John 16

I these things. The warnings and promises in the preceding part of the discourse.

offended. That is, hindered in your Christian course: see note on Matt. xi. 6. The remembrance of this prediction would in the time of trial confirm their faith in Him who had shown that He foreknew all (4), and their confidence in His promise of the help of the Holy Spirit.

2 put you out of the synagogues. See note on ix. 22.

will think that he doeth God service. Some of the most cruel persecutions have been carried on professedly in the name and for the glory of God.

3 these things will they do, etc. See xv. 21.

4 these things I said not unto you at the beginning, etc. All our Lord’s disclosures to His disciples were gradual, as occasion arose. His speedy removal would leave them to bear apparently alone the brunt of the world’s enmity to Him.

5 none of you asketh me, Whither goest Thou? They had asked some questions about His departure (cp. xiii. 36; xiv. 5); but our Lord appears to mean, When you hear of my departure, you are filled with sorrow (6); for you do not consider whither, and for what purpose, I am going (Calvin). Why do you not ply me with eager questions as to the glory to which I am passing, and the home that I am preparing for you?

7. Nevertheless. Referring to ver. 5. Though you do not think so, I tell you the truth. The force of the assertion indicates its importance.

for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. The outward and temporary ministry of Christ was to be followed by the inward and abiding ministry of the Spirit in the hearts of the disciples; and the change thus to be effected in their spiritual condition would be obviously and immensely to their advantage.

8 when He is come, He will reprove the world, etc. Rather, as R.V., “He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.” This threefold conviction must be interpreted by our Lord’s own statement of its grounds. “Sin” is brought home to the world’s conscience as a result of its unbelief in Christ and rejection of Him. “Righteousness,” again, is manifested in the ascension and exaltation of Christ: first His own righteousness, signally thus attested, with the deeper truth that He becomes righteousness to all who trust in Him. Then “judgement” is also revealed. “Now is the prince of this world cast out” (xii. 31), and in this is the final condemnation of all the power of evil. But in this is also salvation. The judgement of Satan is the deliverance of his victims. “Every sinner, snatched from Satan, and regenerated by the Spirit, is a monument of the condemnation henceforth pronounced upon him who was formerly called the prince of this world” (Godet).

12 many things. A few of these things our Lord Himself taught them after His resurrection (Luke xxiv. 45; Acts i. 3); but the rest were reserved till “the Spirit of truth” should “guide them into all the truth” (13; 1 John ii. 20).

ye cannot bear them now. Not only their present sorrow, but still more the slowness of their spiritual apprehension, would hinder their reception of many truths which they must learn in order to do their work: see Luke xxiv. 25; Acts x. 9-14; xi. 1-3. etc.

13 all truth. Rather, as R.V., “all the truth”: collectively, of which only some portions had been hitherto revealed.

He shall not speak of Himself. This sentence shows (like v. 30) the entire oneness of purpose in the work of the Spirit and the Son with the Father, and also declares that the object of all the Spirit’s teaching is to glorify the Son (14).

things to come. Lit., “the things that are coming.” The things relating to the kingdom which Christ was about to establish. The whole passage (13-15) clearly teaches that “the Spirit is not coming to set up some new kingdom, but rather to confirm the glory given to Christ by the Father.”

“As soon as the Spirit is disunited from the word of Christ, the door is opened to all kinds of mad fancies and impostures” (Calvin).

14 glorify. The meaning of the original, here and elsewhere in this Gospel, is “to show forth the true character” of one, or to reveal one’s greatness. The Vulgate well renders it here, “Ille me clarificabit.”

receive. R.V., “take”; to show that the word is the same in this and the next verse.

15. All things that the Father hath are mine. Some commentators regard this as a direct assertion that the Son possesses all that the Father has, as being equally Divine. But others (with Calvin) take it to mean that all the Father’s gifts are put into the Mediator’s hands; so that all the blessings which the Holy Spirit confers are to be traced up to Him. Perhaps this agrees best with the preceding verses.

16. A little while, and ye shall not see me, etc. R.V., “Ye behold me no more . . . ye shall see me.” Two different words in the Greek express the bodily (θεωρεῖτε) and the spiritual vision (ὄψεσθε). Our Lord probably refers primarily to His death, now close at hand, and His speedy resurrection and restoration to His mourning disciples. But this was itself only a prelude to another separation shortly to follow, by His ascension to the Father (see ver. 28); to be succeeded, after “a little while,” by another return. This return may include the Spirit’s advent and abiding with the Church; but it no doubt refers ultimately to our Lord’s final coming (xiv. 3). “This is a promise to the universal Church; and, when this little while is past, and Christ comes again, we shall feel how short a time it has been” (Augustine).

18 we cannot tell what He saith. Rather, “we know not what He is talking about.” They understood that He was to go away: but the speedy departure and speedy return perplexed them. This our Lord does not explain; but comforts them by the promise that their sorrow shall be turned into joy which they can never lose (20-22), and that then they shall not need to make any inquiries (23).

19. Jesus knew (“perceived,” R.V.). Entering into the secret of their thoughts by virtue of His omniscience: cp. vi. 61.

20 the world shall rejoice. In the thought that they have destroyed me.

your sorrow shall be turned into joy. The joy shall not only follow, but shall spring out of the grief. It was so with the Lord Himself; His cross was the source of His glory (Phil. ii. 8, 9; Rev. v. 9, 13). And so it is still with the Christian, whose sharpest sufferings are the birth-pangs of his highest joys (2 Cor. iv. 17); and with the whole Church collectively.

21. A woman when she is in travail, etc. For a similar use of this figure, see Isa. lxvi. 7-14, and notes; which is probably referred to here; being partly quoted in ver. 22: see also Rev. xii. 2, 5.

22 your heart shall rejoice. Speedy fulfilments of this promise are found in xx. 20; Luke xxiv. 52.

23 ye shall ask me nothing, etc. Rather, “you shall not ask me questions”: such as those of Thomas (xiv. 5), Philip (xiv. 8), Judas (xiv. 22), but you shall pray to the Father (“ask,” in this verse, is the rendering of two different Greek words). And whatsoever ye shall pray for, He will give it you in my name. At that time you shall be taught by the Comforter, whom the Father and I will send; and instead of these questions which you desire to put to me, you shall pray for His enlightening influence. And you shall not ask in vain. By Him I will teach you concerning the Father so plainly and fully, that your joy shall be complete.

24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Until our Lord’s atonement and intercession were recognised as the ground and the means of access to the Father, the disciples could not use His name in prayer. This was one of the inestimable benefits which they and all believers were to receive from His departure to the Father; see Eph. ii. 18.

25 in proverbs. Our Lord’s declarations respecting His death and resurrection, which appear plain to us, who have the light of subsequent events, and especially the teaching of the Holy Spirit in the Word, appeared very dark and enigmatical to the disciples.

27. I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, etc. The R.V. transposes the phrases: “I came forth from the Father: I came out from the Father.” The former refers to the mission of Christ, the latter to His Sonship. The disciples (30) fasten only upon the former truth.

30 ask Thee. Or, “inquire of Thee”; for Thou knowest our thoughts. The change to which they refer seems to be rather in themselves than in our Lord’s teaching, which was not yet free from enigma (see ver. 25).

31. Do ye now believe? A question not implying doubt of their faith, but rather the recognition of it (see xvii. 8), with the suggestion that their belief, ready and enthusiastic as was its expression, yet needed much to perfect it.

32 his own. That is, his own home.

I am not alone. See note on Matt. xxvii. 46.

33. These things. All the things contained in the preceding discourses.

ye shall have. Rather, “ye have.” To the Christian, the world, with its temptations and opposition, is the source of trouble; Jesus, the Author of peace. But Jesus has “overcome the world,” even when assailed by its “prince” with the strongest temptations (Matt. iv. 1-11) and the severest sufferings (Luke xxii. 53; Heb. ii. 14).