Introductory remarks:
Jesus concludes the upper room discourse in this chapter. The one most important exhortation, command, from the Lord is that all His disciples must love one another. Christ prepares His disciples for their coming commission to take the Gospel of the Kingdom into the entire world. Jesus rightly describes to His disciples of the enmity of the world that would face them in their mission.
Jesus Will Send the Holy Spirit During His Absence
Verse 1, "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended."
LGT "These things I have spoken to you in order that you might not be shocked."
"These things have I spoken unto you,"
What things? The things spoken of in chapter fifteen.
"That ye should not be offended."
The Greek word for 'offended' is skandalistheste a middle subjunctive from skandalizo, which means to be shocked or caught by surprise. We get our English word 'scandalize' to shock by disgraceful actions, from this Greek word. Jesus is saying that He is warning them that they would be scandalized for the work they are about to do. Vincent and Robertson translate this phrase 'that they might not cause you to stumble." I personally prefer the word 'shocked' because of the fact that Jesus had forewarned them of the horrible attitude of the world.
Verse 2, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yes, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."
LGT "Out of the synagogues they will put you: But an hour is coming in order that everyone who kills you will think a religious service they are offering to God."
"They shall put you out of the synagogues:"
They will excommunicate you; but worse yet, an hour is coming when they will kill you as a service to God, in their twisted minds.
"Yes, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think he doeth God service."
Remember how Paul stood by and watched as the religious rulers stoned Steven; Paul later stated that because of his actions before he was a believer, he considered himself the 'chief sinner.' In Acts Paul testifies that as a leading Pharisee, he did it in the name of God. Bruce says, "As for the idea that the killing of Jesus' followers was pleasing to God, we may recall how Paul's unenlightened 'zeal for the Law' was shown in his persecution of the church (Phil. 3:6). There were some militant Zealots who regarded the killing of an apostate as an acceptable sacrifice to God."
"It may be thought strange, however, that the enemies of the truth, though they are conscious of their own wickedness, not only impose on men, but even in the presence of God lay claim to praise for their unjust cruelty. I reply, hypocrites, though their conscience accuses them, always resort to flatteries to deceive themselves. They are ambitious, cruel, and proud, but they cover all these vises with the cloak of zeal, that they may indulge in them without restraint. To this is added what may be called a furious drunkenness, after having tasted the blood of martyrs" (John Calvin's Comm. on the Gospel of John).
Verse 3, "And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me."
LGT "And these things they will be doing because they have not known the Father nor Me."
A definite reason for their despicable actions is ignorance of God and the Son. Only unbelief is capable of the atrocities that Jesus describes. Jesus does not want His disciples to be surprised or shocked, but to be encouraged when these things happen, then they will be encouraged because Jesus had told them it was so.
"The professing church, instead of taking the position of Christ, has gone into the world, boasting that they are going to convert the world. They, of course, haven't done it in over nineteen hundred years [now over two thousand years]. In their attempt they always try to popularize religion, make it very attractive to the world. You will find that today there are churches using all kinds of devices to attract the ungodly. Today music has come down to the level of the world. They say, 'We have to do this to win the world.' Who told them they were going to win the world? I'm not talking about liberal churches now - they went off track years ago - I am talking about fundamental churches. Today fundamental churches are going off the track. In them you will find enemies of the Word of God! Although they wouldn't dare attack the Bible, they level their attack against the man who is preaching the Word of God" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 4, "But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you."
LGT "But these things I have spoken to you in order that when their hour comes, them [My words] you will remember because I told you. But these things to you from the beginning I did not say, because I was with you."
"That when the time shall come, ye shall remember that I told you them."
Literally, when their hour comes, them you will remember, because I told you. The Lord always prepares His disciples for their work. It is actually no difference for us today. We have the Word of God, which if we remember it, nothing can harm us; we have all we need for any trial or situation. Our Christian life is one of faith in God's Word and God's Word alone.
"And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you."
The beginning Jesus is referring to is the beginning of His earthly ministry; now as the time drew near for Him to go to the Cross, He was beginning to get them ready for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Bruce writes: "While Jesus was with them, He was their protector and could deflect to Himself attacks aimed at them; in fact, He continued to do so to the moment of His arrest (John 18:8, 9). It was therefore not necessary to warn them of impending persecution earlier - literally, 'from the beginning' (ech arhes, as in 6:64, meaning from the beginning of their association with Him. Now, however, things would be different: He Himself would no longer be with them in the way to which they had grown accustomed, and they would be direct targets for the attacks of their opponents."
The Work of the Spirit
Verse 5, "But now I go My way to Him that sent Me; and none of you asketh Me, Whither goest Thou?"
LGT "But now I go away to the One Who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, Where are you going?"
"But now I go My way to Him that sent Me;"
This is another way that Christ is saying, 'I am going to My Father.' Calvin writes, "This is held out to them, therefore, as a solace and remedy of grief, that, though Christ be absent from them in body, yet He will sit at the right hand of the Father, to protect believers by His power."
"And none of you asketh Me, Whither goest Thou?"
It is true that Peter had asked Him where He was going, but not with spiritual discernment (McGee). "Now that they realize that Jesus is going, the thoughts of the disciples turn on themselves and they cease asking the query of Peter (13:36)" (Robertson). "They were so absorbed in the thought of His departure and its consequences of bereavement to themselves that they had failed to ascertain clearly where He was going" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 6, "But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart."
LGT "But because I have spoken these things to you grief has filled your hearts."
"This is the only place in the Gospel that Jesus uses this phrase, sorrow [grief] has filled your hearts. They do not see their way clear to go on without Jesus" (Robertson).
Verse 7, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."
LGT "But I am saying the truth to you, it is beneficial to you that I go away: for if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send Him to you."
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth:"
The way our Lord states this phrase is, believe Me, there could be no other way.
"It is expedient for you that I go away:"
The Greek word for 'expedient' is sumpherei meaning profitable, advantageous, good, benefit, expedient; I chose the term 'benefit' for my translation. In the next phrase Jesus gives the reason that it is beneficial for them.
"For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you:"
Of course every believer knows that it was good that Jesus Christ went away, because it was for our personal eternal salvation that He went to the Cross to die for us; this was the main reason He came to this earth to die for the sins of the whole world. We benefited from His going to the cross in many ways, one of which was that the Holy Spirit would come and reside in our lives.
"Why was it best for the Lord Jesus to leave? I can suggest several reasons and I'm sure you can think of more. One of the reasons is this: His purpose in coming to this world was to die " the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom [payment] for many" (Mark 10:45). When this was accomplished, He went back to the Father because He had finished the work He was sent to do. Then, there is another reason: when He came to this earth, He took upon Himself our humanity. God is omnipresent, but Jesus limited Himself by becoming man. That means that when He was in Galilee, He could not be down in Bethany. Remember that Mary and Martha reminded Him of that when they said that, if He had been there, their brother would not have died. In other words, if the Lord Jesus were in the world today in His human body, He couldn't be here where I am and with you where you are at the same time" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
"But if I depart, I will send Him unto you."
Jesus says that He must go, but for them not to despair, because He promises to send the Paraclete, who will come and abide with each one of them. The Holy Spirit is also omnipresent, so He will be able to abide and remain with every believer from His out pouring at Pentecost, to the point when He will be taken up when the church as a whole will be raptured from this earth. Calvin writes: "He explains where the advantage lies, by saying, that the Holy Spirit could not be given to them, if He did not leave the world. But far more advantageous and far more desirable is that presence of Christ, by which He communicates Himself to us through the grace and power of His Spirit, than if He were present before our eyes."
Verse 8, "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
LGT "And having come He will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment:"
"He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
The Word of God is the only Book of morals that convicts mankind of all their sin. The Greek word for 'reprove' is elegxei and means to 'convict.' The liberals on our planet try and take away all guilt for sin instead of convicting of sin. The only way a person can possibly be convicted of sin is when they have a right perspective on God's righteousness and judgment; once this happens, the person becomes a believer. All Of our social psychologists will tell us is that we need to get rid of all self-incrimination and that we must feel good about ourselves; God's Word is the only hope for our decadent society.
"The Spirit prosecuting ministry is here expressed by the verb elegxo, meaning (according to the context) convict, expose, refute or convince. His very presence will be a demonstration to the world, which condemned Jesus that He was right, and they were in the wrong. In the periphrastic wording of the NEB, He will 'show where wrong and right judgment lie' and thus 'confute [disprove] the world.' This is not quite the same as what is often called the Spirit's convicting work in the heart, leading to repentance and faith. One stanza of an old Gospel song runs:
I know not how God's Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in him
But while this is an admirable summary of the Spirit's inward work, which results in true conversion, it is not the aspect of His activity, which is in view here. The Spirit bears witness to the world (not least through the witness of Jesus' followers, as was affirmed in John 15:26 f.) that Jesus, rejected, condemned and put to death by the world, has been vindicated by God. His rejection, condemnation and execution expressed in violent clarity the world's refusal to believe Him; that unbelief is now exposed as sin. His condemnation, promulgated [circulated] after due process of law, is now shown to have been utterly unrighteous; His return to the Father is the demonstration of His righteousness - and at the same time the vindication of the Father's righteousness (in John 17:25 Jesus addresses Him as 'Righteous Father'). The relevance of the clause 'you see Me no more' seems to be that Jesus' departure is the condition of the Spirit's presence. His disciples see Him no longer as they formerly did because He has gone to the Father and the Spirit has come to perform His ministry of witness and confutation [refutation]" (The Gospel and Epistles of John - F. F. Bruce).
"We now perceive in what manner the Spirit was to convince the world by the apostles. It was, because God revealed His judgment in the Gospel, by which their consciences were struck, and began to perceive their evils and the grace of God, For the verb elegxien here signifies to convince or convict; and, for understanding this passage, not a little light will be obtained from the words of the Apostle Paul, when he says, If all shall prophesy, and an unbeliever or unlearned man enter, he is convicted by all, and thus shall the secrets of his heart be made manifest, (1 Cor. 14:23). In that passage Paul speaks particularly of one kind of conviction, that is, when the Lord brings His elect to repentance by the Gospel; but this plainly shows in what manner the Spirit of God, by sound of human voice, constrains men, who formerly were not accustomed to His yoke, to acknowledge and submit to His authority" (John Calvin's Comm. on the Gospel of John).
Verse 9, "Of sin, because they are not of Me;"
LGT "Concerning sin, because they believe not in Me."
Robertson notes: "Without this conviction by the Paraclete such men actually have a pride of intellectual superiority in refusing to believe on Jesus." The Scriptures repeat over and over that the only sin that Jesus could not forgive is not believing on Him.
"In the present ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world, He will convict the world of three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment. Our Lord explains for us what that sin means. 'Sin, because they did not believe on Me." What is the greatest sin in all the world? Murder? No. Who are the greatest sinners in this age? We've had some rascals, haven't we? Every age has had rascals. We might point out Hitler, or Stalin, or Karl Marx, or the Mafia. Well, who is the greatest sinner today? Everyone who rejects Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior, that's who" (T.T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 10, "Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;"
LGT "Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;"
"By righteousness must be understood that which is imparted to us through the grace of Christ. Christ makes it to consist in His ascension to the Father, and not without good reason; for as Paul declares that He rose for our justification, (Rom. 4:25), so He now sits at the right hand of the Father in such a manner as to exercise authority that has been given to Him, and thus to fill all things, (Eph. 4:10). In short, from the heavenly glory He fills the world with the sweet savor of His righteousness. Now, the Spirit declares, by the Gospel, that this is the only way in which we are accounted righteous. Next to the conviction of sin, this is the second step, that the Spirit should convince the world what true righteousness is; namely, that Christ, by His ascension to heaven, has established the kingdom of life, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, to confirm true righteousness" (John Calvin).
Verse 11, "Of judgment, because the prince of the world is judged."
LGT "And concerning judgment, because the ruler of the world is judged."
The prince of this world is already judged (Gen. 3:15).
"He convicts the world of judgment. Does this mean that judgment is coming some day? No, not in this verse. 'Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.' The prince of the world, Satan, has already been judged. It is difficult for a great many believers to understand that we live in a judged world. One hears people say that they'll take their chances. They act as if they are on trial. My friend, you are not on trial. God has already declared you a lost sinner, and He has already judged you - 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord' (Rom. 6:23). We live in a world that has already been judged and is like the man waiting in death row for execution. The judgment against all of us is 'Guilty' because all our own righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God. If we had to stand before God in our own filthy rags, we would not only be ashamed of ourselves, but we would also see how guilty we are" (McGee).
Verse 12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."
LGT "Yet many things I have to be saying to you, but you are not able to be comprehending [them] now."
The Greek word for 'bear' is bastazein in this context to tolerate, sustain mentally or comprehend. I have chosen the word comprehend for my translation. Robertson says, "The progressive nature of revelation is a necessity." The disciples, like all of us, can only learn so much at one time. There is no such thing as a short cut to knowledge.
"Jesus had come to earth as the revealer of the Father, but the limited period of His ministry was too brief for the disciples to take in all that He had to reveal. His ministry of revelation would, however, be carried on after His departure by the Spirit. As in John 14:16f. the Spirit is called 'the Spirit of truth' - here, with reference to the truth which He would disclose to the disciples. Jesus Himself is the embodiment of truth (John 14:6); the truth which the Spirit will disclose is not truth additional to 'the truth as it is in Jesus' (Eph. 4:21); it is the unfolding of that truth. It is not that He will guide them 'into' all truth; they had already been introduced to the way of truth by Jesus, and the Spirit would guide them further along that way" (Bruce).
Verse 13, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come."
LGT "But when He may have come, the Spirit of the Truth, He will guide you into all the Truth: for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He may hear He will be speaking and the things coming He will announce to you."
"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come,"
The word 'Truth' has the article and should be 'the Spirit of the truth' making it a particular truth the Holy Spirit would reveal to the Apostles; we must note that it would not be a truth that is not revealed in the word of God.
"He will guide you into all truth:"
Even the apostles could not learn any further without the Holy Spirit as their Guide and Teacher; we today, in this 'age of grace,' with the Holy Bible at out disposal, must of necessity be guided and taught by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
"For He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak:"
Literally, 'He shall not speak from Himself." Jesus Christ is the 'way', the 'truth', and the 'life'; the Holy Spirit is the guide to Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not speak from Himself, that is, separate from the Father and the Son. McGee said, "I listened to a man on a radio program saying, 'We are having a Holy Ghost revival; the Holy Ghost is working; the Holy Ghost is doing this and that.' The minute he said all those things, I knew the Holy Ghost was not working. Why? Because the Lord Jesus made it very clear that the Holy Ghost will not speak of Himself. Then how can you tell when the Holy Spirit is working? He will glorify Christ." Pentecost notes: "When Christ said, 'He will not speak on His own,' He was saying that the Spirit will not originate His own message any more than Christ had originated His. Rather, the Spirit would speak 'What He hears' from the Father."
"And He will show you things to come."
Literally, "the things coming He will announce to you." Jesus is not saying that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them prophecy, exclusively. Pentecost has a Book out entitled, 'Things to Come," however, this is not the meaning of this verse, for Pentecost himself makes note: "This apparently was a reference to coming revelation given through the apostles and recorded by inspiration in the New Testament, that is, the complete Word of God, including prophecy."
"The promise must therefore refer to the main feature of the new Christian dispensation. The Spirit would guide them in that new economy in which they would no longer have the visible example and help and counsel of their Master. It is not a promise that they should be able to predict the future. In enabling them to adapt themselves to the new economy the center and norm would be Christ" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 14, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you."
LGT "He will glorify Me, because out from Mine He will take and announce to you."
"He shall glorify Me:"
The glory of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son (Robertson). : The fulfillment of this promise, He shall glorify Me, is found in every action and word of the Apostles. Under the Spirit's guidance they lived wholly for Christ: the dispensation of Spirit was the Christian dispensation" (The Expositors Greek Testament). There is nothing that the Spirit teaches that is apart from the Word of God.
"For He shall receive of Mine,"
Literally, because He will take it from Me. I repeat, the Holy Spirit only teaches truth, and only truth is from God. The Holy Spirit has never revealed anything that is not contained in the Word of God.
"And shall shew it unto you."
The Holy Spirit has accomplished this mission by furnishing the apostles with the complete revelation of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit never went beyond Christ; He glorified the Christ because God gave all that He inspired in the apostles to Him. The Holy Spirit has also completed His mission of furnishing the Church in this 'Age of Grace' with a complete revelation from God.
Verse 15, "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
LGT "All things whatsoever the Father is having are mine: because of this I said that out from Me He will take [it] and announce it to you."
Jesus is claiming deity once again in this verse. He is saying in effect, 'all that the Father has is mine, and I will give it to the Holy Spirit to announce it to you.'
Therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you."
Literally, take it from Me and announce it to you. "Jesus explains how and why the Holy Spirit can and will reveal to the disciples what they need to know further concerning Him. They had failed so far to understand Christ's words about His death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit as Guide and Teacher will teach them they can only receive and understand after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus" (Robertson).
This verse should be an encouragement even to us in this Grace Age. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10: "But just as it is written, 'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.' For to us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God."
The Greek Expositor's Testament states, "The Holy Spirit has the unlimited source of inspiration from the Godhead at His disposal."
Sorrow Will Turn into Joy
Verse 16, "A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father."
LGT "A little [while] and no longer will you behold Me, and again a little [while] and you will see Me."
"A little while, and ye shall not see Me:"
Christ is obviously referring here to His leaving His disciples to go and die on the Cross. He would be arrested, stand trial, found guilty, crucified, buried, and on the third day He would rise again to see the disciples, and walk with them for forty days.
"And again, a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father."
And again, it is obvious that Christ is here referring to His resurrection and ascension, when He will go and sit at the Father's right hand. After Christ's visit with His disciples He would leave them, but they would continue to see Him by faith.
Verse 17, Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He saith unto us, a little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me: and, because I go to the Father?"
LGT "Therefore, [some] of His disciples said to one another, What is this which He is saying to us, a little [while] and you will not behold Me, and again, a little [while] and you will see Me? And, because I go to the Father?"
Here the disciples seem puzzled over the Lord's statements, but they once again talk to one another, instead of to the Lord. We see clear the meaning, because we are looking back at the finished work of Christ on the cross, and we have the complete Word of God, and the Holy Spirit as our Guide, and we still talk among ourselves, instead of going directly to Him.
Verse 18, "They said therefore, What is this that He saith, a little while? We cannot tell what He saith."
LGT "Therefore they said, What is this [which He is saying] the little [while]" we do not know what He is speaking. "
Robertson says, "The disciples cease speaking to Jesus and confess to one another their ignorance." The Lord uses the article before 'the little while' to particularize this time. It would be 'a little while' while He was away from them at the cross; it would be another 'little while' the three days He spent in the grave, before His resurrection, before they would see Him again. They were still bewildered at His Words even though He had comforted them earlier with the promise of the Paraclete they were still ignorant.
Verse 19, "Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said unto them, do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me?'
LGT "Jesus knew that they wished to ask Him, and He said to them, Concerning this are you inquiring with one another because I said, a Little [while] and you will not behold Me, and again, a little [while] and you will see Me?"
I believe the disciples were beginning to feel a little bit embarrassed that they were never able to quite understand what the Lord is trying to teach them. And then, when He is able to tell them what they were thinking, this is really beginning to disturb them.
Verse 20, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."
LGT "Verily, verily, I say to you that you will weep and you will sorrow, but the world will rejoice: you will be grieved, but your grief into joy will become.
"That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice:"
Of course our Lord is referring to His up-coming death on the cross. To the disciples it would be a deathblow to their emotions, but to the world it would be a time victorious celebration, and has been ever since, for their seeming victory over their enemy. Jesus is now explaining to the disciples a little more of the circumstance that would surround the cross.
"And ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."
After His resurrection they will experience a lasting joy, aided by the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is not telling them that they would never again be grieved, but He is saying that relating to His going to the cross, they would feel the real victory Christ will have over death, and that by His example they would never fear the sting of death. Remember the Hymn 'He arose.' It has a stirring stanza:
He arose the victor of the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose, He arose,
Hallelujah, Christ arose.
To meditate on the truth of these words, will turn any sorrow into joy.
Verse 21, A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world."
LGT "The woman when she gives birth is having grief, because her hour is come: but when she gives birth to the infant, no longer remembers the tribulation because of the joy that she brought a human being into the world."
"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow,"
"Literally 'the woman' because it has the general article he gune marking out 'the woman' as representing her sex" (Vincent). "When she is in travail" is literally, when she gives birth. Every mother knows the grief [pain] that accompanies giving birth to a child. This is part of the curse that was placed on mankind after the first pair had sinned: "To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Genesis 3:16- NASB).
"But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish,"
Literally, 'when she gives birth to the infant.' She remembers no more the anguish, literally 'the tribulation' thlipseos the usual word used for tribulation (Robertson).
"For joy that a man is born into the world."
Literally, because of the joy that she brought a man into the world. The Greek word used for 'a man' is anthropos, and it is generic, without distinction of sex, a human being. It is often used to determine a sex, but not ever in this context.
Verse 22, "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."
LGT "And you therefore now indeed are having sorrow: but again I will see you, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will be taking it from you."
These last two verses were to strengthen the disciples through the ordeal of His going to the cross, and for the sorrow they would face as they went into the entire world with the Gospel. Their hearts would turn from sorrow to joy when He would resurrect and come back to be with them for a short time to encourage them, and then all sorrow everywhere that is felt by all Christians will be turned into joy when they go home to ever be with Him. Of course, we will also experience the joy of His Word, for it is the only way we can overcome sorrow; the promises of the Word of God are words of comfort and encouragement, if we only trust them.
"Even if Jesus does not explain His strange language to them in such terms as they might have hoped for, He does assure them that their present bewilderment and their imminent grief will be short-lived; soon they will be given assurance and joy. Their sense of bereavement at this departure and the anguish and apprehension caused by His crucifixion will be dispelled when He comes to them again, imparting the joy of uninterrupted fellowship with Him henceforth through the Spirit. The in breaking of that new joy, of which none can ever deprive them, will make them forget the nightmare of the hours which are lying immediately ahead of them. A mother's delight in her newborn child, following her labor pains, provides an apt analogy" (Bruce).
"In keeping with this natural arrangement conspicuous in the woman's case, 'have at present sorrow.' This is the time when the results are hidden and only pain felt: 'But I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no one takes from you.' This joy was felt in the renewed vision of their Lord at the Resurrection. 'All turns on the Resurrection; and without the experience of that time there would have been no beholding Christ in the Spirit' Bernard" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 23, "And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you."
LGT "And in that day you will be asking Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say to you, whatsoever you may ask the Father in My name I will give to you."
"And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing."
After the Resurrection of Christ and His ascension to sit at the right hand of the Father, the disciples would no longer be asking questions directly to Jesus. The Greek word for asks in this first phrase is erotao meaning to ask a question. In the next phrase He uses the word aiteo to make a request.
"Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name,"
Here He uses aiteo to make a request. They had never prayed to the Father in Jesus' name until after He is Resurrected and takes up His office as Mediator. The 'whatever' you will ask is in regards to their ministry, and not for any physical wants.
"He will give it you."
Then Christ will be the Mediator of the Church, and they are instructed to go to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, on account of His finished work on the Cross.
Verse 24, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
LGT "Until now you have asked nothing in My name: ask and you will receive, in order that your joy may be having been filled full."
"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name:"
"Up till now the disciples had not used Christ's name in prayer to the Father, but after the resurrection of Jesus they are to do so, a distinct plea for parity [equality] with the Father and for worship like the Father" (Robertson).
"That your joy may be full."
"When the disciples are encouraged to make their requests to the Father in Jesus' name, this is based on their close relationship with Jesus - their dwelling in Him and His dwelling in them. One might think that there is a suggestion of His interceding with the Father on their behalf, but this seems to be excluded (so far as the answering of prayer is concerned) by Jesus' words in verse 26 f. They had prayed to the Father before - Jesus indeed had taught them to do so - but hitherto they had not prayed to Him in Jesus' name. To pray in Jesus' name was a privilege belonging to the new order on which they were about to enter with Jesus' departure and return. Access to the Father in Jesus' name was part of the joy which was promised in place of their present sorrow; it would, indeed, bring that joy to completion" (Bruce).
"The joy they were to experience on seeing their Lord again, verse 22, was to be completed by their continued experience of the efficacy of His name in prayer. 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" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
I Have Overcome the World
Verse 25, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father."
LGT "These things in parables [allegories] I have spoken to you: an hour is coming when I no longer in parables will speak to you, but plainly concerning the Father I will announce to you."
"These things I have spoken unto you in proverbs:"
The Greek word for 'Parable' is paroimias and it means an allegory, which is one form of a parable.
"But the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I will show you plainly the Father."
"Another great change would characterize the economy [dispensation] into which they were passing. Instead of dark figurative utterances [allegories] which only dimly revealed things spiritual, direct and intelligible disclosures regarding the Father would be made to the disciples: paroimias (see 10:6); 'dark sayings' or 'riddles' expresses what is here meant. It is opposed to parousia, open, plain, easily understood. He does not refer to particular utterances, but to the reserved character of the whole evening's conversation, and of all His previous teaching. 'The promise is that the reserve imposed by a yet unfinished history, by a manifestation in the flesh, by the incapacity of the hearers, and by their gradual education, will then be succeeded by clear, full, unrestricted information, fitted to create in those who receive it that full assurance of understanding which contributes so largely to the full assurance of faith. Bernard" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 26, "At that day ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:"
LGT "In that day in My name you will ask, and I say not to you that I will ask the Father concerning you:"
What the Lord is trying to get across to these disciples is that they only have to go to the Father, that is, freely to the throne of grace, and that the Lord does not have to plead their case; the Father is open and freely wants to answer their prayers. In the first chapter of this Gospel verse twelve we learned that As many as received Him [Christ], to them He gave the authority to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name; as God's children, God the Father wants His children to come to Him boldly; it is because of Christ death on the cross that made this relationship possible, and that is what it means to come in the name of Jesus.
Calvin notes on this passage: "When Christ is said to intercede with the Father for us, let us not indulge in carnal imaginations about Him, as if He were on His knees before the Father, offering humble supplication in our name. But the value of His sacrifice, by which He once pacified God toward us, is always powerful and efficacious [effective and successful]; the blood by which He atoned for our sins, the obedience which He rendered, is a continual intersession for us."
Verse 27, "For the Father Himself loveth you, because ye loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God."
LGT "For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from [the] Father."
"For the Father Himself loveth you,"
The term Jesus uses for the Father's love for His children is philei, which denotes in this context, a warm friendly love. Taken with the last verse, He means that we are family, and the Father Himself welcomes us to come boldly to Him. Vincent notes, "on philei love as for sons, with the love of natural affection."
"Because ye have loved Me,"
This word 'have loved' is pephilekate the perfect tense of philei, meaning they loved Him in the past, and this love continues as a completed result.
"And have believed that I come out from God."
The verb 'have believed' pepisteukate is also in the perfect tense and means that they once believed and were saved in the past, and they continue into the future as believers, that is, they are a completed result in Christ. The fact they believed that Jesus came out from God is proof once again of His deity. Any one who does not believe that Christ is of the same divine eternal essence as God the Father need to read this verse.
Verse 28, "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father."
LGT "I came out from the Father and have come into the world: again I leave the world and go to the Father."
"I came forth from the Father,"
Literally, exelthon ek tou patros, 'came out from the Father.' This once again proves His deity.
"And am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father."
"I came forth from the Father and am come into the world: again (reversing the process) I leave the world and go to the Father. There is a sense in which any man can use these words, but it is loose not an exact sense. The latter member of the sentence - 'I leave the world and go to the Father' - gives us the interpretation of the former - 'I came forth from the Father.' For to say 'I leave the world' is not the same as to say 'I go to the Father'; this second expression describes a state of existence, which is entered upon when existence in this world is done. And to say 'I came forth from the Father' is not the same as to say 'I come into the world': it describes a state of existence antecedent to that which began by coming into the world" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
"This verse is bigger than Bethlehem; it is wider than space. It reaches back into eternity, beyond the boundaries of space to the throne of God. Then it speaks of those few moments He spent on this earth. He came in out of eternity; He went back into eternity" (McGee).
Verse 29, "His disciples said unto Him, lo, now speakest Thou plainly, speakest no proverb."
LGT "The disciples saying to Him, Lo, now you [are] speaking plainly and [are] not speaking a parable."
The disciples are beginning to understand what the Lord is now saying; they have less difficulty in understanding His deity. The disciples say to the Lord, 'now you are speaking openly to us, and not in figures.' Their minds have been clouded with the OT types and symbols, and when they hear Christ proclaiming His grace in salvation, with no works needed, it sometimes would boggle their minds, just as it is, with someone in our day, that has been brought up in a Pentecostal background, upon hearing that they are saved by God's grace and God's grace alone, with no strings attached; my! How they cry.
"It was not much plainer than before - the time for perfect plainness was yet to come: but having caught a glimpse of His meaning - for it was little more - they eagerly express their satisfaction, as if glad to make anything of His words. How touchingly does this show both the simplicity of their hearts and the infantile character of their faith" (David Brown).
Verse 30, "Now are we sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask Thee: by this we believe that Thou camest forth from God."
LGT "Now we are knowing that you know all things and do not have a need that any one ask you: in this we believe that from God You came out."
The disciples realize that Christ is able to tell what they are thinking, and they are making it very clear that they do understand about His deity. We understand well enough now that there is no need to be asking Him questions. Pentecost notes: "The disciples understood this declaration. Through it they perceived that Christ was the Son of God, who had come from God. Christ had validated His person to the disciples by His knowledge of the events that were about to take place." Calvin adds: "They conclude, from certain signs, that Christ came out from God, and they glory in it, as if nothing more were needed. Yet still they were far from that knowledge, so long as they did not understand what Christ would be to them in future."
"Two things are stated, that Jesus has perfect knowledge, You know all things, and that He knows how to communicate it, there is no need for anyone to ask questions. Convinced that He possessed these qualifications, they felt constrained to accept Him as a teacher come from God" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 31, "Jesus answered them, do ye now believe?"
LGT "Jesus answered them, Now do you believe?"
"Their belief in Christ was genuine as far as it went, but perils await them of which they are ignorant. They are too self-confident as their despair at Christ's death shows" (Robertson). Jesus now is testing their faith; these disciples have no idea what awaits them; they are confident because Christ is right there in their midst. Soon He will be gone, and these disciples are not yet aware of the strength they will be receiving from the Paraclete.
"The question put by Christ is therefore ironical [cutting]; as if He had said, 'Do you boast as if you were full of faith? But the trial is at hand, which will disclose your emptiness.' In this manner we ought to restrain our foolish confidence, when it indulges itself too freely. But it might be thought, either that the disciples had no faith at all, or it was extinguished, when they had forsaken Christ, and were scattered in all directions. I reply, though their faith was weakened, and had almost given way, still something was left, from which fresh branches might afterwards shoot forth" (Calvin).
Verse 32, "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."
LGT "Behold an hour is coming and has come, in order that you might be scattered each to his own and you will leave Me alone: and I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."
"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,"
What hour? The hour when He goes to the cross, the hour for Jesus' arrest is near.
"That ye shall be scattered, every man to his own,"
Every man will be scattered to his own home.
"The disciples imagined that they understood this at least. Christ had read their thoughts, and there was no need for anyone to put express questions (16:30). He knew all things, and by this they believed - it afforded them evidence - that hour He came forth from God. But little did they know their hearts! The hour had even come when they would be scattered, every man to his own home, and leave Him alone" (Edersheim).
"And shall leave Me alone:"
The disciples would desert the Lord, and that was the way it had to be; Christ had to suffer on the cross, alone. He did not nor He could not require help from His friends. What our Lord suffered on the Cross bearing the sins of the world could not be experienced nor could anyone else propitiate the Father in His paying the penalty for the sins of the entire world. What Christ did He did alone.
"And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."
Jesus was fulfilling all that Father required in order for mankind to be redeemed from the 'slave market of sin.' The Father never left the Son, except for the three hours of darkness when Christ paid for all sin, when the Father had to turn His back on His Only Begotten Son, that caused the Son to cry out from the Cross, 'My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me.' The Father was with Christ at His trial, His condemnation, His flogging, His being nailed to the cross, His being lifted up on that Cross; but the Father had to leave Him suffer for sin alone, because God cannot look at sin, and Christ took every sin that has ever been committed by mankind past, present and future, on His own self. After the three hours the Father returned to the Son and received His Spirit.
"This is a mystery that the human mind cannot understand. Friends, we do not have brains to comprehend the redemption that He wrought on the cross. No wonder God wrapped the mantle of night around that cross, as if to say, 'You will never be able to enter into what is happening here.' I believe that throughout the endless ages of eternity you and I will continually understand something new and wonderful about the death of the Lord Jesus for us. It will cause us to get down on our faces before Him afresh and anew" (McGee).
Verse 33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
LGT "These things I have spoken to you in order that in Me you might be having peace: In the world you have tribulation: But have courage, I have conquered the world."
"That in Me ye might have peace."
Even after I am crucified, you will be having [continually] peace In Me; there is no other place on earth that peace can be found, except in Christ.
"In the world ye shall have tribulation:"
The Lord never tries to whitewash anything; He tells them the truth as it is, because He can do nothing else, for He is 'The Way, The Truth, and The Life."
"But be of Good cheer; I have overcome the world."
What a magnificent way to end a chapter. The word 'overcome' is nenikeka meaning to conquer; of course we know that Christ is referring to a spiritual victory. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39, "But in all things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
"Under the term world, Christ here includes all that is opposed to the salvation of believers, and especially all the corruptions which Satan abuses for the purpose of laying snares for us" (Calvin)
.
"Peace. He closes with peace. The child of God can have peace in this life because peace is found in Christ and in no other place. You won't find peace in the church [organization]. You won't find peace in Christian service. Peace is found in the person of Jesus Christ. 'In the world ye shall have tribulation.' Our Lord made that very clear. There is no peace in the world, only trouble. He was right wasn't He? But He has overcome the world. His victory is our victory. I hear so much today about the victorious life. The only One who ever lived a victorious life was Christ. You and I cannot live it. We can let Him live it in us - that is all. When you and I learn to identify ourselves with Him and come into close fellowship with Him, then we will begin to experience the peace of God in our hearts. Also we will be of good cheer. There is trouble in the world but in our lives there will be joy. Peace and joy! How important they are" (McGee).
As surely as He overcame,
And triumphed once for you,
So surely you that love His name
Shall triumph in Him too.
(Bruce)
Share freely but cite the source: http://bbbiblehelps.epizy.com