Chapter Introduction
The farewell discourse continues.
This chapter connects closely with chapter fifteen which began with Jesus presenting Himself as the True Vine.
John 16:1-4
This chapter is a continuation of chapter fifteen, the chapter break is manmade and a nuisance in this case. Jesus spoke to these things to them ahead of time so they wouldn’t fall away, or be deceived by what they saw and didn’t understand. The idea of stumbling was to fall into disbelief, to become detached from the vine. To be forewarned is to be forearmed!!
Jesus said the world would hate the disciples. This was not good news but it wasn't a surprise either. These men had seen how Jesus had been rejected and hated as they walked with Him. Things weren't going to get better when Jesus went away. As the work of Jesus was completed at the cross, the work in the world was just getting started for His followers.
"Jesus did well to forewarn because it comes as a great shock that a gospel so glorious is hated so passionately." (David Guzick)
Christians in John’s day were being expelled from the local synagogues. This may have been from the influence of the Pharisees as well as other groups of Jewish non-Christians. The synagogue was the center of the community. To be put out of the synagogue was, in a way, like being stripped of your citizenship. Other Jews would then treat them differently, as an outsider, as an unbeliever. These men would be forced out and banned from the religion of their country. These things would be done in the name of religion. Saul would become the very thing Jesus is talking about. He would kill the followers of Christ in service to God. We see it happening today and the intensity of it seems to be increasing from year to year. But these things are done, not because they know God, but because they don't know God or Jesus.
Synagogues provided Jews who lived far from the temple in Jerusalem a place to pray, teach, and—most importantly—read Scripture. Rabbis could lecture there, interpreting the Scriptures, explaining the law, and offering instructions.
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser,
M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M.,
Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016).
Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 4:23). Lexham Press.
The world loves its own but you will be seen as different. You were chosen out of this world and the world will recognize that. They will hate and persecute you for what you represent, who you represent, and the One that resides in you. Your very presence brings conviction to them and reminds them of their sin. Strangely enough, they will come after us in the name of religion. They will be the tolerant coming after the intolerant. They will hate truth and anyone who claims it, yet they will have no trouble claiming their truth is the right one.
There was a day, not that long ago, when the idea of this seemed strange. We couldn’t imagine that people would kill Christians thinking they offer service to God. Yet, it is going on every day in Islamic countries. The religion of humanism has been empowered by the thought police and social medial censoring. These folks are getting bolder and bolder and coming after believers.
Jesus makes it clear that they are doing these things because they don’t know the Father. Their actions of hatred and violence are consistent with their religion and the father of lies.
Who is 'they'? Who are these people? They are our families and friends; our neighbors and acquaintances; they are strangers we pass in the street and sit next to in the waiting rooms. They are you and I without Christ. They aren't bad people, as the world might define good and bad. They are lost people; lost in their sin and lost in the hopelessness of a dark and dying world.
As Christians, we can get caught up in this hopelessness. It's all around us; financial collapse, jobless rates, federal deficits, government shutdown, new diseases, new wars, new viruses, and the list goes on and on. But Jesus told the disciples these things would happen so that when they did, they would not be surprised.
In a world of hatred, persecution, and cold love, Christians were to bear witness to the power of the Holy Spirit. The way they spoke, acted, worked, and worshiped would all point to a coming kingdom as their hope, rather than hope in a sin-fallen world. Their hope was in salvation, redemption, sanctification, and subsequent glorification in the kingdom of God.
Remember these 11 confused men were in charge of carrying on. They would be the ones to carry the testimony of a living and risen savior to a dead world. The future of the church is in their ability not to stumble. That seems like a lot of responsibility.
What if that same responsibility were on you? Yes, there are more than 11. And maybe we draw too much comfort from that figuring that someone else can do the heavy lifting. The future of the church lies with you and I. We are one generation from extinction and there's a generation of kids growing up without any real knowledge of Jesus.
I think there is sufficient evidence in the bible that these disciples were standing around thinking the very same thing many of us are thinking; I don't know how to do this, I have no training or education, I'm not equipped for ministry, I'm waiting to find my gift or calling, I don't have time, I don't know how.
In reality, many of us are already stumbling and spiritually lazy.
The disciples were not to go astray when things get difficult. The physical absence of Jesus was no excuse to depart from the faith. These things were about to happen to the disciples when they arrested Jesus. The disciples scattered. We can only wonder how long after their running away they heard the words of Jesus echo in their minds.
John 16:5-6
The disciples had been preoccupied with their thoughts, even to the point of arguing who was greatest among them. With trouble and fear nearby, they looked at their own life. What did all this mean for them? They may have wondered how following the messiah turned out to be at war with the world. They may have been thinking that this following Christ wasn't all they thought it would be. After all, He was to be King!! I wonder if they pictured themselves as being in the inner circle of the great king, enjoying the finest things a king had to offer. Now they hear of persecution and hardship.
Jesus pointed out that their eyes were on themselves and not on Him. They weren't sad about Jesus leaving. They were sad because of the situation of their lives. They hadn’t asked Him where He was going. He was going back to the Father from which He came. They should be happy for Him.
This was also an advantage for them. When Jesus went away, the Holy Spirit would come. The witness of the Holy Spirit would duplicate the ministry of Jesus in the world.
Note: Modalism (Sabellianism) claims to see God taking one of three forms, but never all three at once. This is refuted by the baptism of Jesus when the Father spoke from heaven and the Spirit descended on Him. This is also refuted when Jesus breathes on the disciples and they receive the Holy Spirit as a sign gift.
The truth is that the disciples were losing the physical presence of the Messiah, yet they would gain the spiritual presence of God in the way of the Holy Spirit – the Helper (advocate, parakletos). Remember, Jesus already mentioned the Helper would come back in chapter 14.
Jesus is offering them reassurance that He didn't bring them all that way to abandon them. He didn't save them and walk with them to leave them abandoned along the way. They had to understand, this wasn't about them. This wasn't about them having the life of which they always dreamed. They had surrendered their life to Christ, they were to follow Him, even when it got difficult. Jesus didn't come to make them comfortable in this world. In fact, it was just the opposite because there was a bigger work at hand.
The counselor would come and He who would convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and Judgment. This word for conviction means to expose, announce, and make known the verdict. The Holy Spirit would make known that mankind is sinful, Jesus is righteous and judgment is coming.
The sin that condemns men is the sin of unbelief. All have sinned and fallen short of God's perfect standard. Without Christ, all our sins stand against us. But those who believe in Jesus receive the atonement for their sin. Jesus made it clear that He didn't come to condemn mankind, they stood condemned already. He came to offer salvation. The Holy Spirit makes that offer known by convicting men of their unbelief. He does this so they might believe.
He also announces the verdict of the righteousness of Christ. When Jesus overcomes the grave and ascends to be seated at the right hand of the Father, the righteousness of Christ is evident. He was crucified without sin. The conviction includes the knowledge that His suffering is what we deserve. The Holy Spirit makes this known that the unbeliever might believe.
In the knowledge of sin and righteousness, men would then be made to understand that judgment is coming. All sin must be paid for and the penalty of sin is death. To sin against an eternal God earns one eternal punishment. The prince of this world stands condemned already. We know that. Yet he is allowed to wreak havoc a little longer. But there is a day coming soon when Christ will return and clean up the mess left by sin and Satan. The value system of man and all his ways are infected with deadly sin. Sin leads to eternal spiritual death. The Holy Spirit brings knowledge of sin to men so that they might understand their needs so that He can point them to the One who could wash them of their sin, offer them His righteousness, and save them from the coming judgment.
Jesus had to go away to complete the gospel. His cause was bigger than what these men saw or were concerned about. There was a greater benefit. They had a great responsibility and were unaware of it.
John 16:12-15
Jesus never gives us more than we can handle. He had told them all they needed to know about salvation. That was enough for now, they couldn’t handle anymore. What they had been given and the situation they faced was enough. They were not yet ready to accept how difficult following Jesus would be.
The Holy Spirit would guide them when the time came. If Jesus had told these men specifically what was coming in their lives, they would have likely all run away and hid in a cave. The work of the disciples hadn't even really started yet. But this work wasn't by their power. The fear of all that was coming was one born of the flesh and the enemy.
The work these disciples would do was going to be powered by the Holy Spirit. This is the power over every obstacle and situation in their life. The Spirit brought them the joy to sing hymns while in prison as well as stand up and move on after being stoned. It brought them courage when they stared down death and the threats of torture. The Holy Spirit put authority in their words. The Holy Spirit would present the things of God, which is the Kingdom of God, to these men and to the world.
The Holy would glorify Christ, who Glorifies the Father. The Holy Spirit will assume the role of the teacher and leader of this band of believers. He would declare the same truths that Jesus brought to them. As Jesus shared His heart with the disciples, the Holy Spirit would do the same.
The Disciples would become the hands and feet of Jesus, doing the things He had done, empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is God’s work in the world. It is bearing fruit. The works for which we were created.
John 16:16-18
How confusing this must’ve been for the disciples. I can imagine them all looking at each other asking if anyone knew what Jesus was talking about. They didn’t understand where Jesus was going or why they couldn’t go with Him. He was going away for a while. He would come back briefly to establish that He rose again. Then He would ascend to the Father and the Holy Spirit would come to the believers. He would be the presence of God in each person who trusted in Christ. He would lead, guide, correct, encourage, and teach as Jesus had.
What did “a little while” mean? They wanted to know. Is this a few hours, a month, what? Without the specifics, they were required to trust and follow Jesus. What they would face would have to be dealt with individually.
John 16:19-20
Jesus saw their confusion. He responded with “Most Assuredly” which we know is the word “amen” repeated. The disciples would weep and lament. It would be a dark and confusing time when Jesus went away. They would each have to search their soul. They would have to remember what Jesus told them and then trust in it.
Imagine how lost the disciples would feel after the crucifixion, then imagine that in the face of a world taking great joy in His death. The religious leaders represented all that Jesus opposed and they came to represent the hatred of the world. They thought they were doing the world a favor in crucifying Jesus, they thought God would be pleased they had Him killed. They claimed to have done it for religious reasons, but, in reality, they did it for selfish reasons. Their power was threatened. Their livelihood and influence were threatened. They eliminated Jesus to maintain the status quo!
Beyond this dark time, there would be a better day. Their sorrow would be turned to joy. The very source of their sorrow (the cross) would bring them to the joy and rejoicing of an empty tomb and a resurrected Lord.
I will extol Youn, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:1-5)
At this time, the cross was a symbol of shame and defeat. It was a means of not just death, but torture. It was a message from Rome to the world, do things our way or this could be you. Jesus turned the symbol of the cross into joy. Instead of the cross looming as a threat over life, it now adorns our lives as a message of hope and forgiveness. Jesus took all the shame and defeat of the cross by His grace.
John 16:21-22
Jesus likens this time to what a mother goes through in giving birth. Once the child arrives all that labor is forgotten because the joy is so great. The same thing that caused great pain, sorrow, and suffering was then considered a bundle of joy.
Early Judaism sometimes came to apply these birth pangs specifically to the final period of suffering before the end of the age, which would be followed by the resurrection of the dead. Jesus’ tomb is the womb of his resurrection, and his resurrection inaugurates a new age; Jesus’ resurrection means that the life of the coming world is now available to the disciples in the present (see comment on 3:16).
Keener, C. S. (1993).
The IVP Bible background commentary:
New Testament (Jn 16:16–22). InterVarsity Press.
The same type of things was coming for these followers. He promised to see them again and experience the joy with them. The joy that Jesus is bringing cannot be stolen away, regardless of what they would soon think and feel.
When they saw Jesus again, the meeting would be characterized by rejoicing. No one would rob them of that moment. This would have been a moment they spent the rest of their life speaking of. Imagine them sitting down their grandkids and telling them about the day when the resurrected Lord stood before them for the first time.
John 16:23
What day is this that Jesus is speaking of? I believe it is after the coming of the Holy Spirit. In that day, the disciples would no longer ask of Jesus, but ask the Father in the name of Jesus.
The work Jesus would do on the cross would restore mankind’s access to the Father if they came in the name of the Son. There are two words used for “ask” in his passage. The word used for “ask” by the disciples was a word implying one of a lesser making a request to the greater. It’s the request of a humble servant before the King of kings.
The joy is not just getting what you ask for but being able to ask in Jesus' name, and knowing the Father would hear your request, and then He would grant it. It’s the interaction we get to have with our Creator God. This was what we were made for.
The “most assuredly” accentuates this passage with the “amen, amen.”
John 16:25-28
The KJV translates the language to ‘Proverbs’ whereas the NKJV and NASB use ‘figuratively.’ The things Jesus said confused the disciples. Jesus acknowledged that He used figurative language. It was common for Jewish teachers to use riddles, proverbs, and other means to make a point and provoke thought among the students. The disciples didn’t have enough information to put it all together, but they soon would. The Holy Spirit would bring these things to remembrance and help them understand when the time was right.
The time was coming when Jesus could speak to them and they would understand His words as He would speak plainly. These things viewed from the other side of the cross would come into focus.
John 16:29-30
The question throughout this farewell discourse is whether the disciples would be willing to follow Him based on the fact He spoke of death and resurrection.
Jesus plainly stated that he came from the Father and into the world and that He was leaving to return to the Father. Suddenly they felt as though they had a new understanding and Responded with a statement of faith. Although, they probably didn't understand as much as they thought.
John 16:31-33
The crux of the entire passage was the question placed before them, “Do you now believe?” That same question is posed to every believer. If you put yourself in the shoes of the disciples, I think you’ll find out how difficult this must’ve been for them. The abiding that seemed so easy in His presence would be challenged. When Jesus was arrested like a common criminal, the disciples would scatter, forgetting their loyalty. It would be easy to forget all the things that made so much sense when the nails were being driven into the cross.
Someone wise once said, “Don’t forget in the dark what you know to be true in the light.” When life is enveloped in darkness, the truth remains true. It is our belief in Jesus we can hold fast to when darkness, persecution, depression, loneliness, and a myriad of other things descend upon us. It is faith in Him that brings us peace in those settings.
Tribulation is a given in this world.
Cheer up, Jesus has overcome the world.
***
The cross is mere hours away. Yet, here is Jesus proclaiming victory. At the very moment Jesus is speaking this to the disciples, His betrayer is swinging a deal with the religious authorities. Jesus will be arrested, abandoned by His followers, denied, mocked, tortured, spit on, and nailed to a cross.
And it's those very things that will lead Him to victory. This is the victory He won so that we may share in it, that we may be overcomers.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
©2005, 2009, 2013, 2023 Doug Ford
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