John 16
John 16 Focus: Jesus predicts His Passion again, promises He will send His disciples His Holy Spirit, and assures us NOTHING we face on earth will be able to remove His joy and peace in our lives!
JOHN 16: Insights, Highlights and Points to Ponder:
- As we read John 16, Jesus makes two major PREDICITONS:
A) First, Jesus PREDICTS again that those who faithfully follow Him may face opposition or persecution (John 15:18-16:4a).
B) Second, Jesus PREDICTS (16:16-21) His own Passion--HIs coming suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus often used figurative language that was hard for His disciples to understand fully until after the actual events happened.
- As we read John 16, Jesus also makes two major PROMISES:
A) First, Jesus PROMISES (16:7-14) He will “go away” but will send the Holy Spirit (“Paraclete” in Greek=translated as “Helper” or “Counselor”) to His disciples (of all times).
B) Second, Jesus PROMISES us His hope, comfort and presence beyond all of our earthly trials, temptations and troubles! We will experience sorrow now and in life, BUT He will turn our sorrow to JOY (16:20-22)! Likewise, in the final verse of John 16, Jesus assures us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (v.33).
- The greatest mystery of the Christian Faith is the Holy Trinity. God’s Word reveals to us there is One God in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is our CREATOR (Father), our Savior (Jesus) and our Sanctifier (the Holy Spirit Who lives in us and gives us faith). Our salvation is accomplished and delivered by the TRINITY. We hear about the work of the Trinity throughout John 16. We will repeatedly hear Jesus speaking about His interactive and harmonious relationship with the Father and the Spirit.
- In John 15:26 Jesus said, “But when the Helper (Paraclete) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
We profess what Jesus says in this verse whenever we confess our Christian Faith using the Nicene Creed: “…And I believe in the Holy Spirit…Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified…”
We now read: John 16 (interspersed with commentary and insights)
16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
I Have Overcome the World
25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
An IDEA for Personal Application: Perhaps write out verse 22 and/or 33 on a piece of paper and post it or put it somewhere to be reminded of the amazing promises of Jesus and the presence of His Spirit in our daily lives.
+ We Pray+ Dear Jesus, thank You for saving us from sin and death through Your innocent suffering and death on the cross of Calvary and by Your victorious Resurrection from the grave! We also thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit. Through the presence and power of Your Spirit, turn our earthly anxieties and sorrows into joy and transform our troubles and trials with Your perfect peace. We need you You Jesus and pray in Your Holy Name! Amen.
