John 16 - Printer Friendly

What does John 16 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

At the end of chapter 15, Jesus was predicting both persecution (John 15:18–21) and the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26–27). As He closes out His final teaching of the Last Supper (John 13:15), Christ both begins and ends with a call to endure hardships, knowing that in Him we are ultimately victorious.

Several times in this discourse, Jesus has pointed out that He's predicting hard times on purpose (John 13:19; 14:25). He intends to remind His followers that difficult times are no surprise—least of all to God. Knowing that a hardship was expected, and planned for, greatly lessens the fear we feel when the moment arrives. In the case of persecution against Christians, this can be severe. Jesus indicates that those who follow Him shouldn't be surprised if nonbelievers want to excommunicate them, or even execute them. In those moments, believers can take comfort in knowing Jesus is in control (John 16:1–4).

Christ then returns to the coming of the Holy Spirit. The idea that Jesus is leaving, naturally makes His followers sad and fearful. However, that selfishness is the focus of their reaction. They aren't considering Jesus' experience, or what it might mean; they're only worried about being left alone. Still, Jesus claims there is an advantage to Him leaving. So long as Christ is physically present, His followers will be tempted to see their faith as something external, or even political. The work of the Holy Spirit, however, will not only guide believers towards truth, it will establish a personal faith "within" all who have faith in Christ (John 16:5–15).

Modern believers have the benefit of hindsight. We read the description of Jesus' arrest (John 18:1–3) and crucifixion (John 19:18) knowing He will be resurrected (John 20:19). The disciples originally listening to Jesus didn't have that perspective. That three-day period (John 2:19) will fill them with unimaginable sorrow, fear, and doubt. Jesus compares this to the experience of a woman in childbirth. During labor, pain is almost the only thing a woman can process. However, once the baby is born, agony is no longer the center of her attention. She doesn't literally lose all memory of the pain, but the joy of a newborn vastly outweighs memories of labor. The same will be true for Jesus' followers: they will quickly move through extreme pain and into tremendous joy (John 16:16–24).

Parables are a useful teaching tool, since they summarize complex subjects in short, easily remembered blocks. This is the same reason teachers use songs and poems to instruct young children. Jesus has used parables to establish many of His teachings, but that leaves some understanding yet to be realized. It also makes it more clear which people are not interested in truth, at all (Matthew 13:13). Jesus has been speaking more plainly in this discourse, so the disciples seem to think that this is the moment of clarity Jesus has predicted (John 16:25–30).

Christ responds to that overconfidence much the same way He did when Peter declared his loyalty (John 13:36–38). The hard times to come will cause every one of these men to scatter and abandon Jesus (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). All the same, Jesus has confidence in His mission. He ends this long record of instruction with a powerful encouragement: that the world will bring suffering, but for those who believe in Christ (John 3:16–18; 14:6), He has already obtained ultimate victory (John 16:31–33).

This uplifting idea helps transition the gospel of John into a record of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, in chapter 17.

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.

John 16:5–15 resumes an explanation of the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus began to discuss this topic in John 15:26–27, before returning to the subject of persecution (John 16:1–4). Christ must leave the world, so His followers will learn to depend on the influence of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit will guide, judge, and speak in order to bring glory to God.

John 16:16–24 once again reminds the disciples that Christ must suffer and die for the sins of the world (Mark 8:31). The days ahead will be especially dark and frightening for those who so closely followed Jesus. Yet the outcome will be powerful and world changing. Jesus explains this using the analogy of childbirth. The process of giving birth is painful—but the reward is immeasurably valuable. Afterwards, joy over the new birth far outweighs memories of the painful birth process.

John 16:25–33 completes Christ's combination of encouragement and warning as He prepares the disciples for His impending arrest (John 18:1–3). This passage summarizes the general message of that discourse: that hardship and persecution will come, but believers should remain faithful, knowing this is all part of God's knowledge and His will. Rather than reacting in panic or doubt, followers of Christ should feel a sense of peace. This confidence is inspired by knowledge that nothing they experience catches God by surprise. The expression "take heart" implies courage: knowing Christ's victory overshadows all those troubles.

Chapter Summary:

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."

Chapter Context:

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/8/2024 4:49:23 PM