4.The Disciples' Peace (16:31-33)
JOHN 16
2. A Warning of Coming Persecutions (16:1-4)
1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 41 have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you."
The work of the Holy Spirit in the church is done in the context of persecution. The Spirit is not a guide and a helper for those on a straight way perfectly able to manage on their own. He comes to assist people caught up in the thick of battle and tried beyond their strength. Jesus makes it quite plain that the way before his followers is a hard and difficult way.
1 For "All this I have told you" see on 14:25. "So that" indicates purpose; Jesus speaks "so that" his followers will not "go astray."1 This looks forward to excommunication and the like. Jesus is preparing the disciples for the severe trials they will undergo. "Christians were the non-conformists par excellencein antiquity and they had to pay for that" (Haenchen). As Temple reminds us, "it is hard to believe that a cause is truly God's when it seems to meet with no success, and all power is on the other side." But Jesus prepares them so that they will not be taken by surprise and overcome in the collapse of a starry-eyed optimism.
2 Their enemies will excommunicate them.2 The term indicates the loss of all fellowship. Jesus has often spoken of his "hour," and in this passage3 the "hour" (NIV, "time")4 and again "their hour" (v. 4; NIV, "the time") may possibly be meant to awake memories of the other expression. Be that as it may, Jesus looks forward to a time when people's values will be so perverted that anyone who kills5 his followers will think6 that he is serving7 God.8 It is not persecution by a secular state that is in mind, but that set in train by religious authorities. Pilcher aptly reminds us that "A sermon was preached at the burning of Archbishop Cranmer, and the horrors of the Inqui-sition were carried out with a perfectly good conscience." It is the tragedy of religious people that they so often regard persecution as in line with the will of God.
3 "They will do such things" indicates certainty. Jesus is not speaking about one possible outcome of present circumstances. He is warning his followers of what will inevitably follow. They will suffer for their faith. The reason for the action of the persecutors is their complete ignorance9 both of the Father and of the Son. Characteristically this passage links the two together. The Father is known as he really is only through the revelation made in the Son. To be ignorant of the one is therefore necessarily to be ignorant of the other. There is, of course, an ignorance that is natural and that is not blame-worthy. But in this Gospel the ignorance of the Jews is always regarded as culpable, because they ought to have known the truth. God had revealed himself, but they had not considered the revelation. In this verse God is called "the Father," not "my Father," nor "him that sent me." Jesus speaks of him in the relationship in which the Jews ought to have recognized him.
4 Jesus gives the reason for his warning at this particular time. It had not been necessary for him to say these things earlier because he had been with them. His presence in the flesh had meant that he could give them guidance day by day, and it had also meant that the venom of the enemy would be directed against him rather than them. While the Master was with them, the disciples were a negligible quantity in the eyes of their opponents. The removal of the Master would transform the situation. Now the hostility will be directed at them. Therefore on the threshold of his departure from them Jesus tells them plainly what is going to happen so that they will not be overtaken by surprise. When the trials come, they will know that they are no more than Jesus10 had predicted. Thus, instead of being a difficulty to faith, the trials would actually strengthen faith. When the troubles came, the disciples would remember that this is just what Jesus had said would happen. There is dramatic fitness in the use of "their hour" (NIV, "the time"). Just as Jesus' "hour" would certainly come (see on 2:4), so would his enemies' "hour" certainly come. But in how different a sense! This section of the discourse ends with an indication that things were changing. At the beginning11 Jesus had not said these things, for he was with them. The implication is that persecution then would fall on him, not them (cf. 18:8-9). But not at the time of which he speaks. Things will be different.
3. The Work of the Spirit (16:5-15)
5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righ-teousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."
From the thought of the persecutions his followers must face, Jesus turns to the resources available to them. He will send them the Spirit, who will supply their need abundantly. We have already had the thought of the Spirit as a Helper and Advocate (14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27). Now we have the additional thought that he is a Prosecutor, convicting sinful people of being in the wrong.
5 "But now" (NIV omits "But") points to altered circumstances. A change is imminent. Jesus is about to go to the Father (cf. 17:13), typically spoken of as "him who sent me" (cf. 7:33; and see on 3:17); Jesus' sense of mission remains. A difficulty is posed by his statement that nobody12 asks, "Where are you going?" in the light of Simon Peter's earlier question, "Lord, where are you going?" (13:36; cf. also 14:5). But that question had not really been a serious inquiry as to Jesus' destination. Peter had been diverted im-mediately, and he made no real attempt to find out where Jesus was going. He had been concerned with the thought of parting from Jesus, not with that of the Master's destination. He had in mind only the consequences for himself and for his companions. Neither he nor they had as yet made serious inquiry as to what was to become of Jesus.13 So does self-interest blind us.
6 For "I have said these things" see on 14:25. Because14 of Jesus' words, sorrow,15 he says, "has filled your heart" (for the singular, "heart," see on 14:1; NIV paraphrases with "you are filled with grief"). The perfect is somewhat strange since sorrow was to give way to joy (v. 20). The thought may be that when Jesus was taken from them a sorrow would enter their hearts that would not cease until the Easter joy replaced it. The pain of parting would be very real.
7 Jesus assures the disciples that it is expedient for them that he should leave them. The expression "It is for your good" is the same as that used by Caiaphas (11:50, there rendered, "it is better for you"). We may profitably reflect that this is the supreme illustration of the way God uses the acts of wicked people to effect his purpose. Caiaphas thought the crucifixion expedient. So it was, but in a way and for a reason that he could not guess. The statement here is important, and Jesus prefixes it with "But I tell you the truth" (cf. 8:45-46). These words are not necessary for the sense, but they add weight and emphasis to what follows. The expression "It is for your good"16 should be noted. To the disciples the departure of Jesus seemed disastrous: actually it was for their profit.17 Two things are involved. The one is that it is better for them not to be dependent on the visible bodily presence of Jesus. But the other, and more important, reason is that the Spirit (for "the Counselor" see Additional Note F, pp. 587-91) will not come until Jesus goes away.18 Why is not said, but in 7:39 (where see note) John has explained that the Spirit was not then given "since Jesus had not yet been glorified." So now the implication is that the cross is critical. Before that Jesus could not send the Spirit. Afterward he will send him (cf. 15:26). It is the divine concern to bring about a full salvation for people. That salvation can be based on nothing but Christ's atoning work. Only when that is accomplished can people receive the Spirit in all his fullness. The truth behind Jesus' words may be discerned by reflecting that at the end of his visible sojourn with them "every-one deserted him and fled" (Mark 14:50). But at the beginning of the new era inaugurated by the coming of the Spirit they "spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31); they were found "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41).
8 When the Spirit is come he will "convict the world." This is the one place in Scripture where the Spirit is spoken of as performing a work in "the world." The many other references speak of what he will do in believers. This is an important passage, for here "we see that the Spirit is not the domesticated auxiliary of the Church; he is the powerful advocate who goes before the Church to bring the world under conviction" (Newbigin). We have seen that the word translated "Counselor" is a word with legal implications (see Additional Note F, pp. 587-91). Normally it denotes a person whose activities are in favor of the defendant, but here the meaning is that the Spirit will act as prosecutor and bring about the world's conviction.19 This involves a threefold activity that is further developed in the succeeding verses. Apart from the Holy Spirit people do not really know the truth about sin or righ-teousness or judgment.20
9 The Greek underlying these verses may be taken in any one of three principal ways. It may mean "he will convict the world (of wrong ideas) of sin, in that they do not believe"21 (cf. NEB, he will "show where wrong and right and judgement lie"), "he will convict the world of its sin because they do not believe" (i.e., their unbelief is a classic illustration of their sin),22 or "He will convict the world of its sin (which consists in the fact) that they do not believe" (i.e., their unbelief is their sin). None of these is impossible, and in the Johannine manner more than one may be intended. If we have to choose, then (with Barrett) it seems as though the second is more likely to be correct. The basic sin is the sin that puts self at the center of things and consequently refuses to believe. This is the world's characteristic sin, and it received classic expression when God sent his Son into the world and the world refused to believe in him. The world is guilty, but it requires the Spirit to sheet this home. The Spirit convicts the world in two senses. In the first place he "shows the world to be guilty," that is he secures a verdict of "Guilty" against the world. But in the second place we should take the words to mean that the Spirit brings the world's guilt home to itself. The Spirit convicts the individual sinner's conscience. Otherwise people would never come to see themselves as sinners.
10 The righteousness23 that is shown by Christ's going to the Father is surely the righteousness that is established by Christ.24 It is precisely this righteousness that requires the work of the Holy Spirit for people to be convinced about it.25 The Spirit shows people (and no one else can do this) that righteousness is not the acquiring of merit that they think it is; righteous-ness before God depends not on their own efforts but on Christ's atoning work for them. "You can see me no longer" may refer to what happened at the cross, when Jesus was removed from them. Or it might look through the cross to the ascension when his bodily form was finally taken away from them.
11 The work of judgment refers to the defeat of Satan (for "the prince of this world" see on 12:31) on the cross. This defeat is not an arbitrary feat of power, but a judgment. Justice is done in the overthrow of the evil one. "Judgment" is not the favorable declaration that the world thinks it will attain before God; it is the just condemnation and overthrow of no less than Satan.
All three aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit that come before us in these verses are interpreted christologically. Sin, righteousness, and judg-ment are all to be understood because of the way they relate to the Christ.
12-13 From the work of the Spirit in the world Jesus turns to his work in believers. First he speaks of having many things yet to say to his disciples. He does not explain "more than you can now bear." "Bear" is an unusual word in such a connection.26 It may signify that their experience so far sets a limit to their ability to perceive. There are vistas of truth before them that they cannot as yet even see but that they will know when the Spirit27 comes. More probably it refers to their inability, until the Spirit should come, to live out the implications of the revelation.28 This latter is more in keeping with the meaning of the verb "bear." The Spirit is called "the Spirit of truth" (see on 14:17), for his work here is to guide29 the followers of Jesus into "all truth."30 As the days go by, the Spirit will lead them deeper and deeper into the knowledge of truth.31 In passing we should notice that the attempt of some scholars to "go back to the original Jesus" and bypass the teaching of the apostles is shown by Jesus himself to be misguided. The same source lies behind both. The Spirit's teaching is not from himself, but he teaches "only what he hears." It is not said whether he hears them from the Father or the Son, but the point is probably not material. The emphasis in these verses is on the Spirit rather than on either of the other Persons. This expression will indicate his harmony with them. He is not originating something radically new, but leading people in accordance with the teaching already given from the Father and the Son. The declaring of "what is yet to come" is somewhat puzzling. While the Spirit has on occasion revealed the future, that is not his characteristic work. Usually even spiritually minded Christians are ignorant of what lies ahead. Perhaps the expression means that he will supply what is needed as it is needed. More likely "what is yet to come" is a way of referring to the whole Christian system, yet future when Jesus spoke, and to be revealed to his followers by the Spirit, not by natural insight.32 Not a few scholars discern an eschatological reference. They remind us of the fact that Jesus foretold calamities, and specifi-cally dire persecution of his followers, in the last days. They remind us also that he promised the help of the Spirit when they stood before hostile tribunals (Mark 13:11). They see this passage accordingly as the Johannine counterpart of this strand of Synoptic teaching. This is not impossible, but it does seem to be reading something into the words. It is better to take the sense as, "He will show you the whole Christian way." Hoskyns sees verses 16-24 as supporting if not actually rendering necessary the view that "what is yet to come" refers to what is imminent rather than to the End.
14 The work of the Spirit is Christocentric. He will draw attention not to himself, but to Christ.33 He will glorify Christ. It is the things of Christ34 that he takes and declares,35 that is, his ministry is built upon and is the necessary sequel to that of Christ.
15 There is no division in the Godhead. What the Father has the Son has (cf. 17:10). The previous verse does not mean that the Spirit will concen-trate attention on Christ to the exclusion of the Father. It is just because of the community between the Father and himself that Jesus can speak in the way he has just done. Just as the Spirit is concerned to set forward the things of Christ, so is he concerned to set forward the things of the Father.
F. SOME DIFFICULTIES SOLVED (16:16-33)
Jesus proceeds to deal with certain difficulties felt by the disciples. This does not mean that his words were fully understood immediately or or that the disciples consciously felt that their problems had been solved. In some ways they were just as puzzled as before. But important truths were spoken. Answers were given. In due course the full implications of Jesus' words would be unfolded.
1. The Disciples' Perplexity (16:16-18)
16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." 17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying. "
It is not surprising that these words of Jesus proved difficult to the men in the upper room. They have puzzled Christians ever since. The main problem concerns the meaning of the coming again of which Jesus speaks. Does he mean that he will come again in the person and work of the Holy Spirit? Or is he referring to the post-resurrection appearances? Or even to the ascension and the parousia? Great names can be urged in support of each of these views. Barrett is of the opinion that the ambiguity is deliberate: "By this ambiguity John means to convey that the death and resurrection were themselves es-chatological events which both prefigured and anticipated the final events." In these verses we are concerned not with the resolution of the difficulty, but with stating it. But it seems that the language accords better with a reference to Jesus' death and then to the post-resurrection appearances than to anything else (though this is not to deny that, as often, there may be a secondary meaning as well).
16 Jesus declares that there is but "a little while"36 before he will be taken from them.37 There can scarcely be any doubt but that this refers to his approaching death. He uses the same expression, "a little while," for the time interval before they will see him again. The words favor a literal seeing of Jesus himself rather than a metaphorical reference to the work of the Spirit.38 As far as they go, then, the words point to the post-resurrection appearances.
17 The words were certainly mysterious to men who stood on the other side of the cross. It is not surprising that the disciples were puzzled. Some of them express their bewilderment (characteristically there is a small change from the way Jesus has put it in the previous verse39). It is noteworthy that they couple "Because I am going to the Father" with the words about the "little while"40 when they will not see him and then will see him. Either they perceive that there is some link between the two, or else they are carrying on a difficulty that they felt earlier (the words about going to the Father were spoken in v. 10). They do not ask Jesus to explain himself; their words are spoken "to one another."
18 The heart of the difficulty for them was the reference to "a little while."41 They concentrate on that.42 And they see no solution. Godet sagely remarks, "Where for us all is clear, for them all was mysterious. If Jesus wishes to found the Messianic kingdom, why go away? If He does not wish it, why return?"
2. The Disciples'Joy (16:19-24)
19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me' ? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in myname. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Askand you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
Jesus replies to the need, rather than to the question, of the disciples. He points out that there may be anguish that is purposeful (like that of a travailing woman). It must be gone through, but when that is done the person forgets it for the joy of the result. So they must go through a time of deep sorrow. But out of it will emerge an abounding joy.
19 It is not likely that John wants us to think of Jesus' understanding that the disciples were perplexed43 as due to supernatural knowledge. After all, they were speaking openly to one another.44 Jesus repeats their words. Interest-ingly he does not use exactly the same words as in his original statement (v. 16), though the difference is slight.45 There was apparently some constraint on the part of the disciples. They wanted to ask him, yet they did not do this.
20 For "I tell you the truth" see on 1:51. The following words are marked out as important. Jesus makes it clear that his followers will have a difficult time while their enemies triumph, but he does not explain this in detail. The saying is enigmatic. "Weep and mourn" combines the thoughts of deep grief and of the outward expression given to that grief, while there is an emphatic contrast between "you" and "the world"46 (for this latter term see Additional Note B, pp. 111-13). But Jesus does not end on the note of sorrow.47 The disciples' grief will become joy48 (cf. 20:20). Again he does not define this closely. They would still not understand exactly what he had in mind. It may be significant that he does not speak of their sorrow as being replaced by joy, but of turning into it. The very same thing, the cross, would be to them first a cause of sorrow but later a source of joy. This corresponds to the illustration that follows. In childbirth it is the same thing what is first a source of pain, then of joy. Jesus is not speaking of anguish that would be replaced by a quite different joy.49 Calvin sees a further thought: "Christ means that the sorrow which they will endure for the sake of the Gospel will be fruitful."
21 Elsewhere in Scripture the thought of the travailing woman50 is generally used to bring out such thoughts as the suddenness and the inevitability of the birth when the time has come. Here the thought is rather, the contrast between the state of mind of the mother before and after the birth. During travail she is in great distress,51 but when the child is born52 the distress is forgotten. What matters then is that "a child53 is born into the world." The background to these words is found in Old Testament passages (like Isa. 26:17ff., which combines the thoughts of childbirth and resurrection; Hos. 13:13-15; and perhaps Isa. 66:7-1454 ). Such passages point to an anguish like that of childbirth from which the new Israel would emerge. This leads to the well-known thought of the birth pangs that would precede the coming of the Messiah. Such thoughts are important for an understanding of the present passage.55
22 The point of "therefore" (which NIV omits) is difficult to see. What is clear is that Jesus sees the "grief" of the disciples56 as already present. He is not looking to the distant future, but speaking of something that is imminent. It is even now upon them. But that is not the end. He will see them again.57 This is not explained, but it seems to be another reference to the post-resurrection appearances. When these take place a new state of affairs will have emerged. The disciples will then rejoice58 in a way that is permanent. No one will take away the joy they will then have. The thought is not, of course, that believers will never know sorrow. It is rather that after they have come to understand the significance of the cross they will be possessed by a deep-seated joy, a joy independent of the world. The world did not give it and the world cannot take it away.59
23 "In that day" perhaps points us to the rather frequent use of "that day" (or the plural, "those days") for the last great day (Mark 13:17, 19, 24, 32, etc.; cf. also Mark 13:11). But the primary reference will surely be to the time after the resurrection. It is not certain what meaning we should give to the word for "ask" in the first part of the verse.60 It may mean "ask a question" or "ask for a gift." If we take it in the former way Jesus is saying that after the resurrection the disciples will not look for further information from him.61 This points to an activity of the Holy Spirit who would be with them to teach them "all things" and remind them of all that Jesus had said (14:26) and also to guide them into all the truth (16:13). The disciples would have all the knowledge they needed. We should probably take this as the correct meaning of the words. The disciples had asked Jesus many questions, not least in the upper room (cf. 13:6, 25, 36-37; 14:5, 22), and this makes a reference to questions very appropriate. But they had not prayed to him, so there is no reason for thinking that at this time the words would have led them to think of prayer. Moreover, "I tell you the truth" commonly introduces a new thought; it does not simply repeat the thought. The asking in prayer at the end of the verse thus appears to be something different from the asking at the beginning. The alternative view is that the whole verse has to do with prayer. In that case Jesus is saying that prayer will be directed not to him, but to the Father. In either case the events now to take place will alter everything. The disciples will not again return to the kind of situation in which they have been hitherto. In the future they will direct their prayers to the Father who will give them "whatever"62 they ask in the name of his Son. The expression "in my name" is usually attached to asking rather than to giving, and most translations agree with NIV (though the word order may be held to favor .IB,the Father "will grant in my name"). In either case Jesus is saying that on the basis of his atoning work people will approach God and know that their prayers will be answered. The words do not, of course, exclude the possibility of prayer to the Son. But they remind us that, for Christians, prayer is normally addressed to the Father in the name of the Son and that such prayer is all-prevailing. It is on the grounds of all that the Son is and does that we receive gifts from the Father.63 art of this verse repeats 15:16, characteristi-cally with small variations.
24 A new state of affairs is about to be inaugurated. Until now the disciples have asked Jesus for things directly or they have asked the Father directly. They have not asked the Father for anything64 in the name of the Son. Jesus tells them to ask (the present tense may have its full significance, "keep on asking") and assures them that they will receive. And the purpose of all this is their "joy." God is interested in the well-being and happiness of his people. They will go through trials (cf. v. 33), but when they put their trust in him he puts a joy into their hearts that can never be removed. Notice that this is connected with prayer. They are to pray in order that their joy may be made "complete." It cannot be made complete in any other way.
3. The Disciples' Faith (16:25-30)
25 "Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and entered the world: now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 29Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."
Jesus further explains his going away. He is to leave the world and go to the Father. The disciples find this plain speaking, and it elicits from them a statement of faith — they believe now that Jesus came from God.
25 For "These things I have spoken to you" (NIV paraphrases) see on 14:25. A good deal here hinges on the meaning of the word rendered "figures of speech" in NRSV (NIV, "figuratively").65 It can mean parables, but it is also used of a variety of clever sayings of one kind or another. There is often the implication that the meaning does not lie on the surface, but must be searched for and thought about. "Dark sayings" (ARV) brings out an important part of what the word conveys; cf. Schonfield "I have spoken to you enigmatically. ..." Until now Jesus has spoken figuratively, with the implication that the figure is not easy to penetrate. The reference will be to the discourse as a whole rather than to the immediately preceding figure of the woman in childbirth (which is fairly obvious; it is not a "dark saying" even though there are depths of meaning that the disciples are as yet unable to plumb). Jesus goes on to refer to an "hour" (NIV, "time") when he will speak plainly. One would have expected that this would be now, and, indeed, the disciples apparently take it this way (v. 29). Yet Jesus does seem to be looking forward to the time after the resurrection (v. 26), and this was the time when things that had been obscure began to become clear for them. There is a marked difference in the apostles when we come to Acts. Then there is a sureness of touch, a certainty, a conviction, that could not take place until after the events narrated in the Gospels.
26 In the light of their fuller knowledge the disciples will then pray as they should, in Christ's name (cf. vv. 23-24). Jesus does not undertake to intercede for them then (contrast 14:16; 17:9, but these refer to prayers of Jesus during his earthly ministry; after the resurrection there will be a new state of affairs). Asking in Jesus' name is not a way of enlisting his support. It is rather a pleading of his person and of his work for sinners. It is praying on the basis of all that he is and has done for our salvation. There is no contradiction with passages that speak of his perpetual intercession for his people (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), nor with that in which John calls him "an advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1, NRSV). In all four passages there is one basic underlying thought, namely, that our approach to the Father rests firmly on Christ's priestly work for us.66 That work is itself a perpetual intercession. It does not need to be supplemented by further intervention on our behalf. There is also a firm exclusion of the thought that the disciples should enlist Christ's prayers for them as though he were more merciful and more ready to hear than is the Father. Rather the passage insists on the unity of the Son with the Father.67 The Son does not persuade the Father to be gracious. The whole of the work of the Son rests on the loving care of the Father who sent him.
27 The reason that Christ will not intercede for them is now given. There will be no need. The Father himself68 loves them. He does not need to be persuaded to be gracious. In this case the ground of acceptance is the relationship in which they stand to Jesus. They have loved him (the perfect tense in this verb and the next probably implies continuance).69 This does not, of course, mean that their love merits the Father's love, or that he loves them only because of their prior love for Jesus. Rather they owe their love to Christ to a prior divine work in them, and this proceeds from God's love. As Augustine says, "He would not have wrought in us something He could love, were it not that He loved ourselves before he wrought it."70 They have also had faith in Christ, faith that he "came from71 God."72 A right faith is informed. It has regard to Christ's heavenly origin. It is true that from one point of view the Father loves all people. But it is also true that he has a special regard for those who believe, and it is this that is in mind here.
28 Here we have the great movement of salvation. It is a twofold movement, from heaven to earth73 and back again.74 Christ's heavenly origin is important, else he would not be our Savior. But his heavenly destination is also important, for it witnesses to the Father's seal on the Son's saving work.
29 These words of Jesus cause the disciples to say that he is no longer using "figures of speech" (for this expression see on v. 25 and 10:6). They appear to think that their difficulty has been cleared up, but it is not easy to hold that this is really the case. It is true that Jesus is not now speaking figuratively, and their words are justified to that extent. He is indeed speaking plainly. The difficulty is not so much with the words as with the situation in which the disciples find themselves. On the farther side of Calvary no one could know what was involved in Christ's leaving the Father and then return-ing to him. There is probably more of John's irony here. Had the disciples really possessed the understanding they claim, they would have reacted very differently when the crisis came.
30 It is probably significant that they do not say that they understand fully all that Jesus is saying. Instead they say that they know that he knows all things. They have full confidence in him. Jesus has answered the question in their heart (it had not been spoken, v. 19), and they ascribe to him the power to do this always (cf. 2:25). There is no need for anyone to ask him. This75 in turn gives them assurance of his divine origin. Their confession is certainly an inadequate one,76 but we should not overlook the fact that they bring their words to a close with an expression of trust.
4. The Disciples' Peace (16:31-33)
31 "You believe at last!"a Jesus answered. 32"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
a31 Or "Do you now believe?"
Jesus shows that he is not deceived by the disciples' confidence. He knows that there are limitations to their faith, and that these limitations will speedily be shown up. But his final word to them is one of peace. The opposition of the world is real. But Jesus has overcome it.
31 Jesus' words might be taken as a statement or as a question. McClymont comments that "it is more an exclamation than a question," and NIV takes it that way. Jesus is not expressing doubt about the reality of the disciples' faith, but directing attention to its inadequacy. They do believe. But they do not, as yet, know the quality of the faith that stands firm in the face of difficulty and danger. There is possibly some emphasis on "now" (NIV, "at last"). At this time they have professed to believe (v. 30), but, as Jesus' next words show, in reality they have not yet come to know some of the important consequences of faith in him. Jesus uses "believe" absolutely, whereas the disciples had said that they believed that — , but the two are not so very different (see further Additional Note E, pp. 296-98).
32 The limitations of the disciples' faith are shown in that they will shortly abandon their Lord. Their failure at the moment of crisis is faithfully recorded and has its importance. The church depends ultimately on what God has done in Christ, not on the courage and wit of its first members.77 "A time (better, "hour," as NRSV) is coming, and has come" (cf. 12:23) stresses the imminence of all this. They have just professed faith. But in the immediate future they will be unable to stand the test. They will be scattered, probably to their homes;78 at any rate they will be separated from one another and from him (cf. Mark 14:50). The little band will have lost all cohesion. The disaster will destroy it as an entity (though only temporarily). Jesus they will abandon, but the thought that he will be left "all alone" leads on to the other thought79 that in view of his relationship to the Father he will not really be alone.80 The present tenses, which Jesus uses of the Father's presence with him, are natural for an abiding reality. Always the Father is with him (cf. 8:16, 29).
33 For "I have told you these things" see on 14:25, and for "peace" on 14:27. Jesus' words to the disciples conclude on the notes of peace and victory. There are three contrasts here: "in me" is set over against "in this world," "you may have" over against "you will have," and "peace" over against "trouble." The second of these does not, of course, mean that there is any doubt that those who are "in" Christ have peace.81 Rather it points to the contrast between the life that all must lead, a life in this world, and a life that all do not lead, a life in Christ. All must live in the world and thus have trouble. But people may also live in Christ, and when they do they have peace. The speaking of these words just at this time has a significance rather like the reference to the trials that would befall them in verse 4. When they had all forsaken Jesus they might well feel so ashamed that they would remain uneasy whenever they thought of him. But he predicted their desertion in the very saying in which he assured them of the peace he would give them. He loved them for what they were and despite their shortcomings. When in the future they looked back on their desertion they could reflect that Jesus had predicted it. And, in the full knowledge that they would act in this way, he had promised them peace. The world will infallibly bring them "trouble."82 That is its characteristic. But he can bid them "take heart!"83 He84 had overcome85 the world, the perfect tense denoting an abiding victory. This statement, spoken as it is in the shadow of the cross, is audacious. 'The cross would seem to the outsider to be Jesus' total defeat. He sees it as his complete victory over all that the world is and can do to him. He goes to the cross not in fear or in gloom, but as a conqueror.
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1. For σκανδαλίζω see on 6:61; "go astray" scarcely brings out the force of the metaphor. Knox's rendering, "so that your faith may not be taken unawares," brings out the element of surprise involved in the release of the bait stick of a trap, while Berkeley's "so you may not be trapped" stresses the metaphor. Cf. Lenski: "The disciples are fully informed as to what discipleship really means; all of its hard and painful features are fully disclosed — no trap is laid for them."
2. For άποσυνάγωγος see on 9:22.
3. The strong adversative άλλ' (NIV, "in fact") is used once again to introduce a proposition contrary, not to the preceding statement, but to everything that might have been expected. BDF holds it to be an example of άλλά in the sense, " 'not only this, but also', used to introduce an additional point in an emphatic way" (448 [6]). Turner sees it as "Introducing a strong addition" with the sense, "yes, indeed" (Μ, III, p. 330). For John's use of the term see on 1:8.
4. έρχεται ώρα is a rather stately expression and not at all what we might have anticipated. Indeed, the point could well have been made without it. Thus we are reminded of other references in this Gospel to a coming "hour" (see on 2:4). On the other hand, there is no article with ώρα and this may be significant. We should probably not connect it too closely with these other passages.
5. The characteristic πας ό with participle for "he who." The aorist (which is not common in John in this connection) depicts the act as a completed whole.
6. Is δόςη connected with John's frequent use of δόξα? The error of the killer is that he has a wrong idea of δόξα.
7. λατρεία, here only in John (elsewhere in the New Testament, Rom. 9:4; 12:1; Heb. 9:1, 6), denotes worship as well as the more general idea of the service of God. This gives a piquant flavor to the use of the term here. Twentieth Century translates, "will think that he is making an offering to God." It may be that there is another example of Johannine irony here: the killers think they are serving God in killing Jesus, Jesus who offers perfect service to God.
8. In the Mishnah homicide was encouraged against those who committed certain offenses (Sanh 9:6). SBk cites a Midrash on Num. 25:13, "whoever sheds the blood of the godless is as one who offers a sacrifice" (Π, p. 565).
9. The aorist ούκ έγνωσαν may signify "failed to recognize" (Weymouth); cf. Rieu, "did not learn to know."
10. There is an emphatic έγώ: "that I told you" (see on 1:20).
11. For the unusual έξ άρχής see on 6:64.
12. χαί is used in the sense of καίτοι, "and yet," as often in this Gospel, especially in the expression χαί ούδείς (see on 1:5).
13. Strachan reminds us that this can be the case still: "Exclusive interest to-day in the historic Jesus, as distinct from the risen and ascended Lord, still exemplifies this refusal to ask the question He desired His disciples to ask, Whither goest thou? We cannot understand Jesus, and the mind of Jesus, unless we take into account that He himself did not regard His earthly life as a sufficient revelation."
14. For causal δτι see on 1:50.
15. λύπη receives some emphasis in this chapter (vv. 20, 21, and 22), but it does not occur elsewhere in John.
16. συμφέρει ύμΐν. BAGD gives the meaning of the verb as "1. bring together ... 2. help, confer a benefit, be advantageous or profitable or useful. ..."
17.Bernard comments, "there is a better education in discipleship than that which can be supplied by a visible master, whose will for his disciples can never be misunderstood. The braver and more perfect disciple is he who can walk by faith, and not by sight only...." He goes on to quote Gore, "the Coming of the Holy Ghost was not merely to supply the absence of the Son, but to complete His presence."
18. For "go away" άπέλθω replaces ύπάγω of verse 5, while a third verb, πορευθώ, appears in "but if I go." It seems useless to try to distinguish between these. The changes from one to another are sufficiently accounted for by John's habit of introducing minor changes in repetitions. There is no significant difference in meaning. For John's use of ύπάγω see on 7:33.
19. Cf. Bernard, "έλεγχειν is to cross-examine for the purpose of convincing or refuting an opponent (the word being specially used of legal proceedings)." He sees an example of what is meant in Acts 2:36-37, where those who heard the preaching were "cut to the heart." The expression used here is found also in 8:46; cf. also 1 Cor. 14:24. Some measure of the difficulty of finding an exact English equivalent may be gauged from the fact that both Rieu and Phillips use four different translations for the word in verses 8-11, but they do not agree in any one of the four places.
20. Cf. Westcott, "He will not simply convict the world as sinful, as without righteousness, as under judgment, but He will show beyond contradiction that it is wanting in the knowledge of what sin, righteousness, and judgement really are." He further points out that the world regarded Jesus as a sinner (9:24) and itself as righteous (Luke 18:9), and that it was on the point of giving judgment against him. On all three points it was in disastrous error and needed correction.
21. Taking περί to mean "with regard to."
22. In the second and third cases έλέγχειν means "to convict of," but in the second case Ǒτι means "because" and in the third, "that."
23. δικαιοσύνη is found in John only here and in verse 8. Barrett takes the death and resurrection of Jesus as showing the righteousness both of Christ and of God: "Jesus' death proved his complete obedience to the will of God, and his exaltation proved that his righteousness was approved by more than human acclamation."
24. Cf. E. Schweizer, "righteousness or justice is not what the world thinks it is, for the world crucified Jesus in the name of justice; genuine righteousness is found in the works of Jesus" (The Holy Spirit [London, 1980], p. 106).
25. ultmann points out that "the terminology is that of the lawsuit" so that "innocence" here is not "in the moral sense of uprightness, but in the forensic sense of being in the right, of winning one's case. As the lawsuit here is between God and the world, it is equally clear that it is a question of δικ. in the sense of righteousness adjudged by God" (p. 564). Barclay comments: "When you think of it, it is an amazing thing that men should put their trust for all eternity in a crucified Jewish criminal. What convinces men that this crucified Jew is the Son of God? That is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces men of the sheer righteousness of Christ. ..."
26. βαστάζω is used of picking up stones (10:31), of carrying a burden (19:17 and often), and figuratively of enduring anything burdensome (Gal. 6:2). It may be used of bearing Christ's name (Acts 9:15), but the present passage is the only one that refers to "bearing" words. Pallis suggests that this may be a Latinism, reproducing tenere.
27. The conjunction ἐϰεῖνος, τό Πνεῦμα τῆς ἐληθείας is noteworthy, with the masculine pronoun in immediate juxtaposition with the neuter noun. It emphasizes the fact that John thought of the Spirit as personal.
28. Cf. MiM: "the most glorious and encouraging truths may become a burden to one too immature to bear them. Not, therefore, because the disciples could not in a certain sense even now understand further revelation, but because they had not yet the Christian experience to give that revelation power, does Jesus say that they cannot bear the many things that He has yet to say unto them."
29. This is the only occurrence of the verb όδηγέω in this Gospel (cf. Rev. 7:17). It may connect with the fact that Christ is the όδός, as he is also the truth to which the Spirit leads (14:6).
30. There are textual problems in this verse, notably whether we should read είς τήν άλήθειαν πασαν with Α Β (πάσαν τήν άλήθειαν, fl3 28 700) or έν τή άληθεία πάση with א D W (Θ). Some scholars consider the variants significant, the former signifying "lead you into all the truth," that is bring you to further knowledge, and the latter, "lead you in all the truth," that is, lead you in the paths of the truth already revealed. In view of the difficulty of making a firm distinction between είς and έν, not too much, however, should be made of this. It seems that είς should be accepted as the right reading, but even if έν be preferred, the meaning will not differ greatly. Barrett, however, who accepts έν, thinks this reading "suggests guidance in the whole sphere of truth." FF renders, "He will instruct you in all the truth." I. de la Potterie argues that είς in John always has a dynamic sense as in the classics (Biblica, XLIII [1962], pp. 366-87). In this verse he discerns a "formula which describes very well the penetration into (είς) the whole truth of Christ under the action of the Spirit" (p. 373).
31. The significance of the article in τήν άλήθειαν is stressed by Tasker. The words do not mean that the church will be led to a full knowledge of what is true on all manner of subjects. The meaning is rather "the specific truth about the Person of Jesus and the significance of what He said and did." Perhaps we could say that the words must be interpreted in the light of 14:6.
32. Calvin takes the words in this sense: "in my opinion it signifies the future state of His spiritual kingdom, which the apostles saw soon after His resurrection but were then quite unable to comprehend."
33. έμέ is emphatic both from its form and its position. There is some emphasis also on έκεΐνος.
34. There is a typical Johannine variation, έx τοϋ έμοΰ . . . έμά . . . έx τοϋ έμοΰ. There does not seem to be a real difference between singular and plural.
35. There is another Johannine variation in the threefold "he shall declare unto you" (vv. 13, 14, and 15). First the object is τά έρχόμενα, while in both the others it is έx τοϋ έμοΰ. Another Johannine characteristic is the repetition of the words άναγ/ελεϊ ύμΐν, which puts emphasis on this aspect of the Spirit's work.
36. For μικρόν see on 13:33.
37. ούκέτι, rendered "no more" ("you will see me no more"), means "no longer." It carries no necessary implication of "never again" (for John's use of ούκετι see on 4:42).
38. όψεσθε is sometimes used of spiritual vision (1:51), and it is argued that here it must refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit (so also in v. 19). This, however, scarcely seems to be justified. The verb can be used of ordinary, earthly sight (1:39). That it is suitable for referring to the post-resurrection appearances seems clear from the use of the perfect έώρακα for seeing the risen Lord in 20:18, 25, and 29. It is not easy to find in the verb itself evidence that the coming of the Spirit is meant (though cf. ώφθησαν of the tongues of fire in Acts 2:3). A small point telling against the distinction from θεωρέω is the double use of the latter verb in 14:19, where we might legitimately have expected variation i f John really did distinguish between the two verbs. For όράω see on 1:18 and for θεωρέω on 2:23.
39. Jesus says ούκέτι θεωρείτε με, but their negative is ού: "not" is substituted for "no more." In taking up their words (v. 19) Jesus uses their version and not his own original form of the saying.
40. quot;The way in which the changes are rung on the expression a little while, suggests that the Evangelist has before him the actual expression used by Jesus" (Strachan).
41. The article before μικρόν has the effect of marking out this word as the difficult one.
42. έλεγον may well be continuous: "they were saying" or "they kept saying"; cf. Weymouth, "they asked one another repeatedly."
43. Abbott notes a difference between θέλω with the aorist (e.g., 6:21; 7:44) and with the present, even when, as here, the reference is to particular actions. He suggests that, perhaps, έρωτάν, " 'to be asking,' means 'to ask all about' the mysterious saying, and not merely to put a definite question. Or possibly ... the present may denote an action almost begun but stopped because Jesus anticipated the question, 'they wished (and were almost beginning) to ask' " (2498).
44. There is no thought of dispute. In John μετά after a verb of speaking etc. always seems to imply that the speakers are in agreement (6:43; 11:56; cf. Abbott, 2349). Moreover, the verb is ζητείτε, not συζητείτε.
45. The negative is changed from ούκέτι to ού. In both places John uses θεωρείτε in the first clause and όψεσθε in the second. For the suggestion that δψεσθε denotes spiritual vision and thus points to the coming of the Spirit see on verse 16.
46. The emphatic pronoun ύμεΐς is used, and it is placed at the very end of its clause, immediately before ό δέ κόσμος.
47. Again the emphatic ύμεϊς puts emphasis on the fact that it is they who will suffer sorrow.
48. quot;But" in this clause is άλλά, and not δέ as in the preceding. It indicates that there is something unexpected in the joy that follows the sorrow (cf. Abbott, 2058).
49. Loyd sees another point: the woman "finds herself again in her child. The disciples found themselves again in the risen Lord. Here is another purpose of this darkness and anguish that we have to endure; namely, that we may die to ourselves, in order that we may live in Christ, and through Him in others."
50. ή γυνή is general, the article denoting the class. Bernard points out that Abbott's view that it means the woman of a household, that is the wife, "is to miss the point." The words are "universally true."
51. λύπη and θλιψις are both strong words. There is to be no doubt about the reality of the anguish that is to be turned into joy.
52. There is a change of tense: τίκτη depicts the woman as in the act of childbirth, but the aorist γεννήση sees the process as complete, "when she has given birth."
53. quot;άνθρωπος is used in its proper sense, a human being (contrast άνήρ, an adult male)" (Barrett).
54. ee note 57 below.
55. Chrysostom says with reference to "a man" being born, "to my mind He here alludeth to His own Resurrection, and that He should be born not unto that death which bare the birth-pang, but unto the Kingdom" (79.1; p. 292).
56. For the third time in this passage the emphatic ύμεΐς is used when referring to the sorrow of the disciples. There can be no missing the point.
57. The language resembles that of Isa. 66:14, καί όψεσθε, και χαρήσεται ύμών ή καρδία. We might have expected οψεσθε here also, but cf. 1 Cor. 13:12; Gal. 4:9. It is the divine knowledge and sight that matter, not the human.
58. For the singular καρδία ("your heart will rejoice") see on 14:1.
59. Cf. Beasley-Murray, "Easter is not an isolated event but the beginning of the new creation (20:22), wherein disciples will know the presence of the Lord in a manner impossible in the days of his flesh. From that time on, therefore, life for them is existence in the shared fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (14:21, 23, 26)."
60. ερωτήσετε. In the second part of this verse and in the next the verb is αΐτέω. See on 11:22 for these two verbs in John.
61. έμέ is emphatic both from its form and its position.
62. τι is very general. It sets no limit to what the Father will give.
63. Dods comments: "Prayer must have been rather hindered by the visible presence of a sufficient helper, but henceforth it was to be the medium of communication between the disciples and the source of spiritual power."
64. There is an emphatic double negative: ούκ ήτήσατε ούδέν. Perhaps we should also notice that the Holy Spirit is to be sent "in the name" of Jesus (14:26).
65. παροιμία (παρά + οίμος, a way, a path), is "a wayside saying ... a byword, maxim, proverb" (AS). BAGD speaks of it as denoting "in Johannine usage dark saying, figure of speech, in which esp, lofty ideas are concealed." See further on 10:6.
66. Cf. Calvin, "when Christ is said to intercede with the Father for us, let us not imagine anything fleshly about Him, as if He were on His knees before the Father offering humble supplications. But the power of His sacrifice, by which he once pacified God towards us, is always powerful and efficacious. The blood by which He atoned for our sins, the obedience which He rendered, is a continual intercession for us. This is a remarkable passage, by which we are taught that we have the heart of God as soon as we place before Him the name of His Son."
67. erhaps also with the believer. Cf. MacGregor: "John so closely identifies Christ with the Father, and the believer with Christ, that he regards no such separate intercession on the part of the Risen Christ as necessary."
68. αύτός puts some emphasis on the fact that it is the Father, and none less than he, that loves them. Barrett notes and rejects the suggestion that αύτός is unemphatic, being simply the representation of "an Aramaic proleptic pronoun."
69. The verb is φιλέω; in the very similar statements in 14:21, 23 John uses άγαπάω. Clearly he makes no great distinction between the two verbs.
70. 103.5; p. 391.
71. In the expression "from God" the preposition is παρά, in verse 28 the MSS are divided between παρά and έx, and when the disciples take up the words they use άπό (v. 30). It is difficult to think that John wants us to see different meanings. The prepositions are not used with narrowly defined meanings.
72. ARV and others accept the reading τοϋ Πατρός with BC*D co etc., but most recent commentators prefer τοϋ θεοϋ with C3 W fl fl3 28 565 700 or θεοϋ. They are probably right, for, in addition to the attestation, as Godet puts it, "It is the divine origin and mission of Jesus, and not his filial relation with God, which must be emphasized at this moment."
73. John uses the aorist έξήλθον for the act of leaving the Father (cf. 8:42, etc.), but the perfect έλήλυθα of arriving (and staying) in the world (so also in 12:46; 18:37).
74. Abbott takes πάλιν here in the sense "reversely, or returning back, I leave the world" (2649 [ii]). But this seems unnecessary. The sense "again" is sufficient.
75. BDF sees in έν τούτω an example of the extension of instrumental έν in imitation of the Hebrew 3 with the meaning, "for that reason" (219 [2]).
76. Cf. Westcott, "This common confession of faith shows how little even yet the disciples had apprehended the nature of Christ. As a body they had not advanced as far as the Baptist." So also R. H. Lightfoot, "a belief resting on the ground of His knowledge was found at the outset in Nathanael (147-50) and in the Samaritan woman (429); and a faith which has now seen greater things than these (150) should have a deeper basis."
77. Cf. Dodd, "It is part of the character and genius of the Church that its foundation members were discredited men; it owed its existence not to their faith, courage, or virtue, but to what Christ had done with them; and this they could never forget" (IFG, p. 416, η. 1).
78. This is the meaning of είς τα ίδια in 19:27 and elsewhere, and it may be what is meant here. There is a contrast in κάμέ. They will go to their homes, but Jesus they will abandon (άφήτε) and leave lonely.
79. καί is used in the sense of καίτοι, as often in John.
80. It has been suggested that John is writing in conscious contradiction of the saying in Mark 15:34: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But this seems to be reading a great deal into the present passage. It is better to see Mark as presenting starkly one aspect of the truth, that at the crisis of the process in which God made Christ sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) the presence of the Father was in some sense withdrawn. John is giving us another part of the picture, namely, that when the disciples forsook Jesus he was not alone. Human abandonment could not make him alone. His communion with the Father was too real for that. The two Evangelists are speaking about different things. See further the note in Tasker.
81. In the expression ίνα έν έμοί εϊρήνην έχητε the conjunction ίνα is fully telic. It is Jesus' purpose that they have peace.
82. The word is θλνψις (used in this Gospel elsewhere only in v. 21). It denotes great and pressing affliction, not some mild malady.
83. For the strong adversative άλλά that introduces the clause cf. v. 20 and the note there (see also on 1:8). It indicates that this is something for which the circumstances have not prepared them.
84. έγώ is emphatic: "I, none else, have overcome" (see on 1:20).
85. The verb νικάω is used here only in this Gospel. It is found 6 times in 1 John, including the expression νικά τόν κόσμον (1 John 5:4-5), as here. It is especially frequent in Revelation (17 times), being used there as here of Christ's victory.