John 16
In this chapter, Jesus concludes his teaching of the disciples in preparation for his departure and their life without him. After this teaching, he will pray for them. Chapter 17 contains what we call Jesus’ “high priestly prayer”. Then, in Chapter 18, the events leading up to his death unfold.
The Reason For The Teaching
16:1-3
Jesus knew that the disciples would face hard times after his departure. By carrying on the message of Jesus and being known as his followers, they would become the object of all of the hate and anger that had been focused on Jesus.
He has told them this truth. He said the world would hate them as it hated him. (15:18-19) The Jews would persecute the disciples as they persecuted Jesus. (20) The full meaning of this warning would only be known by the disciples after Jesus is tortured and executed. But, even at the point of telling, the words had to have sounded ominous.
So, Jesus said he told them why he told them these difficult things: it was to keep them from falling away when it happened. (1) Hard times can cause doubt. Hard times that are not expected can cause surrender and defeat.
Jesus did not “sugar coat” it, or minimize it. He said they would be put out of synagogues and even killed. And those who did these things would think they were doing a service to God, (2), although Jesus pointed our that they did not know God the Father and they did not know him.
The Book of Acts shows us that Jesus’ words were true. Peter and John were arrested during their second sermon on the temple grounds. They were jailed overnight, then required to appear before the high priest and the Sanhedrin. (Acts 4:5-6) This happened again in Acts 5, when many of the Sanhedrin wanted to kill them. (Acts 5:33)
One of the great persecutors was Saul. He “ravaged” the church and put believers in jail. (Acts 8:3) Saul did this because he was “extremely zealous” for “the traditions of my fathers”. (Galatians 1:14) After his conversion, he then was run out of synagogues, stoned, beaten, and jailed several times before being executed. James the Apostle was murdered. (Acts 12:2) It went on and on.
The assumption of Jesus here is that falling away is worse than death or persecution. Therefore, they must be ready. But, none of the Apostles fell away from the faith, because Jesus prepared them and the Holy Spirit helped them. By hearing these things in advance from Jesus, they knew that this persecution was not beyond the knowledge of Jesus and was not out of his control.
And that is a word for us. No persecution today is outside the knowledge of our Lord nor beyond his control.
The Holy Spirit
16:4-15
Jesus told the disciples again that he was returning to the Father (him who sent me) and that his talk of leaving made them sad.
He challenged them on this point, saying it is to your disadvantage that I am leaving. It is to your advantage, because the Helper, the Holy Spirit, does not come to you until I return to heaven and send him to you. The Holy Spirit’s full time ministry in and with believers did not begin until Jesus’ earthly ministry ended.
The doctrine of the Trinity is displayed here. God the Son was with God the Father in heaven, then was sent into the world. When God the Son returns to God the Father in heaven, the Father sends God the Spirit into the world.
What will the Holy Spirit do when he comes? Jesus said the Spirit will:
- convict the world concerning sin because they do not believe in him;
- convict the world concerning righteousness because Jesus returns to the Father and will no longer be with them; and
- concerning judgment because the ruler of the world, Satan, is judged. (8-9)
We probably think and talk more of the Holy Spirit’s work in believers, but here Jesus is speaking of the Spirit’s work in the world, meaning those who have not come to faith in Jesus.
First, the Spirit convicts the world of the sin of unbelief. Jesus told the Jews several times that they did not know him and, therefore, did not know the Father and could not come to him. The Spirit continues that work in the world by convicting a person of their sin of unbelief, and the need to believe, when they hear the gospel. That is why we sometimes say a person is “under conviction” when he or she begins to wrestle with the truth of the gospel for the first time.
Second, Jesus also confronted the Jews about their righteousness being false, driven as it was by ceremony and works rather than faith. The Holy Spirit took over that role when Jesus ascended to the Father, showing people that their supposedly good works are not going to get them to heaven. They are, in fact, the filthy rags (KJV), or polluted garments (ESV), of Isaiah 64:6.
Third, the Spirit convicts the world of its wrong and false judgment. It is opposed to the true judgment of Christ. The minds of the world have become darkened by their rejection of God as they suppress the truth. (Romans 1) And the source of the false judgment is Satan, whom Jesus called the ruler of this world. (11) Satan was judged by Jesus’ life of obedience to the Father, his death for our sins, and his resurrection from death to glorification in heaven.
In verses 12 through 15, Jesus spoke of the work of the Spirit in the apostles, and through them to us as believers. The Spirit guides us into all the truth because, like Jesus, he speaks, not on his own authority, but of what he hears from the Father. (13) As the disciples were guided into the truth, so are we as we read the truths they passed down to us.
One of the things the Spirit would hear and declare are the things to come. The Spirit revealed to the disciples much of what would happen in the world in their time and in the distant future. He reveals it to us as we read the words of the disciples.
The Spirit always glorifies Jesus. The Father gave truth to the Son and the Spirit will take that and declare it to the disciples, who declared it to us.
The work of the Spirit in the world gives us confidence to proclaim the gospel. The work of the Spirit in us gives us confidence to know God and serve him faithfully.
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