John 16:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

NIV: I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,

NASB: But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

CSB: But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

NLT: Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.

KJV: But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

NKJV: But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

As He prepares the disciples for His own impending arrest (John 18:1–3), Jesus has made it clear that what is about to happen is no surprise (John 16:1). Often in this discourse, He repeats the idea that He is deliberately saying these things, in advance, so His words will be remembered in times of crisis (John 13:19; 14:25). This is the same idea Jesus emphasizes here.

Fear of the unknown inspires intense fear. A person falling thousands of feet through the air would experience sheer terror—unless they knew a parachute would soon open. Of course, the experience will still be intense. But knowing what will happen, and realizing it's part of a plan, greatly reduces our fear. Christians are meant to remember Jesus' words when suffering persecution or hardship (John 16:33). Those experiences are not evidence that God has failed us or abandoned us. They're merely reminders that He knew we'd be in those circumstances, and we should trust that He has planned accordingly.

This verse bridges the two ideas Jesus means to connect. Advance knowledge of persecution should ease our fears—and Jesus is about to leave His closest followers in order to fulfill His purpose on earth (John 16:5).

John 16:1–4 completes a thought Jesus began at the end of chapter 15. He has been warning His disciples about the persecution they will face, due to their association with Him. His intention is not to frighten, but to reassure. The message seems dire: enemies will ostracize and even kill followers of Christ. However, knowing this was something God anticipated should give believers confidence that everything is under His control.

Throughout His teaching in the Last Supper (John 13:1–5), Jesus has often brought up the fact that He's giving His followers advance warnings (John 13:19; 14:25). His intent is to provide encouragement—persecution as a result of their faith is inevitable. In keeping with that reassurance, Jesus again promises the coming of the Holy Spirit. He explains that after a time of deep sorrow, His followers will experience great joy and clarity. This concludes with a beloved promise that Christ has "overcome the world."

This completes the teaching portion of Jesus' words during the Last Supper, begun in chapter 13. Christ echoes many of the themes of His earthly ministry. His focus is especially on encouragement: reminding the disciples that the hard times they will experience will end in victory. While they don't clearly understand, the Holy Spirit will lead them in the right direction. This ends with Christ's beloved declaration that He has "overcome the world." That introduces the record of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in chapter 17, immediately before His arrest early in chapter 18.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.