as they did when he was with them. That was the time meant by that day. When that time arrived, instead of asking Jesus for favors and Informa¬tion directly, they were to ask the Father, but were to do It in the name of Jesus or by bis authority,

John 16:24

4 Hitherto they had not asked anything in His name which would mean by his authority. The time finally was to come when he would have “ all power” (Matthew 28:18), to which he refers here by words ask, a-itd ye shall receive.

John 16:25

5 Proverbs means a figure of speech, and Jesus evidently refers to his comparison of the expectant mother. The time cometh meant the occasion when the apostles were to receive the Holy Spirit In baptismal measure. As that would guide them “into all truth,” they would not re¬quire any explanatory passages.

John 16:26

6 At that day still has refer-ence to the complete inspiration of the apostles, at which time they would make their requests in the name or by the authority of Jesus. Say not . . . will pray the father, yet chapter 14; 16 expressly says that he would pray the Father. We are sure that Jesus never contradicted himself, but the next verse will show he meant that the favor of God Upon the apostles did not depend solely on the prayer of his Son.

John 16:27

7 The love of the Father for the apostles of his Son, would be a sufficient motive for sending the Spirit upon them for their guidance.

John 16:28

8 The former intimate as-sociation of Jesus with his Father, agrees with the idea that God would be inclined to honor his Son’s apostles by sending them the Spirit. It also would make it appropriate for the Son to return to his Father, after his work on earth was finished.

John 16:29

9 The apostles grasped the meaning of the words of Jesus, and they admitted that he had already ful-filled the prediction made in verse 25, to speak to them in direct language, and not depend upon figures of speech.

John 16:30

0 The apostles did not mean to express any previous doubt. The passage denotes that the conversation of Jesus had strengthened their faith and understanding.

John 16:31

1 Jesus knew the weakness of the human being. He did not questlon the sincerity of their faith when he tiBked them do ye now believet But he was using that as an intro¬duction for the ead prediction about to be made when their human weakness would prevail over their faith far a time.

John 16:32

2 Every man to his own. The margin adds the word “home” to the pronoun, and Moffatt’ s translation does the same. Jesus predicted that the apostles would desert him In his hour of trial, and Mark 14:50 states the fulfillment of the prediction. Leave me alone meant as far as the apostles were concerned Jesus would be alone, but he would still have the comfort of his Father.

John 16:33

3 All of the foregoing conversation of Jesus was for the purpose of preparing the minds of his apostles for the great crisis that was near. He knew it would be a severe trial of their courage, and he wished to leave them all the consoling assurances they were able to comprehend.