JOHN
CHAPTER 16.
16:1-4. The World's
Hatred. The Lord forewarns His disciples
so that they shall not be overtaken with surprise whenever persecution arises
because of himself. This theme is
continued from the previous chapter. The
Lord did not allow his disciples to be taken unawares, but forewarned them so
that they may be ready to face the enmity of the world. Much of this persecution had a Jewish
character and this was especially true when John wrote. For the Lord identified the Synagogue or
Jewry with the world.
In John's Gospel the world represents men organized and
mobilized under Satan in opposition and rebellion to God. John then thinks of the world as in defiance
of God and His purposes for it. The
world is full of darkness, falsehood and hatred of God. Men belong to the world by choice and they
love it and prefer it to God. The world
hates Christians because they belong to Christ.
The world is so blind and deceived that it thinks the killing of the
disciples is to do God's service. In
this they make it manifest they know neither the Father nor the Son.
16:5-15. The Witness
of The Counselor. There are some
references to the Holy Spirit that emphasize He is a force, a power or an
activity of God. However, there are many
references to the Holy Spirit that stress His Personality. And the various activities performed by the
Counselor indicate that He is a Person, and not only so, but He is a Divine
Person. So He abides with and dwells
with the disciples (14:17). He shall
teach the disciples all things and "remind them of everything I have said
to you" (14:26). Then again He bears
witness to Christ and will testify of Christ and for this He comes as a
Messenger whom Christ sends from the Father. (15:26).
He is a guide leading them in intricate places for He would
guide them into all truth (16:13). He
hears, He speaks and tells the disciples what is yet to come (16:13), and He
glorifies Christ (16:14), and receives the things of Christ and makes them
known to them (16:15).
When we consider such activities of the Counselor we must
recognize His Deity. Moreover, the
Counselor has a message not only for the Church, but He has a message for the
world. This has been called His forensic
activity. For the Holy Spirit will prove
the world to be wrong concerning the greatest religious and moral issues. In view of this, we cannot deny His
Personality and Deity. He came to
represent Christ (14:26). The Father sent
Him in Christ's Name. Jesus spoke of Him
as Another Counselor (14:16; 15:26).
Every one of these designations implies personality. He would represent Christ and continue His
ministry to the disciples.
A surprising truth that the Lord taught is that He must
leave the disciples and go to His Father if the Counselor was to come to the
disciples. So Jesus said, "It is
for your good that I am going away" (16:7). They were filled with grief and sorrow, but
Jesus said, "Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to
you." Jesus taught his disciples
that it formed part of God's plan that He went away. It was necessary for their spiritual
maturity.
The coming of the Counselor would result in a new
conception of Christianity. It was
especially important if Christianity was to become the faith for all men. Jesus must first be glorified and then the
Counselor would come and His coming would be the proof that Jesus was
glorified.
However,
before the Counselor could come Jesus must experience the great events of the
Cross, the Resurrection and His return (ascension) to the Father. The Counselor would bear witness to
Christ. This witness to Christ is given
first to His disciples and then through them to the world. The witness to the people of God by the Holy
Spirit and the witness of the disciples to the world are not two separate
witnesses. The world cannot receive the
Counselor for it neither sees nor knows Him, but through the Church the
Counselor bears witness to Christ.
The witness of the Counselor is borne to the world and not
to Jews alone, but His witness is to all men.
He testifies that Jesus is significant to the entire world. We expose the world's sin by preaching
Christ. The preaching of Christ reproves
the world first of sin (16:8). The
world's sin is the rejection of Christ.
This is the central core of its sin.
The Cross was the rejection of light and life. The world is guilty and its sin
inexcusable. The rejection of Jesus is
proof men love darkness rather than light, and that their deeds are evil. The witness of the Counselor gives a new
dimension to the Cross. The Cross does
not now represent national guilt, but the world's guilt. The Cross is the fruit of the world's guilt
and not that of Israel
only.
The Counselor will also prove that the world was wrong
about righteousness. The world has no
righteousness, but righteousness is on the side of Christ. His righteousness was His vindication. His going to His Father was his full
vindication. The believer has no
righteousness save in Jesus Christ. He
went to the Father for He was accepted and vindicated as righteous.
Then, thirdly, the Counselor would reprove the world wrong
as to judgment. The Jews thought they
would be exempt from such judgment as would fall on the Gentiles. The witness of the Counselor is proof they
were wrong in their thoughts about judgment.
The world looks upon the Cross as the judgment that men of
the world passed on Jesus. But the
coming of the Counselor will prove men wrong and that the Cross was the
judgment of the prince of this world. It
was not Jesus who was judged as wrong, but the prince of this world. And this judgment of this world's prince
confronts men with an issue or choice.
No salvation is to be found in the prince of this world, but only in
Christ who at the Cross was victorious over this world and its prince.
The witness of the Counselor concerns the three vital
topics of religion - sin, righteousness and judgment. In the witness of the Counselor to Christ
will discover the answer to these three great topics.
16:12-15. When the
Spirit of Truth is Come. He the Spirit
of Truth will guide the disciples to a full understanding of the truth and
glory of the Lord. He would be a guide
into all truth. He will guide men along the way of truth. Jesus is the Way. It is not said that He will teach anything
new, but the words Jesus spoke would have a new significance and so He would
guide them in the understanding of all truth.
Things they could not understand then, would become to have real
meaning.
The Counsellor would not speak on His own (v.13), or from
His own, but He would speak only what He hears.
He is not the source of His own teaching, but He will speak only that He
hears from God. Not only would the
Counsellor be the Spirit of prophecy, but He would bring glory to Christ by
taking what was Christ's and making it known to the disciples.
It is true that these verses have a special reference to the
apostles and disciples during the Lord's ministry (14:26; 15:27). They give us authority for the Gospels. However, they must not be confined to the
first disciples, but they contemplate the activity of the Holy Spirit throughout
the entire history of the Church.
16:16-24. The
"Little while" its sorrow then its joy. The disciples will grieve for
a little time, and then they shall rejoice.
There would be true ground for joy.
It is the joy of prayer answered.
The Lord's return to the Father begins a new era of spiritual insight
and an intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son. 16:25-28.
"A time is coming" would have special reference to
His resurrection, but the passage has overtones that point forward to His
coming, for His disciples shall discover His victory over the world is the
basis of their peace and good cheer. 16:29-33.
More dangerous times were to come. The world will think to have destroyed the
unity of the flock by scattering.
However, Jesus has overcome the world.
(1.Jn.4:1-6).
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