John Chapter 16 (incomplete)

The upper Room Discourse continues

Remarks by Jesus

1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

16^th Promise

Christians would be despised by Jews, and persecuted, commencing with excommunication.

Peter and John were arrested at the temple; Paul, Barnabas, and Silas were thrown out of numerous synagogues.

17^th Promise

Persecution will lead to death.

3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

The practical application of these warnings is in verse 4. These disciples would experience persecution in a matter of weeks, certainly months. And the Lord wanted them to recall this instruction when chaos later broke out on the streets of Jerusalem.

See also Matthew 10:17, 21, 28.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

The disciples concentrated on the fact of this departure, and upon what they thought this would mean for them. They failed to pay sufficient attention to the nature of this departure, and upon what he had said this would mean for them and for himself! (CS)

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

18^th Promise

Work of the Holy Spirit

Unless Christ was glorified, his work would have failed, and there would be no person to whom atonement had been applied, and thus no requirement (or possibility) for the Holy Spirit to indwell believers, because there would be no believers.

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;

10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;

The work of conviction is to clarify the gospel in the minds of unbelievers so that they acknowledge it is true.

This work does not presuppose that those who are convicted will accept the good news.

The Spirit’s conviction will cause the unregenerate mind to understand and acknowledge the truth of the issues at stake. Whether the hearers accept it or not is another issue.

11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

He convicts the world of righteousness, specifically the righteousness of Jesus, as proven by His ascension to the Father (Jn. 16:10).

If Jesus had been unrighteous, He would not have ascended into heaven, where He took His place at the right hand of God the Father.

Finally, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of God’s final judgment, as demonstrated by the fact that because the ruler or prince of this world is judged (John 16:11). If the prince of this world has been judged, then the followers of the prince of this world will also be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. (CS)

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Jesus has forbearance and patience.

This word “bear” means literally “carry.” It does not therefore signify things that the disciples could not “apprehend,” but things that their minds were not yet strong enough to endure and digest. (JCR)

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

19^th Promise

Revelation of the truth

It is worth notice that in the Greek it is literally “guide into all THE truth,” as if it specially meant “the truth concerning Me.” Poole remarks that the Greek word rendered “guide” is one of great emphasis, signifying not only a guide who will discover truth as the object of the understanding, but one who will bow the will to the doctrines of truth. (JCR)

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

20^th Promise

The Holy Spirit will glorify the Messiah

Any religious teaching that does not tend to exalt Christ has a fatal defect about it. It cannot be from the Spirit.

15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The object of this deep verse seems to be to show the entire unity between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the revelation of truth made to man. Beyond the great principle—that it is the special office of the Holy Spirit to glory Christ and to show disciples the whole truth concerning Christ—it is very hard to get (JCR)

You sorrow will turn into joy

16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”

21^st Promise

The disciples will see Jesus again, after his death – a promise of resurrection

17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”

18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?

From the crucifixion to the resurrection, all Jesus’ disciples (not only the eleven) would weep and mourn. They needed to understand that He would see them again personally, and then after his ascension the Holy Spirit would come. (CS)

20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

His death would be bitter agony for them but the world would be happy over it, the Pharisees and Sadducees would be very happy over it.

However, the very event, the death of the Messiah, which would cause them to weep and mourn would bring them gladness: your grief will turn to joy. (CS)

21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

God brings joy to our lives, not by substitution, but by transformation. His illustration of the woman giving birth makes this clear. The same baby that caused the pain also caused the joy. In birth, God does not substitute something else to relieve the mother’s pain. Instead, He uses what is there already but transforms it.

Jesus did not say that the mother’s sorrow (pain) was replaced by joy, but that the sorrow was transformed into joy. The same baby that caused the pain also caused the joy! (CS)

22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

While the immediate application may have been to the sorrowing hearts of the disciples, the ultimate application is to all of God’s people as they await the coming of Jesus Christ. To us, it seems like a long wait; but God does not measure time as we do (see 2 Peter 3). But while we are waiting, we must deal with our trials and hurts on the basis of transformation and not substitution, if we expect to mature in the Christian (CS).

23 In that day you will ask [erotao = interrogate, ask a question] nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask [aiteo = bet, ask an superior] of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

12^th Admonition

Pray in the name of Jesus

Note: the word translated “ask” whatever you ask of the Father in John 16:23b, 24, and 26b means “to request something of a superior.”

This latter word was never used by Jesus in His prayer life because He is equal to the Father.

We come as inferiors to God, asking for His blessing; but He came as the very Son of God, equal with the Father. (CS)

24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Up to this point the disciples had not prayed in the name of Jesus. Now they are to do this since Jesus’ death and the Spirit’s coming would enable them to enter into God’s new program of the Church Age. Answered prayer brings complete joy (cf. 15:11; 16:22) because God is at work in them.

25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.

22^nd Promise

A new way of teaching

From the very first words of our Lord’s farewell discourse—‘In my Father’s house are many mansions’—to the words concerning the travailing woman, the discourse is wrapped in various similes and parables.” (Besser)

Jesus would now teach them in plain language: He did not use any more dark sayings e.g.  ‘figures of speech’. (CS)

I have overcome the world

26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;

23^rd Promise

Jesus promises to mediate prayer of those that ask in His name

27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Jesus is the intercessor for all believers at the right hand of God the Father.

But here he talked about prayer—going directly to the Father’s throne.

Those who have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, who show the fruit of the Spirit because of their branch-like attachment to the vine—these are accepted by the Father in their prayers.

Remember praying in Jesus’ name is not a magic bullet for everything to be answered.

28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."

Mission statement of Jesus.

29 His disciples said, "Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech!

30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God."

The disciples claimed to understand everything, this claim was probably presumptuous, as their subsequent actions proved, they recognized his omniscience (You know all things), and divine origin (You came from God). (CS)

31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?

Jesus and the coming of the Spirit.

32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

In this teaching and touching sentence, our Lord reminds His disciples that their desertion would not deprive Him of all comfort. (JCR)

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

24^th Promise

Persecution

25^th Promise

Victory

Inner peace is conditional; it can come only through Jesus. The world offers only trouble that need not plague Jesus’ followers. We belong to the one who overcame the world.

Fear turns to peace when we learn how to apply Jesus’ victory in our lives. (CS)

13^th Admonition

Take heart, be of good cheer.