John 16 - NIV Application Bible

16:1–3 Jesus has taught his followers “all this” so that they will not “fall away.” This word refers to someone who trips because of darkness. The greatest thing that the disciples have to fear, therefore, is that they will be unfaithful to the message of Jesus; or worse, renounce their faith.

16:4a To know in advance is to be equipped. To step into suffering and recognize that it follows the pattern of Jesus’ life and fulfills his word may strengthen men and women for whom faith comes at a severe cost.

✜ 15:1—16:4a Jesus is here revising Israel’s theological assumptions about territory and religion. He is changing the place of rootedness for the people of God. Jesus here says God’s vineyard has one vine, he is that vine, and attachment to God comes through attachment to him. It is no longer a matter of possessing the vineyard; it is now a matter of knowing the one true vine.

The Christian faith is not simply about believing the right things (though this is important). Nor is it simply a matter of living a Christlike life (though this is important too). Christian experience must necessarily have a mystical, spiritual dimension. To be a disciple means having the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living in us (14:23–26).

What are the outcomes of this sort of life? The fruit Jesus expects from the branches is first and foremost love. As Jesus enjoyed the Father’s love and reflected it to his followers, so now his love should fill their lives. Fruit then becomes a sign of spiritual life and vitality; fruit is not evidence by which we demonstrate that we belong in the vineyard.

16:4b–5 Jesus’ candor about their coming sufferings stems from his awareness that he will not be with his disciples. In the future, they will have to bear the brunt of persecution. Jesus returns to the subject of his going away.

16:6–7 Sorrow has so swamped the disciples’ lives that they have forgotten that Jesus’ death is not the end of everything; it is rather the beginning. The point is the goal of his glorification—namely, his return to the Father’s presence. If he does not go away, 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’ departure.

16:8–11 Jesus gives another description of what the Spirit will do. 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.

16:12–15 The Spirit will provide added 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 will be the authoritative channel through which he is heard. Yet these revelations may not depart from what Jesus uttered in his historical ministry; that must always be the measure by which new revelations are tested.

16:16–22 Seven times in this chapter Jesus refers to “a little while,” which prompts the central question of the section: “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while’?” The confusion of the disciples is understandable.

This is not intentional ambiguity on Jesus’ 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.

16:23–24 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 effective prayer. At last, they will understand. The momentous event of the resurrection will at once remove their fearfulness.

16:25–27 Jesus had taught “figuratively” (v. 25), but the Greek word used here does not simply mean illustrative speech or the use of metaphor and parable; rather, it is speech that is mysterious. The “hour” (v. 25; NIV “time”) is the “hour of glorification” when Jesus returns to the Father and sends to his disciples the Holy Spirit. A new circle of fellowship is possible, which now includes Jesus, the disciple, and the Father.

16:28 One might call v. 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 Gospel and the Christian faith, distilled to its most essential form.

16:29–30 The disciples immediately celebrate and feel confident that they understand. But this is one more example of tragic misunderstanding, such as we have seen in every other discourse. The time of complete understanding will come when the Spirit is given.

16:31–33 Verse 33 records Jesus’ final words to his disciples before his arrest. Jesus supplies comfort and reassurance. His exhortation is for their benefit since the days to come will be difficult for each of them. The solution is “courage” (16:33b; NIV “take heart!”). Despite the circumstances, the victory of Jesus (“I have overcome the world”) outweighs the jeopardy of the present crisis.

✜ 16:4b–33 As we look at the work of the Spirit today, we see that not only does the Spirit recall, authenticate, and enliven the teaching of Jesus for each generation, but also the Spirit works creatively in the church, bringing a new prophetic word. This word never contradicts the historical word of Jesus and never deflects glory away from Jesus, but it may faithfully bring the church to see its message and mission in a new way. To restrict the Spirit’s voice to the work of historical recitation—that is, to the application of the biblical text—is to restrict the Spirit’s effort to speak to contemporary issues. The Spirit both equips those who guide the church into the deeper meaning of Scripture (teachers) and those who have a contemporary word for the church in its world today (prophets).

The great departure of the Christian faith from every other religious faith is that it does not simply set out an ideal or a moral code; it offers a means of achieving it. It is the offer of God to live in his followers and achieve in them the victory demonstrated in his Son Jesus Christ. And in that indwelling of the Spirit, an indescribable peace will be ours no matter what is happening in the world around us.