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John Chapter
Sixteen
I. Content of the Chapter
What the Son of God
the Savior Had Foretold Before His Departure
A.
Foretelling that the Disciples Would Be Persecuted
(v.1-4)
B. Foretelling the Works of the Holy Spirit:
1. His “departure” was for the “coming” of the Holy
Spirit (v.5-7).
2. The work of the Holy Spirit in the positive aspect
---- to judge oneself
(v.5-7).
3. The work of the Holy Spirit in the
negative aspect ---- to bring men into the truth (v.12-13).
4. The purpose of the work of the Holy
Spirit ---- to glorify Christ (v.14-15)
C. Foretelling that He Would Depart Them:
1. The disciples would not see the Lord’s physical
body, and
again a little while, they would see His
spiritual body
(v.16-19).
2. It is just like a woman who is in labor ---- being
sorrowful first, but joyful afterwards (v.20-22).
D. Foretelling the Advantages to the Disciples
Because of His Departure:
1. Whatever they ask the Father in the Lord’s name, He will give them (v.23-26).
2. They believed that the Lord came forth from the Father
and went to the Father, so the Father loved them (v.27-32).
3. They have peace in the Lord, for He has
overcome the world (v.33).
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John. 16:1 “"These things I have
spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.”
YLT:
“`These
things I have spoken to you, that ye may not be stumbled,”
Literal
Meaning: “these things I have spoken
to you”, “these things”
referred to all His teachings to the disciples in the last supper (see
chap.13-15). Here, it especially referred to the matter that the disciples
would be persecuted (see 15:18-25).
“That you should not be made
to stumble”, “stumble”, it
in the original means the spring of the snare that may suddenly “spring out”,
so the word carries a meaning of “being caught unawares” or “making someone
astonished”. The famous religionist Knox translated it in this way: “that you
should not lose faith because of lacking precautions”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What the Lord has
told us is to prevent us from stumbling when we walk in the spiritual way. Therefore,
we should search the Lord’s word earnestly so that we can go ahead smoothly.
2) Many times, the
troubles still remain, but if we have the word of the Lord, we will overcome
them and keep firm.
3) Believers are easiest
made to stumble by the way of the cross (the difficulties). However, if we have
the Lord’s word, even the harder the way is, the more trust we will have in the
Lord.
John. 16:2 “They will put you out of
the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that
he offers God service.”
YLT:
“out
of the synagogues they will put you; but an hour doth come, that every one who
hath killed you, may think to offer service unto God;”
Literal
Meaning: “they will put you out of the synagogues”, “put you out of the synagogues”, the one will at least be temporarily deprived
of his right of partaking in worshiping God or any other normal group activity
(about a week to a month). Or in a more serious case, he will be excommunicated from the synagogue and be despised and
rejected all his life.
“Whoever
kills you”, “whoever”
indicates that those who kill believers are not only the Judaists (see 7:58-59;
12:2; 23:12; 26:9-10).
“Will
think that he offers God service”,
the word “service” is a compound, which means “doing worship” or “offering a
divine service”. It indicates that they regard killing believers as a good
thing which conforms to the will of God.
Spiritual Meaning: “the synagogue” typifies the artificial, natural and
organized religion. The religion is characterized by regarding persecuting and
killing those who are truly of God as serving God.
This verse foretells two
commonest persecutions that the true believers shall suffer: (1) be put out of
the church ---- the persecution from the religious world; (2) be killed ----
the persecution from the political world.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Such arrogant
matter of regarding killing believers as serving God was often seen in the
history of Christianity (see Acts 7:57-60). We (especially who desire to serve
God) should remember the warning of the Lord here.
2) Though men’s
actions are out of their piety and zeal, it still does not guarantee that what
they have done are all right. Many times, they may be glaringly erroneous.
John. 16:3 “And these things they
will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
YLT:
“and
these things they will do to you, because they did not know the Father, nor me.”
Literal
Meaning: this verse is the explanation
of the previous verse ---- the action of putting out of and killing the believers
is because men are short of the true knowledge about God and Christ so that
they misapprehend the will of God and Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we lack the
knowledge about Christ and Christ when we are doing a certain divine work, we
will fall into terrible faults.
2) If one
had not known the Lord, he would have not known the Lord’s Father also. If you had known the Lord, you would have known the Lord’s Father also
(see 8:19).
John. 16:4 “But these things I have
told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. "And these things I did not say to you at the
beginning, because I was with you.”
YLT:
“`But
these things I have spoken to you, that when the hour may come, ye may remember
them, that I said to you, and these things to you from the beginning I did not
say, because I was with you;”
Literal
Meaning: “these things have I told you”, “these things”
referred to the matter that the disciples would be persecuted.
“That
when the time comes”, “the time” means
when the Lord’s word will be fulfilled.
“You
may remember that I told you of them”,
it indicates that the disciples will remember what the Lord has told them in
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (see 14:26).
“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning”, actually, the
Lord had repeatedly foretold the disciples would be persecuted (see Matt
5:10-12; 10:16-25, 28; 21:35-36; 24:9), but He did not clearly tell them the
reason and motivation as well as the relation of the persecutions with His
departure for the Father. Therefore, He had not told them completely.
“Because
I was with you.” ---- It suggested
that the world’s hatred and persecution were focused on the Lord Himself, so He
did not tell the disciples the details.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The revelation of the
Lord’s word to a man may
always surpass his present experience. He will not understand the word until he
has the spiritual experience later in the environment that the Lord has
arranged for him. Then, he shall have the enlightenment again in the word of
the Lord.
2) When we read the
word of the Lord, we may not clearly know it immediately. However, if we can
keep the word of the Christ (whatever you have known or unknown) dwelling in
you richly (see
John. 16:5 “"But now I go away to
Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, "Where are You going?'”
YLT: “and now I go away
to Him who sent me, and none of you doth ask me, Whither dost thou go?”
Literal Meaning: “and none of you asks Me, "Where are You going?'” ---- In fact, Peter had ever asked that
where the Lord would go (see13:36). Therefore, the Lord’s word might indicate
that: (1) the disciples only asked with their mouth, but did not really so care
about it. (2) What they really cared about was not where the Lord was going,
but their condition after the Lord’s departure.
Enlightenment in the Word: if a believer cares his own future more
than Christ Himself, he may take the word of the Lord as unheeded advice. Likewise,
when we read the Bible, if we are prejudiced by first impressions, we may lose
many important points in the Bible.
John. 16:6 “But because I have said
these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ”
YLT: “but because
these things I have said to you, the sorrow hath filled your heart.”
Literal Meaning: “but because I have said these things to you”, “these things”
referred to His impending departure and the persecutions that the disciples
would suffer.
“Sorrow has filled your heart”, “sorrow has filled”, it indicated that they were filled with
sorrow so that they were pessimistic about their prospects.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though the Lord’s word is good to us, we can still not obtain advantage from the Lord’s word if we apprehend it imperfectly or
even misapprehend it.
2) The fact may make a
man both joyful and sorrowful, which is wholly
decided by our attitudes towards it.
John. 16:7 “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 depart, I will send Him to you. ”
YLT: “`But I tell you
the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the
Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you;”
Meaning of Words: “advantage”: be better for; be expedient
for; “Helper”: beside caller, friend, Advocate, comforter, persuader, and
counselor, Legal Helper, Intercessor and Strengthener;
Literal Meaning: “I go”, the word “go” in the original
carries the emphatic meaning of “leaving”. Here, He would leave the disciples
and would no longer abide with them physically. Therefore, His “going” was His
death in the flesh and His resurrection three days afterwards. He would be seen
by His disciples during forty days, and ascended to the heaven and left them
finally(see 20:17; Acts1:3, 9).
“It is to your advantage that”, it
unveiled that His departure was profitable, because: (1) the sins of His
disciples shall be forgiven through His death on the cross. (2) The Lord in the
past abode with the disciples physically, and it was restricted by time and
space. Therefore He should be dead and risen and abide with the disciples in
the spirit, so that it shall not be restricted by time and space.
“For if I do not go away, the Helper
will not come to you”, the “Helper” is the Holy Spirit (see v.13; 14:16-17). The
meaning of the “Helper” in the original is “a helper who is called to another
one to help him”. This word in the juridical situation refers to the man who accompanies
the parties to appear in court and takes care of all the affairs concerned the
case. Such man’s work is intercession, vindication, exhortation, preservation
and consolation. The Lord Jesus should be dead in the flesh, and then come back
to the disciples in the Holy Spirit in His resurrection and even enter the
disciples (see 20:22).
“But if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
---- The word “depart” suggested it was a purposeful departure, namely,
departing for the Father. “Him” referred to the Helper, i.e. the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit is sent by both the Father and the Son, indicating again that the
Father and the Son are one (see 10:30).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We
usually found that how pleasant that the disciples abode with the Lord was!
They had been eyewitnesses of the Lord and had heard Him with their own ears
(see 2Pet 1:16-17; 1John 1:1). However, the Lord said: “it is to your advantage that I go away.” For once He had departed, the Helper would come.
Obviously, the indwelling spirit is better than the physical presence of the
Lord.
2) The last Adam
(Jesus Christ) became a quickening spirit (1Cor 15:54). The death of the Lord
Jesus enabled Him to give His life in Spirit to those who believe Him.
3) The Lord has sent
the Helper. In fact, He sends Himself and comes to be our Helper in the state
of spirit (see Zech 2:8-11).
4) The Holy Spirit,
the embodiment of Christ, substantiates Christ in the believers, thus
accompanying with us, serving us and meeting all our need.
5) How gentle the
attendance of the Holy Spirit is! Whatever we need, he can supply us more than
sufficient.
6) The Lord is the
Spirit, but where the Spirit of Lord liberty (2Cor 3:17).
John. 16:8 “And when He has come, He
will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ”
YLT: “and having
come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness,
and concerning judgment;”
Meaning of Words: “sin”: miss the mark; “righteousness”: equity, justification;
“judgment”: accusation, condemnation; “convict”: expose, convince, tell a
fault, rebuke, reprove;
Literal Meaning: “and when He has come”, “He” refers to the Holy Spirit, i.e. the
Helper (see v.7).
“The
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”, there is no definite
article for “sin, righteousness, and judgment”. Therefore, it refers to the
general instance rather than a special occasion.
“Sin” means being unable to meet the
appointed standard of God. “Righteousness” means being just and righteous
before God. “Judgment” refers to the judgment of God to everything.
“Sin”, by Adam sin entered into the
world (see Rom 5:12), so sin related to men. “Righteousness” is manifested
through the resurrection of Christ (see v.10; Rom 3:25; 4:25), so it relates to
Christ. “Judgment” is appointed to Satan (see v.11; 12:31), for it was the
originator of sin (see 8:44), so judgment relates to Satan.
The Holy Spirit makes men know that what
is sin, righteousness, and judgment, and that men has sinned and has none
righteousness and will be judged. If a man finds that he has sinned and then believes Christ, he shall be justified before God and be free
of judgment. If a man has not found that he has sinned, or
even has already seen that he has sinned but
does not receive Christ, he will be condemned and suffer the judgment and
punishment which should be given to Satan.
“He
will convict”, “convict” refers to “exposing” or “reproving” one’s sins. Men in
the world will find their true conditions, and then men’s consciences
are rebuked in the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit testifies
three matters in men: (1) men have sinned; (2) only Christ is righteous. (3)
Satan must be condemned.
2) The Holy Spirit will
reveal that the Lord has fulfilled three matters on the cross: (1) to forgive
sins. (2) To manifest the righteousness. (3) To judge Satan.
3) The Holy Spirit makes men
know the salvation of God through men’s
self-reproach.
4) The Holy Spirit brings
men into self-reproach, thus making men know themselves, Christ as well as
Satan.
John. 16:9 “of sin, because they do not
believe in Me;”
YLT: “concerning sin
indeed, because they do not believe in me;”
Literal
Meaning: “of sin”, the first work of
the Holy Spirit is to make a man see that he has been born in the sin, has
grown up in the sin and has lived in the sin, namely, a absolute sinner under the
judgment of God. Therefore, he will seek the way to be delivered from the sin
and be forgiven.
Note that “sin” in the original is singular, so they are not sins. The
Holy Spirit may reprove “believers” for sins, but the judgment on the whole
world is not according to their sins, but their “unbelieving”.
“They
do not believe in Me”, “they” refers to
the unbelief. The sin of the world focuses on the problem that whether they
receive the Lord or not.
This verse indicates that: (1) the true essence of sin is unbelieving;
(2) “Unbelieving” is a typical sin.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Without the conviction
of the Holy Spirit, men will never truly know that they are sinners.
2) “Unbelieving”, the basic as well we the worst sin of men,
is even more terrible than any other sin.
3) Men may
usually note the moral sins, but ignore that “refusing the truth” is a more serious sin. Christ is the truth
(see 14:6). Therefore, “unbelieving” of Christ is the most serious sin.
4) “The one who does not believe Christ” has no proper relationship with Christ.
When the Holy Spirit reproves men, he will convict men of the improper relationship with Christ rather than
their concrete sins of murdering, pride, being jealousy and etc.
5) The most
initial work of the Holy Spirit in men is making them realize the sin of not
believing the Lord. On the day of Pentecost, Peter was filled with the Holy
Spirit and bore witness of the fact that Jesus who was crucified on the cross
is Christ to the people ---- “having
heard they were pricked in heart”
(see Acts 2:37).
6) The Holy
Spirit in the negative aspect enlightens us and convicts us. The enlightenment
of the Holy Spirit is according to Christ whom He has revealed. Therefore, when
the Holy Spirit convicts men of sins, he is actually convicting that they are
unwilling to open to the fullness of Christ ---- “do not believe Me”.
7) If a man in
the revelation of the Holy Spirit, the more he has seen Christ, the more he
will reproach himself for his lowness and corruption. The self-accusation
because of having seen the glorious Christ is true, not artificial or imitative.
John. 16:10 “of righteousness, because I
go to My Father and you see Me no more; ”
YLT: “and concerning
righteousness, because unto my Father I go away, and no more do ye behold me;”
Literal
Meaning: “of righteousness”, the second work of the Holy Spirit is
making a man see that he has no righteousness and is in need of righteousness
and that the Lord Jesus is the only righteous one. Thus he will receive the
righteousness that is fulfilled by the Lord Jesus on the cross.
“Because
I go to My Father”, it indicates that
the righteousness of Christ has been testified because of the approval of the
Father: (1) “go
to My Father” means His Ascension
to the Father after His resurrection. (2) It unveils that His death on the
cross has met the righteous requirement of God. (3) It suggests that He is
righteous before God, for there is none unrighteous one who can stand before
God. (4) Therefore, His resurrection and ascension is for our justification
(see Rom 4:25; 10:9). (5) God bestows Christ as the righteousness upon those
who believe Christ (see 1Cor 1:30; Jem 23:6). (6) God justifies him that is of
faith of Jesus, thus manifesting His own righteousness (see Rom 3:26).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Men’s righteousness is shabby, and it is as
filthy rags (see Is 64:6).
2) The Holy Spirit
enlightens men that the Lord Jesus does not know sin and He has made sin for
us, so that we might become God's righteousness in Him. Because He has
fulfilled the righteousness of God and He is righteousness of Himself. If we
enter Him, we will be justified and become righteousness.
3) The Holy Spirit
points to men the proof that the Lord is the righteous one ---- if the Lord is
not the righteous one, God will not exalt Him. If He is the righteous one, God
will have to exalt Him.
4) The Holy Spirit
convicts men of righteousness according to the fact that Christ has entered the
glory of the Father and unto the fullness of God through His death and
resurrection ---- “I go to the Father”, thus manifesting men’s shortness of having not reached the
fullness of God’s will.
5) Except for the Holy
Spirit, no one can reveal men that men shall be justified by the death of
Christ on the cross only, not good deeds.
6) All those who
believe Christ and are jointed to Christ will gain the righteousness of Christ
as his own righteousness so that they may grow up to salvation.
John. 16:11 “of judgment, because the
ruler of this world is judged.”
YLT: “and concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world hath been judged.”
Literal
Meaning: “of judgment”, the third work of
the Holy Spirit is to make men see that the sin must be judged ---- if men do
not receive the judgment of God on Jesus on the cross (do not receive the
redemption of the Lord Jesus on the cross), they will face the judgment of God
by themselves (see Heb 9:27).
“Because
the ruler of this world is judged.”
---- “The
ruler of this world” refers to Satan
(see the commentary in chapter 12, verse 31). “Being judged” has the meanings
as below: (1) what Christ has fulfilled on the cross is not only bearing sins,
but also judging all the negative things ---- including the sin, the flesh, the
world, the devil and etc. (2) The Lord Jesus has been in the likeness of flesh
of sin (see Rom 8:3) in order to bring these negative things unto the cross to
be judged by God. (3) The Lord has annulled the devil who has the might of
death through His death on the cross (see Heb 2:14). That is to say, the ruler
of this world has been judged. (4) All those who are unwilling to believe the
Lord will be judged with the devil and be punished with the devil (see Matt
25:41; Rev 20:10-15).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The judgment for those
who are in Christ has passed, for God cannot judge us again since He had
already judged Jesus.
2) The Holy Spirit
convicts men of judgment, because Christ has judged the ruler of the world ----
Satan ---- through the victory of His cross. The Holy Spirit enlightens men
that they still have something of Satan as well as the constitution against
Christ so that men shall reprove themselves.
John. 16:12 “"I still have many
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ”
YLT: “`I have yet
many things to say to you, but ye are not able to bear now;”
Literal
Meaning: “I still have many things to
say to you.” ---- “Many things”
referred to all the truth written in the New Testament, which was not taught by
the Lord Jesus when He was still with His disciples on the earth in His flesh.
“But you cannot bear them now”, “now”: the time when the Holy Spirit had
not entered the disciples. “Cannot bear” means being unable to understand, for
the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God (see 1Cor
2:14).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The one who has just
believed the Lord partakes of milk and cannot eat solid food (see Heb 5:13-14).
Therefore, we shall seek to grow up swiftly so as to enjoy more spiritual
fullness.
2) He who teaches the
saints in the assembly should step by step. Firstly, he shall help others
establish good foundation, and then advance according to their absorbing
ability. Otherwise, they will be unable to bear them.
John. 16:13 “However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not
speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will
tell you things to come. ”
YLT: “and when He may
come -- the Spirit of truth -- He will guide you to all the truth, for He will
not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and
the coming things He will tell you;”
Meaning
of Words: “guide”: lead, show the way, instruct;
Literal
Meaning: “when He, the Spirit of
truth has come,” the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of
truth”, for:
(1) the Holy Spirit inspires men to speak the word of God (see 2Pet1:21). (2) The Holy
Spirit will never bring men to faults (see 1John 4:6). (3) He bears witness of
Christ, who is the truth (see v.6; 15:26). (4) He will lead us into all truth.
“He will guide you into all truth.” ----
“Guide” means leading men to walk ahead. “Into”, it is like entering a new land
which has not been researched.
“And He will tell you things to come.”
---- “Things to come” includes the
death of the Lord Jesus, resurrection, ascension and His second coming. It might also refer to the complete truth of the Christianity from the Acts to Revelation, all these were the impending
things when the Lord said it. Since the Holy Spirit taught these things to the
disciples of the early church, the Book of the New Testament was then completed.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit leads us
not only into more of the knowledge of the truth, but also into more experience
of all the truth.
2) The Holy Spirit is the
reality of every truth. Any truth without Him is only “knowledge”, but lacks the “reality”. Once there is the Holy Spirit, the truth
has the reality. He is the reality of the truth. The Holy Spirit in us leads us
into not only the knowledge of all truth, but also the reality of “all truth”.
3) The so-called “truth” is the spiritual reality, namely, all the
realities in the divine Trinity. Only the Holy Spirit can bring us into such
reality.
4) Many times, we have not
touched the spiritual reality of a certain thing, but only some superficial
knowledge. Only when we have been touched in spirit can we touch the reality.
5) If the Holy Spirit does
not reveal us in our spirit, we cannot know the heavenly things.
6) When we read the Holy
Scripture, we shall not imagine it in our natural mind, but gaze at the Lord in
the spirit and let the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth.
John. 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He
will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ”
YLT: “He will glorify
me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you.”
Literal
Meaning: “He will glorify Me”, what the Holy Spirit has done in
believers are: (1) leading believers into all truth ---- whatever He hears He will
speak, and He will tell you
things to come (v.13). (2)
Glorifying Christ ---- He will take of what is of the Lord and declare it to
the disciples.
“He
will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” ---- It indicates that: (1) Christ is the origin
of the revelation of the Holy Spirit. (2) The revelation of the Holy Spirit is
the revelation of Christ Himself.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit leads us
into all truth and reality (see v.13). And this truth is none other but the
full Christ Himself. Therefore, the Lord said: “He will take of what is
Mine and declare it to you.”
2) The Holy Spirit never
draws men’s attention to Him,
but always manifests the glory of Christ.
3) Anything that does not
glorify Christ or any doctrine that does not exalt the cross of the Lord cannot
be of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, anything that glorifies Christ and
manifests Christ must be of the Holy Spirit.
4) No man speaking by the
Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed. And no man can say that Jesus is the Lord,
but by the Holy Ghost (1Cor 12:3).
5) “He will take of what is Mine and declare it
to you.” ---- The revelation
and guidance of the Holy Spirit to the church and believers have equal
authority with Christ. Therefore, the New Testament, written by the apostles of
the first generation in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the word of the
Lord.
John. 16:15 “All things that the Father
has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. ”
YLT: “`All things, as
many as the Father hath, are mine; because of this I said, That of mine He will
take, and will tell to you;”
Literal
Meaning: “All things that the Father
has are Mine”. ---- It suggests that in Christ dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily (see
“He will take of Mine”, “He” refers to
the Holy Spirit. “Mine” refers to Christ. The Holy Spirit will take of all Christ is and all He has.
“Declare it to you”, “declare”: reveal; “you”
refers to believers. The Holy Spirit will bring believers into all the fullness
and the reality of God and Christ.
Note that the phrase of “declaring it to
you” appears at the end of the three verses from verse 13 to
verse 15. It
suggests that the Holy Spirit takes believers as the main object of His works.
Enlightenment
in the Word: how earnest the
Holy Spirit is to reveal the mystery and fullness of the divine Trinity to us!
If we have still known the divine Trinity superficially and gained only a
little of them, the problem does not lie in the Holy Spirit, but ourselves.
John. 16:16 “"A little while, and
you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I
go to the Father." ”
YLT: “a little while,
and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because
I go away unto the Father.'”
Meaning
of Words: “see
(the first one)”: discern, behold; “see (the second one)”: appear, view;
Literal
Meaning: “a little while”, here it referred to the short period from
this speech of Him to His crucifixion on the cross (less than a day).
“You
will not see Me”, “Me” referred to
the Lord Jesus in the flesh.
“Again
a little while”, there were three
different explanations as follows: (1) it referred to the period from the
crucifixion of the Lord on the cross to His resurrection three days later when
He appeared to His disciples again in His spiritual body (see 20:19). (2) It
referred to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit sat upon the disciples
(see Acts 2:1-4). (3) It referred to the period of time until the second coming
of the Lord Jesus.
According to the context, here the first explanation may be the most acceptable
one.
“And
you will see Me”, the word “Me”
refers to the Lord Jesus in His spiritual body of resurrection.
There are two “see”s in this verse ---- the
former one sees physically, and latter one sees spiritually.
Enlightenment in the Word: believers walk by faith (the spiritual
insight), not by sight (2Cor 5:7). If we see by sight, we cannot see any
precious spiritual things. However, faith is substantiating of things hoped for
(see Heb11:1).
John. 16:17 “Then some of His disciples
said among themselves, "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 go to the Father'?" ”
YLT: “Therefore said
of his disciples one to another, `What is this that he saith to us, A little
while, and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me,
and, Because I go away unto the Father?'”
Literal Meaning: the Lord Jesus actually did not speak “because I go to the Father” and “a little while” together, but the disciples thought they were
connected, for both of them were followed by the sentence of “you will see Me”.
“You will not see Me” and “you will see Me” are facts. “Because I go to the Father” is the explanation of the facts.
John. 16:18 “They said therefore,
"What is this that He says, "A little while'? We do not know what He
is saying." ”
YLT: “they said then,
`What is this he saith -- the little while? we have not known what he saith.'”
Enlightenment in the Word: many words in the Scripture are very implicit,
which are difficult to understand through our natural mind. The best way is to
ask the Holy Spirit rather than asking one another.
John. 16:19 “Now Jesus knew that they
desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among
yourselves about what I said, "A little while, and you will not see Me;
and again a little while, and you will see Me'? ”
YLT: “Jesus,
therefore, knew that they were wishing to ask him, and he said to them,
`Concerning this do ye seek one with another, because I said, A little while,
and you do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me?”
John. 16:20 “Most assuredly, I say to
you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be
sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ”
YLT: “verily, verily,
I say to you, that ye shall weep and lament, and the world will rejoice; and ye
shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow joy will become.”
Meaning of Words: “weep”: wail aloud, sob, bewail; “lament”: mourn;
Literal Meaning: “you will weep and lament” it means that the lamentation includes the inward
deep wail and the outward sorrowful appearance.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The sorrow and joy are
usually contrary to that of the world. What makes us be sorrowful may cause the
world happy, but what makes us be joyful may cause the world sorrowful.
2) The extreme
pleasure of the world is followed by sorrow ---- the joy is transient, but the sorrow
is constant. However, though we believers may have grief, we will become joyful
ultimately.
John. 16:21 “A woman, when she is in
labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth
to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being
has been born into the world. ”
YLT: “`The woman,
when she may bear, hath sorrow, because her hour did come, and when she may
bear the child, no more doth she remember the anguish, because of the joy that
a man was born to the world.”
Literal Meaning: “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow”, “woman” here symbolized the disciples who
followed the Lord. When the Lord went to the cross, they were just like the
women in labor, feeling much anguished.
“As soon as she has given birth to the
child”, it symbolized the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus (see Acts 13:33; Heb 1:5; Rom 1:4).
“She no longer remembers the anguish,
for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” ---- Childbearing may usually bring both
pain and joy (see Is 26:17-19; 66:7-14; Hos 13:13-14). When the disciples
witnessed the risen Christ, they would no longer remember the
anguish and sorrow, but
turned to be joyful.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The death of the cross
brings the anguish of being in labor. The glorious resurrection produces the
joy of being in labor.
2) The process of the outcome
of life is grievous, much more so is the new created life. Because if there is
no death, there is no living ---- the life of the old creation should be annulled,
and the life of the new creation shall emerge (see 2Cor 4:10-11; 5:17).
3) The experience of death
is painful, but the experience of resurrection is joyful.
John. 16:22 “Therefore you now have
sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no
one will take from you. ”
YLT: “`And ye,
therefore, now, indeed, have sorrow; and again I will see you, and your heart
shall rejoice, and your joy no one doth take from you,”
Literal Meaning: “but I will see you again.” ---- It means He came to the disciples again in
His spiritual body after His resurrection (see v.16).
“Your joy no one will take from you.” ---- “Your joy” refers to the joy produced
by witnessing the death and resurrection. Death is the worst enemy. If death
can not take this joy, nothing can take this joy.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The joy obtained after
anguish is the fullest joy that no one can take it.
2) The true joy of men
is granted by the Holy Spirit, who is always with us. Therefore, no one can
take our joy.
John. 16:23 “"And in that day you
will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father
in My name He will give you. ”
YLT: “and in that day
ye will question me nothing; verily, verily, I say to you, as many things as ye
may ask of the Father in my name, He will give you;”
Literal Meaning: “in that day”:
after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension.
“You will ask Me nothing.” ---- It meant they would not ask the
meaning of the Lord’s words before His crucifixion (see v.17), not “asking” in
our prayer. Because when the disciples had seen the fact of the resurrection of
Christ and had received the indwelling spirit, they would suddenly know it.
“Whatever you ask the Father in My name
He will give you.” ---- The
resurrection of Christ brings the indwelling spirit. Then, the Lord dwells in
those who believe Him, and believers dwell in Him ---- they shall be jointed
together. They pray in the name of the Lord, which is the prayer of the Lord
Himself ---- such payer must be granted by God the Father.
John. 16:24 “Until now you have asked
nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. ”
YLT: “till now ye did
ask nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Literal Meaning: “until now you have asked nothing in My name.” ---- Until that time, the Lord was still
not in them, and they were not in the Lord either ---- they had not been fully
jointed to the Lord.
“Your joy may be full.” ---- There are two levels of joy: (1) the
joy “in the name of the Lord”, namely, the joy from the union of the Lord. (2)
The joy out of “ask, and you will receive” is the joy of the answered prayer.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We Christians have the
basic right on the earth, namely, our prayers shall be granted. Therefore, if
we want to be Christians filled with joy, we should often pray.
2) If believers have
problems in prayer, it is possible that they may have not lived in the reality
of the Lord’s name.
John. 16:25 “"These things I have
spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no
longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about
the Father. ”
YLT: “`These things
in similitudes I have spoken to you, but there cometh an hour when no more in
similitudes will I speak to you, but freely of the Father, will tell you.”
Meaning of Words: “figurative
language”: parable,
proverb, adage;
Literal Meaning: “I have spoken to you in figurative language.” ---- “Figurative
language”: to reveal the truth with parables.
“I will tell you plainly about the
Father.” ---- The word “plainly” indicates two meanings: (1) to speak bluntly; (2) to speak with boldness.
John. 16:26 “In that day you will ask in
My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ”
YLT: “`In that day,
in my name ye will make request, and I do not say to you that I will ask the
Father for you,”
Literal Meaning: “I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you.”
---- It does not mean He gives up the responsibility of being the patron and no
longer intercedes for those who are of the Lord (see Rom 8:34; Heb7:25; 1John
2:1). That is to say, we believers should not give up the right of supplicating
the Father directly, although the Lord would intercede for us.
John. 16:27 “for the Father Himself
loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from
God. ”
YLT: “for the Father
himself doth love you, because me ye have loved, and ye have believed that I
from God came forth;”
Literal Meaning: this verse provides the proof that
believers can supplicate God directly.
John. 16:28 “I came forth from the
Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the
Father." ”
YLT: “I came forth
from the Father, and have come to the world; again I leave the world, and go on
unto the Father.'”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only believing that the
Lord comes out of the Father is insufficient ---- such faith is incomplete. We
should also believe that He will come back to the Father.
2) If a believer knows
“where he comes from” and “where he goes to”, his sadness will become joy when in
anguish.
John. 16:29 “His disciples said to Him,
"See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! ”
YLT: “His disciples
say to him, `Lo, now freely thou dost speak, and no similitude speakest thou;”
John. 16:30 “Now we are sure that You
know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we
believe that You came forth from God." ”
YLT: “now we have
known that thou hast known all things, and hast no need that any one do
question thee; in this we believe that from God thou didst come forth.'”
Literal Meaning: “we believe that You came forth from God.” ---- “Believing” and “coming forth from
God” are the great two themes of the Book of John.
John. 16:31 “Jesus answered them,
"Do you now believe? ”
YLT: “Jesus answered
them, `Now do ye believe? lo, there doth come an hour,”
Literal Meaning: “Do you now believe?” ---- It indicated: “even though you have believed
Me now, you will soon meet difficulties and then you faith will be shaken” (see
v.32). It suggested that the disciples’ faith had not reached the true faith,
for they had not been tried through afflictions.
John. 16:32 “Indeed the hour is coming,
yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave
Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ”
YLT: “and now it hath
come, that ye may be scattered, each to his own things, and me ye may leave
alone, and I am not alone, because the Father is with me;”
Meaning of Words: “leave”: forsake, lay aside;
Literal Meaning: “you will be scattered, each to his own”, “scattered”
indicated that it had fulfilled what was written in the Scripture: “smite the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Zech 13:7).
“Leave Me alone”, it meant that the
disciples forsook the Lord, but the Lord did not seem to care about it.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Many times, the more
spiritual one is, the lonelier he will feel, because others cannot feel what he
has felt. But thanks the Lord! Though he is alone, the Lord’s presence gives him great consolation.
2) No one can go to
the cross in place of the Lord, who has to face it by Himself. When we run in
the way of the cross, we may become increasingly lonely, for many men seek the
Lord’s blessings but
refuse the way of the cross.
John. 16:33 “These things I have spoken
to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation;
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ”
YLT: “these things I
have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace, in the world ye shall have
tribulation, but take courage -- I have overcome the world.'”
Meaning of Words: “tribulation”: burdened, persecution, distress; “be of
good cheer”: have courage; “overcome”: conquer, prevail, and get the victory;
Literal Meaning: “In the world you will have tribulation”, note that the Lord did not promise the
believers that there was no tribulation. The “tribulation” in this verse was the same as the “anguish” of the woman who is in labor in verse 21.
It suggested that the tribulation of believers was like the woman’s labor pain,
which is a transition from anguish to joy.
“But be of good cheer”, what troubles us most is suffering the
meaningless suffering, i.e. suffering in vain.
Note the comparisons in this verse: （1）
“in Me” and “in the world”; (2) “Peace” and “tribulation”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord does not
ask Christians to close their eyes to ignore the tribulation in the world.
2) Someone draws an analogy:
“tribulation” is like the meat clipped in the sandwich, and “being of good
cheer” and “peace” are like that two pieces of bread. This sandwich is put in
the dish of “victory” and is then sent to believers. Once we have eaten this
bread, though there is tribulation, we can not only overcome the tribulation
but also obtain profit from it, because there are “being of good cheer”, peace
and victory.
3) “In Me you may have peace”, it tells us that there is no peace
outside the Lord. We shall find true peace in Christ only.
4) “Into the truth
(v.13)” means entering the Lord Himself. Only the one who lives in reality and
truth is living in the Lord. And only in such case we shall have true peace and
overcome the world.
5) In the risen Lord,
the victory of the Lord has become our victory. And we shall always boast of
His victory in Him.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
I. The Works of the
Holy Spirit
A. To help believers:
1. It is to their advantage (v
2. To be the Helper, who brings the presence of
the Lord in spirit (v.7b)
B. To enlighten and lead the world:
1. He will convict the world (v.8).
2. He will lead the world to know the sin of not believing the Lord (v.9).
3. He will lead the world to know that Christ
is righteousness (v.10).
4. He will lead the world to know that Satan
should be judged (v.11).
C. To guide believers:
1. Through guiding them into all truth (v
2. Through speaking the truth (v.13b).
3. Through telling the things to come (v
D. To glorify Christ ---- He will take of what is of the Lord and declare it to believers (v.14-15).
II.The Revelation and Fulfillment of the Truth
in the New Testament
A. Instead of telling the disciples all things,
the Lord reserved “many
things” (v.12).
B. The Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into “all” truth (v.13).
C. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is the revelation
of the Father and the Son (v.13).
D. The Lord’s disciples are witnesses who are
chosen by the Lord to receive and testify all the truth (v.13; 15:27).
III. The Secret of
Reading the Scripture and Praying
A. One should be in the guidance of the Holy
Spirit when reading the Scripture (v.12-14).
B. One should be in the name of the Lord when
reading the Scripture (v.23-24).
IV. To Know the
Resurrection of Christ
A. Men do not understand the resurrection
(v.16-19).
B. Resurrection brings the joy which cannot be
taken away (v.20-22).
C. Resurrection opens the way to the God the
Father (v.23-24).
D. Resurrection reveals the will of the Father
(v.25-27).
E. Resurrection proves the relationship between
Christ and the Father (v.28).
F. Resurrection exposes the infirm faith of men
(v.29-32).
G. Resurrection brings men true peace (v.33).
V. The Two Levels of
Joy of the Believers
A. The joy of seeing the Lord’s appearance in
His resurrection (v.22) ---- no one can take away such joy.
B. The joy that their prayer in the name of the
Lord has been granted by God (v.24) ---- such joy shall be full.
VI. The Peace and Tribulation
of Believers
A. There is peace in the Lord (v
B. There is tribulation in the world (v.33b).
C. How to overcome the tribulation? ---- To put
one’s trust in the Lord who has overcome (v
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou