返回Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Jn. 16:1. These things I have spoken to you, so that you would not be caused to stumble.
"I," He says, "told you about this before it came to pass, so that you would not be scandalized afterwards, when you see that many do not believe your preaching and that you yourselves will undergo afflictions, but so that, concluding from the fact that I told you about this before it came to pass, you would also accept My consolation with faith that I will not deceive you in this case, just as I did not lie in the prediction about the afflictions."
Jn. 16:2. They will put you out of the synagogues;
"They will put you out of the synagogues," they will excommunicate you from their assemblies and honored places and deprive you of all fellowship. For "they had already agreed that if anyone should confess Him to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue" (John 9:22).
Jn. 16:2. "Indeed, the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is thereby serving God."
Not only will you be expelled from the synagogues, but you will also receive death, and a shameful death, for you will be killed as harmful people, enemies of God. And everyone who kills you will so strive for your murder that "he will think that he is thereby serving God," that is, he will think that he is performing a deed pleasing to God and holy.
Jn. 16:3. And these things they will do because they have not known the Father, nor Me.
He also adds sufficient consolation. He says: "They will do these things because they have not known either the Father or Me." You will suffer for My sake and for the Father's sake, and therefore endure. For "blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake" (Matt. 5:11). Let this blessedness be your consolation when you remember it.
Jn. 16:4. But I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.
I told you about this so that when you see My sorrowful words fulfilled, you would believe the rest as well. For you will not be able to say that I, wishing to deceive you, foretold only pleasant things; but just as I did not deceive when I foretold sorrowful things, so also in the prediction of joyful things I am worthy of belief. I said this also so that you would not remain unprepared, but would prepare yourselves, remembering that I Myself spoke of this, and therefore would stand against afflictions courageously.
Jn. 16:4. I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you.
The apostles, having heard that such calamities would befall them, were weighed down with great sorrow. Therefore the Lord says: "I did not tell you about such sorrows before, not because I did not know, but because I was with you, and you had in Me a sufficient refuge, and the whole war was waged against Me, while you yourselves were in complete safety. So then, there was no need for such words to prepare and forewarn you; but now, departing to My Father and leaving you, I give you advance notice of this, so that you may safeguard yourselves."
How then did the Lord say that He had not spoken of this from the beginning, when it is written that, having called the twelve disciples, He said to them: "They will bring you before governors and kings"? (Matt. 10:18). Although He said that they will bring you before governors, He had not yet said that they will kill you as impious men, as harmful people and enemies of God. And in another way: there He said that they would have to endure suffering from the Gentiles, but here He tells them that the Jews will cause them calamities; for they will cast you out of the synagogue — without a doubt, the Jews.
Jn. 16:5. But now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: where are You going?
Jn. 16:6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
"And none of you asks Me: 'Where are You going?'" For from sorrow you were confounded and thrown into a frenzy; your hearts were shaken by the expectation of calamities.
Jn. 16:7. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go;
But "I tell you the truth." See how He comforts them. "However much," He says, "you grieve, I am telling you what is beneficial for you. You wish that I would always be with you, but this is not beneficial for you. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you. Therefore, although you desire My presence, I will not listen to you, but will rather choose what is beneficial for you than fulfill your desire which is harmful to you."
So also in all things we must act thus: for ourselves and for our neighbors we should devise what is beneficial, not what is pleasant. For if I do not die for the world and do not go to the Father, having offered Myself as a sacrifice and propitiation for the sins of the world, the Comforter will not come. For how will He come if the enmity is not ended through the putting to death of sin, if the Father is not reconciled with human nature?
Jn. 16:7. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you,
It is better for you that I go away. What can the Macedonians say here, who diminish the glory of the Spirit and call Him a servant of the Son? What benefit would it be for the Master to depart and a servant to come? Therefore you, the disciples, although you will grieve because of My departure, you will be gladdened by the coming of the Spirit, which will bring you greater and more important blessings.
Observe, if you will, right here the sovereign authority of the Spirit and the co-willing of the Son; for in the words "the Comforter will come" the authority of the Spirit is expressed, while in the words "I will send Him" — the good pleasure of the Son, the consent, if one may say so, to the coming of the Comforter and the beckoning toward it.
Jn. 16:8. And when He comes, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
Jn. 16:9. Of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
The Comforter will come. And what benefit will there be from that? He "will convict the world of sin" and will show that they sin by not believing. For when they see that the Spirit, through the hands of the disciples, performs extraordinary signs and wonders, and after that still do not believe, how will they not be worthy of condemnation and not be guilty of the greatest sin? Now they can say that I am the son of a carpenter, the son of a poor mother, even though I perform miracles. But then, when the Spirit in My name performs such works, their unbelief will be inexcusable. And so, He will convict them "of sin," that is, He will show that they have sinned unforgivably.
Jn. 16:10. Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more;
He will also convict "of righteousness, because I go to My Father," that is, He will prove to them that I, being righteous and blameless in life, was unjustly put to death by them, and the proof of this is that I go to the Father. For I would not have ascended to the Father if I were not righteous. Since they will kill Me as a godless man and a lawbreaker, the Spirit will prove to them that I am not such; for if I were an opponent of God and a transgressor of the Law, I would not have been deemed worthy of honor from God and the Lawgiver, and moreover an honor not temporal but eternal. For the words "and you will see Me no more" mean that He will abide eternally with the Father.
Jn. 16:11. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
He will convict "of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged," that is, that I am righteous and sinless — this the Spirit will prove also by the fact that the prince of this world has been judged and defeated by Me. They said: "He has demons" (Jn. 8:48–52; Jn. 10:20); "He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub" (Mt. 12:24); "He deceives the people" (Jn. 7:12). All of this will be shown to be false when the devil is judged and it is proven to all that he has been defeated by Me. For I could not have accomplished this if I were not stronger than him and free from all sin. How is this proven? By the fact that with the coming of the Spirit, all who believed in Christ trampled upon the prince of the world and laughed him to scorn. And from this it is evident that he was judged by Christ long before.
So, the Spirit will convict those who did not believe as sinners. For faith releases from sins through their remission in baptism, and the powers of the Spirit, manifested in believers, are not found in unbelievers. From this it appears that they are evil vessels, defiled and unworthy to contain the Spirit within themselves. And in another way: the Spirit convicts the unbelieving world "of righteousness," that is, that he who does not believe in the Righteous One, Jesus, Who for His righteousness was taken up into heaven, is deprived of righteousness. He also convicts and "condemns" as lazy, because after the wounding of Satan, he did not wish to overcome him.
Jn. 16:12. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
Above, the Lord said that it is more beneficial for you that I go. Now He expounds on this more at length. "Now," He says, "you cannot contain it, but when He comes, then, having received from Him the gifts of grace, you will be guided into all truth."
Jn. 16:13. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
What truth does He mean? Surely knowledge about everything? The Lord Himself did not proclaim anything great about Himself, partly in order to provide a model of humility, and partly because of the weakness of His listeners and the ill-will of the Jews. He did not openly introduce the abolition of the legal ceremonies either, lest everyone consider Him an opponent of God. But when the Comforter came, then the dignity of the Son was made clear; true and clear knowledge about everything was imparted; the legal ceremonies were taken out of the way and abolished; we were taught to serve God in spirit and truth; by the miracles performed by the Spirit, the faith was confirmed.
Jn. 16:13. For He will not speak of Himself, but will speak whatever He hears,
Then, since the Lord said something great about the Spirit, lest some should think that the Spirit is greater than He, if the Spirit will guide into truth, will make them capable of receiving the many and great things which in Christ's presence they could not contain — lest they should think this, He adds "He will not speak of Himself," that is, He will speak nothing different compared with Mine. For the words "what He hears" mean that He will teach nothing other than what Christ taught. Just as the Lord says of Himself: "What I have heard from the Father, that I speak" (Jn. 15:15), and by this He expresses not that He Himself learns, like a child, but that apart from the Father He knows nothing and teaches nothing — so too must one understand concerning the Spirit. And that the Spirit has no need of instruction, listen to what the Apostle Paul says: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11). Do you see that the Holy Spirit, just like our own spirit, teaches Himself? The prudent person will also recognize the Divinity of the Spirit from what follows next.
Jn. 16:13. "and He will declare to you the things to come."
For He says "and He will declare to you the things to come," and to know the future is preeminently a property of God. And since for human nature nothing else is so desirable as knowledge of the future, the Lord comforts the apostles with this as well. "So greatly," He says, "will He benefit you, that He will grant you even foreknowledge of the future; and this gift is considered the greatest of all." And since they must prepare themselves for trials, He says: "He will prepare you for what is about to happen to you, so that you do not fall through carelessness out of ignorance."
Jn. 16:14. He will glorify Me,
"He will glorify Me," for He will both speak and do everything in My name, and will say nothing contrary. Therefore the miracles performed by Him will confirm that I am God, when upon you, My disciples, the abundance of grace is poured out, and My name after My death will shine even more. For this is a great and indisputable glory, when one who has been put to death and dishonored will after this shine even more brightly.
Jn. 16:14. From Mine He shall take and shall declare it to you.
Then, since the Lord had spoken, and they had heard, that "they have one Teacher – Christ" (Matt. 23:8), lest they should think: "If the one Teacher is You Yourself, then how do You say that there will be another Teacher – the Spirit," lest they should think this, He adds "He will take from what is Mine," that is, from what I know, from My knowledge.
Jn. 16:15. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take from Mine and will declare it to you.
Otherwise: "from Mine," that is, from My treasure, which is the Father's. And since all that the Father has is Mine, and My wealth, and the Comforter will speak from the Father, I rightly say "He shall take of Mine," that is, the treasures, and riches, and knowledge.
Why then did the Spirit bestow so many blessings upon us, and not the Son? To this, first of all, we shall say that the Son prepared the way for the gifts of the Spirit, and He is the cause of so many blessings. For if He had not destroyed sin, how would we have been deemed worthy of the Spirit? For the Spirit "will not dwell in a body subject to sins" (Wis. 1:4). Therefore, the gifts of the Spirit are great, but their foundation is in Christ. Then, since heretics were to appear who would diminish the dignity of the Spirit because He came after the Son, He grants Him to work in the apostles more than He Himself did, so that, compelled by the greatness of the gifts, they would even against their will acknowledge the dignity of the Spirit, and would not consider Him lesser than the Son because He appeared in the world after Him.
Jn. 16:16. A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I am going to the Father.
Why does Christ again remind them of His departure and death, when it would have been more fitting to conceal this? He exercises their soul and makes it firmer, and constantly reminds them of the sorrowful so that they might grow accustomed to it and expect it, rather than being struck by its suddenness.
At the same time, to the sorrowful He adds also that which can encourage. So here too He said the sorrowful "a little while and you will not see Me," and added the joyful "and again a little while and you will see Me," because I am going to God, who is able to help you. I am not perishing, but changing My state. My separation is not for long, but My abiding with you, which will then follow, is eternal. But they did not understand this.
Jn. 16:17. Then some of His disciples said to one another: what is this that He says to us: in a little while you will not see Me, and again in a little while you will see Me, and: I go to the Father?
Jn. 16:18. So they were saying: what is this that He says: "a little while"? We do not know what He is saying.
Therefore one might well wonder how they did not understand His words. Most likely, the grief that had taken hold of their soul was erasing from their memory what was being said, or a lack of comprehension came upon them due to the obscurity of the words themselves. And so a certain contradiction appeared to them in the words of Jesus: "If we shall see You, then where are You going? But if You are going away, then how shall we see You?" This seemed to them a riddle.
Jn. 16:19. Jesus, having understood that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said: "In a little while you will not see Me, and again in a little while you will see Me"?
The Lord saw that the disciples, burdened with sorrow, did not fully understand His words; therefore He offers them a clearer teaching about His death, so that, having grown accustomed to the words and deeds, they might bear it courageously.
Jn. 16:20. Truly, truly, I say to you: you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
"You," He says, "will weep and lament that I will die on the Cross, while the world will rejoice, that is, the Jews, who think in worldly terms, will rejoice that they have destroyed Me, their enemy; but your sorrow will be turned into joy, while the joy of the Jews, on the contrary, will be turned into sorrow for them, when after the Resurrection My name will be glorified."
You can understand the joy of the world not as the joy of the Jews, who rejoiced at the killing of the Lord, but as the salvation of the world, so that in these words the meaning will be as follows: you will be sorrowful, but these sufferings of Mine, over which you grieve, will be the joy of the whole world and its salvation.
Jn. 16:21. A woman, when she gives birth, endures sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she has brought forth the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Then He brings an ordinary example of a woman and childbirth. This comparison was also used by the prophets, using the severity of labor pains to denote the highest degree of sorrow. He speaks as if to say: "Sorrows will overtake you, like the pains of birth; but the pain is the cause of the birth."
At the same time He confirms the teaching about the resurrection and shows that to die is similar to coming out of the mother's womb into the light. Do not marvel, then, that you must attain joy through such sorrow. For a mother, too, through grief and pain attains to becoming a mother. Here He hints at something mysterious, namely: that He destroyed the pangs and death and brought it about that a new Man was born, one no longer subject to corruption, no longer subject to death, who is the Lord Himself. For look, He did not say "the woman no longer remembers her anguish because a child has been born to her," but — "because a man has been born into the world." He did not say this without purpose, but in order to hint enigmatically and covertly that He Himself is the Man who was born not for Hades, which travailed with Him, but for the world. For through the resurrection a new and incorruptible Man was born for us — Jesus Christ, our God.
So then, the example of a woman giving birth does not require full adaptation to the events of Christ, but only aims to show that sorrow is temporary, and that from these pains the benefit is great, and that the resurrection gives birth to life and a new existence. Everything else in the comparison has no application, and rightly so. For this is a parable, and a parable, if it is preserved in all its parts, is no longer a parable, but the very thing that it depicts.
Jn. 16:22. So you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you;
So here too, by the pangs of birth we understand the sorrow of the apostles, and by the joy – their consolation after the resurrection, and again by the loosing of the pangs – the destruction of Hades, and by the birth – the resurrection of the Firstborn from the dead. But we no longer understand by the mother – Hades; for it was not Hades that rejoiced, but the apostles rejoiced, and they rejoiced with such joy that no one took from them. For when they were wronged, when they were dishonored for the name of Christ, even then they rejoiced (Acts 5:41).
By the words "your joy no one will take away," He also shows that He will no longer die, but, being ever alive, will grant them inexhaustible joy.
Jn. 16:23. And in that day you shall ask Me nothing.
"When," He says, "I rise again, and then the Comforter comes to you and guides you into all truth, then you will not ask Me anything, as, for example, you previously asked: 'Where are You going?' (John 14:5), 'Show us the Father' (John 14:8). For by the power of the Spirit you will know all things." Or "ask" is used in place of "request, demand."
Jn. 16:23. Truly, truly, I say to you: whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
So, when I, after the resurrection from the dead, send you the Comforter, then you will no longer ask Me, that is, you will not need My mediation, but it will be enough for you to utter My name in order to receive what you desire from the Father.
So here He shows the power of His name. Since they will not see Him and will not ask Him, but will only invoke His name, and He will perform such deeds.
Jn. 16:24. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
"Until now you have asked nothing in My name," but from now on "ask, and" you will certainly "receive." Therefore it is more beneficial that I die; for from now on you will have greater boldness before My Father. Although I will be separated from you, do not think that you have been abandoned by Me; for My separation from you will give you greater boldness, and your joy will then be most complete, when you receive everything you ask for.
Observe then: he who asks in the name of Christ receives. But of those who desire worldly and soul-harming things, no one asks in the name of Christ, and therefore does not receive. For the name of Christ is Divine and salvific. But if someone asks for something ruinous to the soul, shall we really say that he asks in the name of the Savior?
Jn. 16:25. Until now I have spoken to you in figures of speech; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
A parable is a speech that explains a certain subject indirectly, covertly, and comparatively. Since the Lord spoke many things covertly, and the discourse about the woman and childbirth was also parabolic, He says: "Until now I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you plainly about the Father."
For after the resurrection, having shown Himself alive, "over the course of forty days" He imparted to them the most mystical and detailed knowledge about the Father (Acts 1:3). But before this they thought that God was His Father in the same way as He is ours, by grace.
Jn. 16:26. In that day you shall ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will pray the Father for you:
Again encouraging them that in trials they will receive help from above, He says: "You will ask in My name, and I assure you that the Father loves you so much that you will no longer have need of My mediation. For He Himself loves you."
Jn. 16:27. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from God.
Then, lest they fall away from Christ, since they no longer have need of Him and stand in the direct love of the Father, He says: "The Father loves you, because you have loved Me." Therefore, if you fall away from My love, you will immediately fall away from the Father also.
Jn. 16:28. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father.
And since the report that He came forth from God and goes again to God comforted them in various respects, He speaks of this often. Therefore they themselves also, having benefited from hearing this and having been encouraged, what do they say?
Jn. 16:29. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You are speaking plainly, and You are not speaking any parable.
Jn. 16:30. Now we see that You know all things and have no need for anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.
The disciples, having heard that God the Father will love them, and that they do not need the mediation of Him, Christ, as those adopted by the Father, and that He came forth from God, say: "Now we see that You know all things," that is, You know what causes each heart to stumble, and You have no need to learn this from others, and therefore we believe that You came forth from God. For to know the secrets of the heart is proper to God (Ps. 43:22).
See then how imperfect they were, when they say "now we see." They, having listened to His teaching so much and for so long, say "now we know."
Jn. 16:31. Jesus answered them: Do you now believe?
But Christ declares to them that even now they are still imperfect, that they have not understood anything great about Him, but are still thinking lowly and about earthly things. He says: "Do you now believe?" and by this He as it were reproaches and rebukes them for the slowness of their faith.
Jn. 16:32. Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, when you will be scattered, each to his own place, and will leave Me alone;
And lest they, holding such thoughts about Him, should think that they were pleasing Him, He says: "The hour is coming when you will be scattered, each to his own." You think that you have a great understanding of Me. But I say to you that you will abandon Me to My enemies, and such fear will seize you that you will not even withdraw from Me together with one another, but will be scattered each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself alone.
Jn. 16:32. But I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
But I will suffer no harm from this. For I am not alone, but the Father is together with Me. Therefore I suffer not out of weakness, but voluntarily give Myself over to the crucifiers. When, therefore, you hear "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46), do not understand it simply, as though the Savior was forsaken by the Father (for, as He testifies here, "the Father is with Me"), but understand it thus: that these words were spoken by human nature, which had been forsaken and rejected on account of sins, but in Christ was reconciled and made the Father's own.
Jn. 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.
"These things," He says, "I have spoken to you, so that you would not remove Me from your thoughts and would not waver or be troubled in continuing your steadfast love for Me, but so that you would have peace in Me, that is, so that you would remain unwavering, accepting as certain everything that I have said to you."
Let Arius also hear that all these humble things, seemingly unworthy of the glory of the Son, were said for the sake of the listeners, and not so that we might use these words in defining dogmas; for they were said to comfort the apostles, as showing His love for them.
Jn. 16:33. In the world you will have tribulation;
Temptations for you will not stop at these frightening words, but as long as you are in the world, you will have tribulation, not only now when I am being betrayed, but also after this. But you resist the tempting thought.
Jn. 16:33. Be of good courage: I have overcome the world.
When I have conquered, you, the disciples, ought not to grieve, but to despise the world, as already conquered. How then did He conquer the world? By overthrowing the ruler of worldly passions.
However, this is evident from what follows. For all things were subjected to Him and yielded. Just as with the defeat of Adam all nature was condemned, so with the victory of Christ the victory extended to all nature, and in Christ Jesus we have been granted the power "to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). For "by man came death" (1 Cor. 15:21), and by man also came life and power over the devil. For if God alone had conquered, then none of this would pertain to us.
Jn. 16:1. These things I have spoken to you, so that you would not be caused to stumble.
"I," He says, "told you about this before it came to pass, so that you would not be scandalized afterwards, when you see that many do not believe your preaching and that you yourselves will undergo afflictions, but so that, concluding from the fact that I told you about this before it came to pass, you would also accept My consolation with faith that I will not deceive you in this case, just as I did not lie in the prediction about the afflictions."
Jn. 16:2. They will put you out of the synagogues;
"They will put you out of the synagogues," they will excommunicate you from their assemblies and honored places and deprive you of all fellowship. For "they had already agreed that if anyone should confess Him to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue" (John 9:22).
Jn. 16:2. "Indeed, the time is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is thereby serving God."
Not only will you be expelled from the synagogues, but you will also receive death, and a shameful death, for you will be killed as harmful people, enemies of God. And everyone who kills you will so strive for your murder that "he will think that he is thereby serving God," that is, he will think that he is performing a deed pleasing to God and holy.
Jn. 16:3. And these things they will do because they have not known the Father, nor Me.
He also adds sufficient consolation. He says: "They will do these things because they have not known either the Father or Me." You will suffer for My sake and for the Father's sake, and therefore endure. For "blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake" (Matt. 5:11). Let this blessedness be your consolation when you remember it.
Jn. 16:4. But I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.
I told you about this so that when you see My sorrowful words fulfilled, you would believe the rest as well. For you will not be able to say that I, wishing to deceive you, foretold only pleasant things; but just as I did not deceive when I foretold sorrowful things, so also in the prediction of joyful things I am worthy of belief. I said this also so that you would not remain unprepared, but would prepare yourselves, remembering that I Myself spoke of this, and therefore would stand against afflictions courageously.
Jn. 16:4. I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you.
The apostles, having heard that such calamities would befall them, were weighed down with great sorrow. Therefore the Lord says: "I did not tell you about such sorrows before, not because I did not know, but because I was with you, and you had in Me a sufficient refuge, and the whole war was waged against Me, while you yourselves were in complete safety. So then, there was no need for such words to prepare and forewarn you; but now, departing to My Father and leaving you, I give you advance notice of this, so that you may safeguard yourselves."
How then did the Lord say that He had not spoken of this from the beginning, when it is written that, having called the twelve disciples, He said to them: "They will bring you before governors and kings"? (Matt. 10:18). Although He said that they will bring you before governors, He had not yet said that they will kill you as impious men, as harmful people and enemies of God. And in another way: there He said that they would have to endure suffering from the Gentiles, but here He tells them that the Jews will cause them calamities; for they will cast you out of the synagogue — without a doubt, the Jews.
Jn. 16:5. But now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: where are You going?
Jn. 16:6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
"And none of you asks Me: 'Where are You going?'" For from sorrow you were confounded and thrown into a frenzy; your hearts were shaken by the expectation of calamities.
Jn. 16:7. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go;
But "I tell you the truth." See how He comforts them. "However much," He says, "you grieve, I am telling you what is beneficial for you. You wish that I would always be with you, but this is not beneficial for you. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you. Therefore, although you desire My presence, I will not listen to you, but will rather choose what is beneficial for you than fulfill your desire which is harmful to you."
So also in all things we must act thus: for ourselves and for our neighbors we should devise what is beneficial, not what is pleasant. For if I do not die for the world and do not go to the Father, having offered Myself as a sacrifice and propitiation for the sins of the world, the Comforter will not come. For how will He come if the enmity is not ended through the putting to death of sin, if the Father is not reconciled with human nature?
Jn. 16:7. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you,
It is better for you that I go away. What can the Macedonians say here, who diminish the glory of the Spirit and call Him a servant of the Son? What benefit would it be for the Master to depart and a servant to come? Therefore you, the disciples, although you will grieve because of My departure, you will be gladdened by the coming of the Spirit, which will bring you greater and more important blessings.
Observe, if you will, right here the sovereign authority of the Spirit and the co-willing of the Son; for in the words "the Comforter will come" the authority of the Spirit is expressed, while in the words "I will send Him" — the good pleasure of the Son, the consent, if one may say so, to the coming of the Comforter and the beckoning toward it.
Jn. 16:8. And when He comes, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
Jn. 16:9. Of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
The Comforter will come. And what benefit will there be from that? He "will convict the world of sin" and will show that they sin by not believing. For when they see that the Spirit, through the hands of the disciples, performs extraordinary signs and wonders, and after that still do not believe, how will they not be worthy of condemnation and not be guilty of the greatest sin? Now they can say that I am the son of a carpenter, the son of a poor mother, even though I perform miracles. But then, when the Spirit in My name performs such works, their unbelief will be inexcusable. And so, He will convict them "of sin," that is, He will show that they have sinned unforgivably.
Jn. 16:10. Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more;
He will also convict "of righteousness, because I go to My Father," that is, He will prove to them that I, being righteous and blameless in life, was unjustly put to death by them, and the proof of this is that I go to the Father. For I would not have ascended to the Father if I were not righteous. Since they will kill Me as a godless man and a lawbreaker, the Spirit will prove to them that I am not such; for if I were an opponent of God and a transgressor of the Law, I would not have been deemed worthy of honor from God and the Lawgiver, and moreover an honor not temporal but eternal. For the words "and you will see Me no more" mean that He will abide eternally with the Father.
Jn. 16:11. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
He will convict "of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged," that is, that I am righteous and sinless — this the Spirit will prove also by the fact that the prince of this world has been judged and defeated by Me. They said: "He has demons" (Jn. 8:48–52; Jn. 10:20); "He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub" (Mt. 12:24); "He deceives the people" (Jn. 7:12). All of this will be shown to be false when the devil is judged and it is proven to all that he has been defeated by Me. For I could not have accomplished this if I were not stronger than him and free from all sin. How is this proven? By the fact that with the coming of the Spirit, all who believed in Christ trampled upon the prince of the world and laughed him to scorn. And from this it is evident that he was judged by Christ long before.
So, the Spirit will convict those who did not believe as sinners. For faith releases from sins through their remission in baptism, and the powers of the Spirit, manifested in believers, are not found in unbelievers. From this it appears that they are evil vessels, defiled and unworthy to contain the Spirit within themselves. And in another way: the Spirit convicts the unbelieving world "of righteousness," that is, that he who does not believe in the Righteous One, Jesus, Who for His righteousness was taken up into heaven, is deprived of righteousness. He also convicts and "condemns" as lazy, because after the wounding of Satan, he did not wish to overcome him.
Jn. 16:12. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
Above, the Lord said that it is more beneficial for you that I go. Now He expounds on this more at length. "Now," He says, "you cannot contain it, but when He comes, then, having received from Him the gifts of grace, you will be guided into all truth."
Jn. 16:13. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
What truth does He mean? Surely knowledge about everything? The Lord Himself did not proclaim anything great about Himself, partly in order to provide a model of humility, and partly because of the weakness of His listeners and the ill-will of the Jews. He did not openly introduce the abolition of the legal ceremonies either, lest everyone consider Him an opponent of God. But when the Comforter came, then the dignity of the Son was made clear; true and clear knowledge about everything was imparted; the legal ceremonies were taken out of the way and abolished; we were taught to serve God in spirit and truth; by the miracles performed by the Spirit, the faith was confirmed.
Jn. 16:13. For He will not speak of Himself, but will speak whatever He hears,
Then, since the Lord said something great about the Spirit, lest some should think that the Spirit is greater than He, if the Spirit will guide into truth, will make them capable of receiving the many and great things which in Christ's presence they could not contain — lest they should think this, He adds "He will not speak of Himself," that is, He will speak nothing different compared with Mine. For the words "what He hears" mean that He will teach nothing other than what Christ taught. Just as the Lord says of Himself: "What I have heard from the Father, that I speak" (Jn. 15:15), and by this He expresses not that He Himself learns, like a child, but that apart from the Father He knows nothing and teaches nothing — so too must one understand concerning the Spirit. And that the Spirit has no need of instruction, listen to what the Apostle Paul says: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11). Do you see that the Holy Spirit, just like our own spirit, teaches Himself? The prudent person will also recognize the Divinity of the Spirit from what follows next.
Jn. 16:13. "and He will declare to you the things to come."
For He says "and He will declare to you the things to come," and to know the future is preeminently a property of God. And since for human nature nothing else is so desirable as knowledge of the future, the Lord comforts the apostles with this as well. "So greatly," He says, "will He benefit you, that He will grant you even foreknowledge of the future; and this gift is considered the greatest of all." And since they must prepare themselves for trials, He says: "He will prepare you for what is about to happen to you, so that you do not fall through carelessness out of ignorance."
Jn. 16:14. He will glorify Me,
"He will glorify Me," for He will both speak and do everything in My name, and will say nothing contrary. Therefore the miracles performed by Him will confirm that I am God, when upon you, My disciples, the abundance of grace is poured out, and My name after My death will shine even more. For this is a great and indisputable glory, when one who has been put to death and dishonored will after this shine even more brightly.
Jn. 16:14. From Mine He shall take and shall declare it to you.
Then, since the Lord had spoken, and they had heard, that "they have one Teacher – Christ" (Matt. 23:8), lest they should think: "If the one Teacher is You Yourself, then how do You say that there will be another Teacher – the Spirit," lest they should think this, He adds "He will take from what is Mine," that is, from what I know, from My knowledge.
Jn. 16:15. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take from Mine and will declare it to you.
Otherwise: "from Mine," that is, from My treasure, which is the Father's. And since all that the Father has is Mine, and My wealth, and the Comforter will speak from the Father, I rightly say "He shall take of Mine," that is, the treasures, and riches, and knowledge.
Why then did the Spirit bestow so many blessings upon us, and not the Son? To this, first of all, we shall say that the Son prepared the way for the gifts of the Spirit, and He is the cause of so many blessings. For if He had not destroyed sin, how would we have been deemed worthy of the Spirit? For the Spirit "will not dwell in a body subject to sins" (Wis. 1:4). Therefore, the gifts of the Spirit are great, but their foundation is in Christ. Then, since heretics were to appear who would diminish the dignity of the Spirit because He came after the Son, He grants Him to work in the apostles more than He Himself did, so that, compelled by the greatness of the gifts, they would even against their will acknowledge the dignity of the Spirit, and would not consider Him lesser than the Son because He appeared in the world after Him.
Jn. 16:16. A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I am going to the Father.
Why does Christ again remind them of His departure and death, when it would have been more fitting to conceal this? He exercises their soul and makes it firmer, and constantly reminds them of the sorrowful so that they might grow accustomed to it and expect it, rather than being struck by its suddenness.
At the same time, to the sorrowful He adds also that which can encourage. So here too He said the sorrowful "a little while and you will not see Me," and added the joyful "and again a little while and you will see Me," because I am going to God, who is able to help you. I am not perishing, but changing My state. My separation is not for long, but My abiding with you, which will then follow, is eternal. But they did not understand this.
Jn. 16:17. Then some of His disciples said to one another: what is this that He says to us: in a little while you will not see Me, and again in a little while you will see Me, and: I go to the Father?
Jn. 16:18. So they were saying: what is this that He says: "a little while"? We do not know what He is saying.
Therefore one might well wonder how they did not understand His words. Most likely, the grief that had taken hold of their soul was erasing from their memory what was being said, or a lack of comprehension came upon them due to the obscurity of the words themselves. And so a certain contradiction appeared to them in the words of Jesus: "If we shall see You, then where are You going? But if You are going away, then how shall we see You?" This seemed to them a riddle.
Jn. 16:19. Jesus, having understood that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said: "In a little while you will not see Me, and again in a little while you will see Me"?
The Lord saw that the disciples, burdened with sorrow, did not fully understand His words; therefore He offers them a clearer teaching about His death, so that, having grown accustomed to the words and deeds, they might bear it courageously.
Jn. 16:20. Truly, truly, I say to you: you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
"You," He says, "will weep and lament that I will die on the Cross, while the world will rejoice, that is, the Jews, who think in worldly terms, will rejoice that they have destroyed Me, their enemy; but your sorrow will be turned into joy, while the joy of the Jews, on the contrary, will be turned into sorrow for them, when after the Resurrection My name will be glorified."
You can understand the joy of the world not as the joy of the Jews, who rejoiced at the killing of the Lord, but as the salvation of the world, so that in these words the meaning will be as follows: you will be sorrowful, but these sufferings of Mine, over which you grieve, will be the joy of the whole world and its salvation.
Jn. 16:21. A woman, when she gives birth, endures sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she has brought forth the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Then He brings an ordinary example of a woman and childbirth. This comparison was also used by the prophets, using the severity of labor pains to denote the highest degree of sorrow. He speaks as if to say: "Sorrows will overtake you, like the pains of birth; but the pain is the cause of the birth."
At the same time He confirms the teaching about the resurrection and shows that to die is similar to coming out of the mother's womb into the light. Do not marvel, then, that you must attain joy through such sorrow. For a mother, too, through grief and pain attains to becoming a mother. Here He hints at something mysterious, namely: that He destroyed the pangs and death and brought it about that a new Man was born, one no longer subject to corruption, no longer subject to death, who is the Lord Himself. For look, He did not say "the woman no longer remembers her anguish because a child has been born to her," but — "because a man has been born into the world." He did not say this without purpose, but in order to hint enigmatically and covertly that He Himself is the Man who was born not for Hades, which travailed with Him, but for the world. For through the resurrection a new and incorruptible Man was born for us — Jesus Christ, our God.
So then, the example of a woman giving birth does not require full adaptation to the events of Christ, but only aims to show that sorrow is temporary, and that from these pains the benefit is great, and that the resurrection gives birth to life and a new existence. Everything else in the comparison has no application, and rightly so. For this is a parable, and a parable, if it is preserved in all its parts, is no longer a parable, but the very thing that it depicts.
Jn. 16:22. So you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you;
So here too, by the pangs of birth we understand the sorrow of the apostles, and by the joy – their consolation after the resurrection, and again by the loosing of the pangs – the destruction of Hades, and by the birth – the resurrection of the Firstborn from the dead. But we no longer understand by the mother – Hades; for it was not Hades that rejoiced, but the apostles rejoiced, and they rejoiced with such joy that no one took from them. For when they were wronged, when they were dishonored for the name of Christ, even then they rejoiced (Acts 5:41).
By the words "your joy no one will take away," He also shows that He will no longer die, but, being ever alive, will grant them inexhaustible joy.
Jn. 16:23. And in that day you shall ask Me nothing.
"When," He says, "I rise again, and then the Comforter comes to you and guides you into all truth, then you will not ask Me anything, as, for example, you previously asked: 'Where are You going?' (John 14:5), 'Show us the Father' (John 14:8). For by the power of the Spirit you will know all things." Or "ask" is used in place of "request, demand."
Jn. 16:23. Truly, truly, I say to you: whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
So, when I, after the resurrection from the dead, send you the Comforter, then you will no longer ask Me, that is, you will not need My mediation, but it will be enough for you to utter My name in order to receive what you desire from the Father.
So here He shows the power of His name. Since they will not see Him and will not ask Him, but will only invoke His name, and He will perform such deeds.
Jn. 16:24. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
"Until now you have asked nothing in My name," but from now on "ask, and" you will certainly "receive." Therefore it is more beneficial that I die; for from now on you will have greater boldness before My Father. Although I will be separated from you, do not think that you have been abandoned by Me; for My separation from you will give you greater boldness, and your joy will then be most complete, when you receive everything you ask for.
Observe then: he who asks in the name of Christ receives. But of those who desire worldly and soul-harming things, no one asks in the name of Christ, and therefore does not receive. For the name of Christ is Divine and salvific. But if someone asks for something ruinous to the soul, shall we really say that he asks in the name of the Savior?
Jn. 16:25. Until now I have spoken to you in figures of speech; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
A parable is a speech that explains a certain subject indirectly, covertly, and comparatively. Since the Lord spoke many things covertly, and the discourse about the woman and childbirth was also parabolic, He says: "Until now I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you plainly about the Father."
For after the resurrection, having shown Himself alive, "over the course of forty days" He imparted to them the most mystical and detailed knowledge about the Father (Acts 1:3). But before this they thought that God was His Father in the same way as He is ours, by grace.
Jn. 16:26. In that day you shall ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will pray the Father for you:
Again encouraging them that in trials they will receive help from above, He says: "You will ask in My name, and I assure you that the Father loves you so much that you will no longer have need of My mediation. For He Himself loves you."
Jn. 16:27. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from God.
Then, lest they fall away from Christ, since they no longer have need of Him and stand in the direct love of the Father, He says: "The Father loves you, because you have loved Me." Therefore, if you fall away from My love, you will immediately fall away from the Father also.
Jn. 16:28. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father.
And since the report that He came forth from God and goes again to God comforted them in various respects, He speaks of this often. Therefore they themselves also, having benefited from hearing this and having been encouraged, what do they say?
Jn. 16:29. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You are speaking plainly, and You are not speaking any parable.
Jn. 16:30. Now we see that You know all things and have no need for anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.
The disciples, having heard that God the Father will love them, and that they do not need the mediation of Him, Christ, as those adopted by the Father, and that He came forth from God, say: "Now we see that You know all things," that is, You know what causes each heart to stumble, and You have no need to learn this from others, and therefore we believe that You came forth from God. For to know the secrets of the heart is proper to God (Ps. 43:22).
See then how imperfect they were, when they say "now we see." They, having listened to His teaching so much and for so long, say "now we know."
Jn. 16:31. Jesus answered them: Do you now believe?
But Christ declares to them that even now they are still imperfect, that they have not understood anything great about Him, but are still thinking lowly and about earthly things. He says: "Do you now believe?" and by this He as it were reproaches and rebukes them for the slowness of their faith.
Jn. 16:32. Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, when you will be scattered, each to his own place, and will leave Me alone;
And lest they, holding such thoughts about Him, should think that they were pleasing Him, He says: "The hour is coming when you will be scattered, each to his own." You think that you have a great understanding of Me. But I say to you that you will abandon Me to My enemies, and such fear will seize you that you will not even withdraw from Me together with one another, but will be scattered each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself alone.
Jn. 16:32. But I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
But I will suffer no harm from this. For I am not alone, but the Father is together with Me. Therefore I suffer not out of weakness, but voluntarily give Myself over to the crucifiers. When, therefore, you hear "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46), do not understand it simply, as though the Savior was forsaken by the Father (for, as He testifies here, "the Father is with Me"), but understand it thus: that these words were spoken by human nature, which had been forsaken and rejected on account of sins, but in Christ was reconciled and made the Father's own.
Jn. 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.
"These things," He says, "I have spoken to you, so that you would not remove Me from your thoughts and would not waver or be troubled in continuing your steadfast love for Me, but so that you would have peace in Me, that is, so that you would remain unwavering, accepting as certain everything that I have said to you."
Let Arius also hear that all these humble things, seemingly unworthy of the glory of the Son, were said for the sake of the listeners, and not so that we might use these words in defining dogmas; for they were said to comfort the apostles, as showing His love for them.
Jn. 16:33. In the world you will have tribulation;
Temptations for you will not stop at these frightening words, but as long as you are in the world, you will have tribulation, not only now when I am being betrayed, but also after this. But you resist the tempting thought.
Jn. 16:33. Be of good courage: I have overcome the world.
When I have conquered, you, the disciples, ought not to grieve, but to despise the world, as already conquered. How then did He conquer the world? By overthrowing the ruler of worldly passions.
However, this is evident from what follows. For all things were subjected to Him and yielded. Just as with the defeat of Adam all nature was condemned, so with the victory of Christ the victory extended to all nature, and in Christ Jesus we have been granted the power "to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). For "by man came death" (1 Cor. 15:21), and by man also came life and power over the devil. For if God alone had conquered, then none of this would pertain to us.