John 16 - The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible: One-Volume Edition

The Fourth Promise of the Spirit (16:4b–11). Jesus’s candor about the coming sufferings stems from his awareness that he will not be with his disciples to absorb the hostility that is coming their way. In past times he has been with them, but in the future, while he will be within them in the Spirit, they will have to bear the brunt of persecution. As in the earlier chapters, Jesus’s departure brought dismay, so now Jesus returns to the subject of his going away.

Jesus’s statement in verse 5 has perplexed many since in 13:36 and 14:5 this is precisely what Peter and Thomas ask. His interest here is that in light of his disclosures about persecution, no one is pressing him about his departure. This question thus must be linked to 16:6. Sorrow has so swamped the disciples’ lives that they have forgotten that Jesus’s death is not the end of everything; it is rather the beginning. The point is the goal of his glorification—namely, the Father’s presence.

If he does not go away, if he is not glorified, then the Spirit cannot come. In some fashion, then, it is mutually exclusive to have both this Spirit and Jesus on earth. The Spirit is a gift that must await the trigger of Jesus’s departure.

In verses 8–11 Jesus gives another description of what the Spirit will do in this difficult relationship with the world. Precisely how we are to understand the work of the Spirit in these verses has been difficult. One important issue involves the Greek verb elenchō, translated “prove the world to be in the wrong” (v. 8). In the New Testament, elenchō has to do with exposing sin and its guilt.

In John the judicial context sharpens it further: this is exposure leading to conviction and judgment. The fundamental idea is that the world has already conducted its trial of Jesus and found him guilty and deserving of death. But in fact, Jesus is innocent, and the world stands accused of error and sin. Its guilt will be exposed. It cannot deny that the verdict has been given any more than a criminal can miss the judgment passed on the final day of their trial. Since the world cannot receive the Spirit, this operation will be effected through the work of the church, which has the Spirit and which provides a bold testimony to the truth.

The three clauses given in verses 9–11 each offer important descriptions of the errors of the world and the bases of its conviction. The first error is the refusal to believe. The second error thinks that through Jesus’s death his unrighteousness will be demonstrated for all to see. But God plans to make the cross a place of glorification in which Jesus’s innocence and righteousness are proclaimed. The third error concerns judgment. Jesus has not been judged by his trial; rather, the world has been judged. Jesus identifies the source of this error to be the “prince of this world” (no doubt Satan, v. 11). As the hour of glorification approaches, Jesus realizes that it is the world’s “hour” as well (Cf. 12:31). This Jesus who has been rejected and who now sits enthroned has become the world’s chief judge.

The Fifth Promise of the Spirit (16:12–15). While the work of the Spirit in 14:26 stressed “remembering” the historic words of Jesus uttered in his ministry, 16:12–15 suggests that the Spirit will provide supplementary revelations that the disciples have not yet heard. Jesus speaks of a future time when new things will be disclosed. The historical Jesus and his ministry stand alongside the ongoing living Jesus-in-Spirit, who is continuously experienced in the church.

The revelation of Jesus will continue in the community, and the Spirit-Paraclete will be the authoritative channel through which he is heard. Yet these revelations may not depart from what Jesus uttered in his historic ministry. Historic revelation must always be the measure by which new revelations are tested.

Verse 13b likely refers to a genuine prophetic gift that will disclose the future—a gift like that exercised in the book of Revelation and described in 1 Corinthians 12:29–30. The Spirit’s “making known” (v. 14) is not of Jesus’s previous historic teachings nor is it confined to the eyewitnesses of the apostolic era, whose prophetic work will close with the canon.

Jesus’s Return, the Disciples’ Joy (16:16–22). The departure of Jesus and its distress for the disciples has been a constant theme in the upper room. Jesus does not let them ignore the reality of his departure, and in verse 16 he brings it up again. Seven times in this chapter Jesus refers to “a little while” (mikron), which prompts the central question of the section: “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while . . .’?” (v. 17). The confusion of the disciples is understandable.

This is not intentional ambiguity on Jesus’s part. Rather, he is simply referring to his return in resurrection. He is departing from the world in his glorification, and the world will no longer have access to him. When he returns in resurrection, it will be his followers’ final opportunity to see him as he has always been.

Prayer and Understanding (16:23–33). This joy at seeing Jesus will not only result in a renewed relationship with him, but it will have two notable effects: the joy of understanding and the joy of efficacious prayer. The confusion described in 16:16–18 will no longer be theirs. At last, they will understand. The momentous event of the resurrection will at once dispel their apprehensions.

Of course, these faithful men had on many occasions asked God for things in prayer. But the new theological order stipulates that they ask in Jesus’s name, which is something new, something that belongs to the new spiritual era inaugurated by Jesus’s work. Jesus is their shepherd, their patron who will take care of their needs. The intimacy that will result from his indwelling them and their obedience to his word assures their success.

Jesus had taught “figuratively” (v. 25), but the Greek word used here (paroimia) does not simply mean illustrative speech or the use of metaphor and parable; rather, it is speech that is obscure and enigmatic. For the Middle Easterner, this is the dark saying, which typically possesses prophecy or wisdom.

The “hour” (v. 25; NIV “time”) is the hour of glorification, that departure of Jesus out of this world when he returns to the Father and sends to his disciples the Holy Spirit. There is a new circle of fellowship possible, which now includes not simply Jesus and the disciple but Jesus, the disciple, and the Father.

One might call verse 28 a summary of John’s doctrine of Christ. His origins are divine, and he comes from God; he was sent on a mission to the world; he will return to the Father after completing his work. This is the essence of the Christian faith, distilled to its most essential form. It shows the paradox of the incarnational service of the Son.

The disciples immediately celebrate and feel confident that in Jesus they have gained access to unsurpassed wisdom. But this is one more example of tragic misunderstanding, such as we have seen in every other discourse. This final discourse must also end on the same note. The time of complete understanding is coming with the hour of glorification—when the Spirit is given to them as a powerful and unique endowment. They do not believe with the rigor or insight that they think. At the “hour,” in fact, they will be scattered in their fear. If they had understood, if they had believed fully, they would have the strength to cross this obstacle, but they do not.

While his disciples will desert him, Jesus says that nevertheless he will not be alone because the Father will never leave him. This verse does not contradict Jesus’s cry of desolation on the cross. In John, Jesus is comparing the faithfulness of God through the hour of glorification and contrasting it with the faithlessness of his disciples.

Verse 33 records Jesus’s final words to his disciples before his arrest. Last words are always precious. Jesus supplies comfort and reassurance. His exhortation was for their benefit since the days to come will be difficult for each of them. The solution is “courage” (tharseō, 16:33b; NIV “take heart!”). Despite the circumstances, the victory of Jesus (“I have overcome the world”) outweighs the jeopardy of the present crisis.