John 16:1-33
Persecution. When the Spirit comes. The second coming. Whatever you ask.
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JOHN 16:1-33
1 "I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them.
"I did not tell you these things from the beginning because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Instead your hearts are filled with sadness because I have said these things to you. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment - 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me."
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What is the meaning of what he is saying, 'In a little while you will not see me; again after a little while, you will see me,' and, 'because I am going to the Father'?" 18 So they kept on repeating, "What is the meaning of what he says, 'In a little while'? We do not understand what he is talking about."
19 Jesus could see that they wanted to ask him about these things, so he said to them, "Are you asking each other about this - that I said, 'In a little while you will not see me; again after a little while, you will see me'? 20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. 21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her 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 away from you. 23 At that time you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete.
25 "I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; a time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say 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 entered into the world, but in turn, I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
29 His disciples said, "Look, now you are speaking plainly and not in obscure figures of speech! 30 Now we know that you know everything and do not need anyone to ask you anything. Because of this we believe that you have come from God."
31 Jesus replied, "Do you now believe? 32 Look, a time is coming - and has come - when you will be scattered, each one to his own home, and I will be left alone. Yet I am not alone, because my Father is with me. 33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage - I have conquered the world." (John 16:1-33)
PERSECUTION
1 “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. (John 16:1-2)
For Jewish Christians, being expelled from the synagogue could be an incredibly distressing ordeal, but this situation can also be applied to individuals in different regions of the world. Jesus is providing an advance notice of the forthcoming persecutions that believers will face.
WHEN THE SPIRIT COMES
7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment - 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:7-13)
The world, including many Christians, often holds mistaken beliefs regarding three fundamental concepts: sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Sin
Frequently, people attempt to address the problem of sin by imposing behavioral regulations. The Old Covenant commandments are often employed to restrain the sinful inclinations of human nature. This leads to a pertinent question: if the Ten Commandments could effectively curb sinful behavior, why did Christ need to come? The truth is that the law was never intended to resolve the issue of sin; instead, its purpose is to reveal the hopeless state of sinners until they encounter Christ. Paradoxically, the law can actually exacerbate our sinful tendencies.
But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. (Romans 7:8)
As a result, the Holy Spirit seeks to correct your perception of sin. The central sin in question is unbelief, rather than particular deeds or failures to act: “when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin, … because they do not believe in me.”
Righteousness
Righteousness is essentially the flip side of the “sin” coin, representing the absence of sin. In much the same way people misconceive sin, they also misunderstand righteousness, often using the same approach to attain it as they do with sin.
Therefore, once more, it is when Jesus goes to the Father that He establishes your righteousness, not because you somehow manage to maintain good behavior and avoid wrongdoing. Romans 3:22 describes this righteousness as follows:
This righteousness is granted through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Romans 3:22)
It’s important to note that this righteousness is granted through faith in Christ, not through the works of the law, as indicated by:
No one is declared righteous before Him by the works of the law. (Romans 3:20)
Judgement
Many believers often associate judgment with a future event at the end of time when Christ returns to pass judgment on the world. However, the judgment that Jesus is referring to here seems to pertain to the present, at least since Jesus returned to heaven and the Holy Spirit took His place.
So, the Holy Spirit finds it necessary to correct the world’s perception of judgment: “When he comes, he will prove the world wrong … concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
Furthermore, this judgment is directed at the ruler of this world, specifically Satan, and not against the world’s inhabitants. Jesus himself affirms this by saying: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” (John 3:17)
THE SECOND COMING
16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me. … 20 I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. … 33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage - I have conquered the world. (John 16:16,20,33)
Take comfort in the words of Jesus spoken here.
WHATEVER YOU ASK
23 At that time you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete. … 26 At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say 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. (John 16:23-24,26-27)
Regarding “whatever you ask,” this topic has already been discussed in the study notes for chapter 14 under the “Whatever you ask” subtopic. However, there is a subtle point that Jesus makes in verse 27. He adds, “26At that time you will ask in my name, and I do not say 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.”
This statement emphasizes that the Father’s love for you is so profound that Jesus doesn’t need to intercede on your behalf when you ask in his name. It signifies the removal of any mediator between you and God. This concept aligns with Hebrews 4:16: “Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” The throne of grace, once restricted to the Holy of Holies and accessible only to the High Priest once a year under the Old Covenant, is now fully available to all of us since the curtain separating us from the Most Holy Place was torn from the top when Jesus declared, “It is finished.”
Nghi Nguyen
- Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This is my own opinion on the topic, which does not necessarily reflect the church's theology, or beliefs of the individuals in it — Nghi Nguyen
