John 16:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech!

NIV: Then Jesus' disciples said, 'Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.

NASB: His disciples *said, 'See, now You are speaking plainly and are not using any figure of speech.

CSB: His disciples said, "Look, now you're speaking plainly and not using any figurative language.

NLT: Then his disciples said, 'At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively.

KJV: His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.

NKJV: His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!

One of the promises Jesus made during the Last Supper was the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). That influence would bring clarity to ideas which were once hard to understand (John 2:22; 6:60; 16:15). As part of that prediction, Jesus pointed out that what He once taught them in parables, He would later teach them in direct terms (John 16:25). While Jesus has given His closest followers more insight than He gave the crowds (Mark 4:34), He has not revealed every possible detail, yet (John 16:12). Of course, much of what Jesus has said in the last few moments has been very blunt. This leads the disciples to once again misinterpret; they think they have already arrived at this state of spiritual understanding.

It's possible Jesus closest followers thought that He meant the teaching work of the Holy Spirit would be a momentary event. Or, that it would involve just one aspect of His ministry. Either way, they will reiterate their confidence in Christ's knowledge (John 16:30), only to have Jesus once again bring them back to a state of humility (John 16:31).

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.

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 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 4/28/2024 3:33:03 AM