CHAPTER 16

(A.D. 33)

PERSECUTION

¹These things have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended (concerns all the warnings of the coming persecution).

²They shall put you out of the Synagogues (religion, which refers to that which man has devised, will not accept Christ and the Cross): yes, the time comes, that whosoever kills you will think that he does God service (speaks of terrible religious deception [I Tim. 4:1]).

³And these things will they do unto you (in one way or the other), because they have not known the Father, nor Me (despite their claims!).

THE HOLY SPIRIT

⁴But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, you may remember that I told you of them (if the world loves us, something is wrong with our testimony). And these things I said not unto you at the beginning (the beginning of His Ministry was not the time to reveal these things), because I was with you (but now He is about to leave them, so He reveals what is going to happen).

⁵But now I go My way to Him Who sent Me (back to the Father in Heaven); and none of you asks Me, Where do You go? (They are not asking now, simply because it seems they are beginning to understand what He is saying, at least about leaving.)

⁶But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow has filled your heart (they somewhat understood Him going back to the Father, but still they didnt understand the coming Resurrection).

⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away (the Mission and Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ depended upon the return of Christ to the Father): for if I go not away, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will not come unto you (concerns the respective Office Work of Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit Jesus as the Saviour of men, and the Holy Spirit as the Power of the Church); but if I depart, I will send Him unto you (a Finished Work on the Cross was demanded of Christ, before the Holy Spirit could be sent).

⁸And when He (the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove (convict) the world of sin (the supreme sin of rejecting Christ), and of Righteousness (Jesus is Righteousness, and declared so by the Resurrection), and of Judgment (Satan was judged at Calvary, and all who follow him are likewise judged):

⁹Of sin, because they believe not on Me (to reject Christ and the Cross is to reject Salvation);

¹⁰Of Righteousness, because I go to My Father (Jesus presented a spotless Righteousness to the Father, namely Himself, which pertained to His Sacrifice at Calvary, that was accepted by God; consequently, that Righteousness is imputed to all who will believe in Him and His Work on the Cross), and you see me no more (meaning that His Work was Finished);

¹¹Of Judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged (Satan was completely defeated at Calvary and, thereby, judged as eternally condemned; all who follow him will suffer his fate, the Lake of Fire, and that fate will be forever and forever [Rev. 20:12-15]).

¹²I have yet many things to say unto you (pertained to the entirety of the New Covenant that would be given to the Apostle Paul, and which foundation had already been laid by Christ), but ye cannot bear them now.

¹³Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come (which He did on the Day of Pentecost), He will guide you into all Truth (if our Faith is properly placed in Christ and the Cross, the Holy Spirit can then bring forth Truth to us; He doesnt guide into some truth, but rather all Truth): for He shall not speak of Himself (tells us not only What He does, but Whom He represents); but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak (doesnt refer to lack of knowledge, for the Holy Spirit is God, but rather He will proclaim the Work of Christ only): and He will show you things to come (pertains to the New Covenant, which would shortly be given).

¹⁴He shall glorify Me (will portray Christ and what Christ did at the Cross for dying humanity): for He shall receive of Mine (the benefits of the Cross), and shall show it unto you (which He did, when He gave these great Truths to the Apostle Paul [Rom., Chpts. 6-8, etc.]).

¹⁵All things that the Father has are Mine (has always been the case; however, due to the Cross, all these things can now be given to the Believer as well): therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you (the foundation of all the Holy Spirit reveals to the Church is what Christ did at the Cross [Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-2, 11; I Cor. 1:17-18, 21, 23; 2:2; Gal., Chpt. 5, etc.]).

¹⁶A little while, and you shall not see Me (refers to His Ascension, which would take place in a few days): and again, a little while, and you shall see Me (refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who would be sent back by Christ), because I go to the Father (means that the great Plan of Redemption is completed).

¹⁷Then said some of His Disciples among themselves, What is this that He said unto us, A little while, and you shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and you shall see Me: and, Because I go to the Father?

¹⁸They said therefore, What is this that He said, A little while? we cannot tell what He says.

¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said unto them, Do you inquire among yourselves of that I said (evidently the Holy Spirit informed Him of that which they were whispering among themselves), A little while, and you shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and you shall see Me?

²⁰Verily, verily, I say unto you, That you shall weep and lament (regarding His Crucifixion), but the world shall rejoice (the religious leaders of Israel would rejoice, because they were of the world and not of God): and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy (the Resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit).

²¹A woman when she is in travail has sorrow, because her hour is come (speaks of the pain which accompanies the birth of a child): but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world (the sorrow of the Cross will vanish away in the hearts of His followers, when they see what the Cross has accomplished).

²²And you now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again (speaks of the Resurrection), and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you (because you now know the Truth).

PRAYER

²³And in that day (after the Day of Pentecost) you shall ask Me nothing (will not ask Me Personally, as you now do). Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My Name (according to what He did at the Cross, and our Faith in that Finished Work), He will give it you (He places us in direct relationship with the Father, enjoying the same access as He Himself enjoys).

²⁴Hitherto have you asked nothing in My Name (while He was with them, the Work on the Cross had not been accomplished; so His Name could not be used then as it can be used now): ask, and you shall receive (ask in His Name, which refers to the fact that we understand that all things are given unto us through and by what Christ did at the Cross), that your joy may be full (it can only be full when we properly understand the Cross).

²⁵These things have I spoken unto you in Proverbs (concerns the Parables and, as well, His portraying Truths to them in a veiled way, and for purpose): but the time comes, when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father (this could not be done until the Cross was a Finished Work; then the Holy Spirit could reveal things plainly, but only if one properly understands the Cross).

²⁶At that day (after the Day of Pentecost) you shall ask in My Name (in a sense, we are given the power of attorney): and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you (His very Presence before the Father guarantees that the Sacrifice of the Cross was accepted; therefore, all who truly follow Christ are instantly accepted as well; if Jesus had to pray to the Father for us, that would mean the Cross was not a Finished Work):

DEPARTURE

²⁷For the Father Himself Loves you, because you have loved Me (acceptance of Christ is acceptance by the Father), and have believed that I came out from God (concerns the Faith of the Believer as it is registered in Christ).

²⁸I came forth from the Father (speaks of His Deity, and the Mission for which He was sent), and am come into the world (but for one purpose, that was to go to the Cross that man might be Redeemed [I Pet. 1:18-20]): again, I leave the world, and go to the Father (the Mission is complete).

²⁹His Disciples said unto Him, Lo, now You are speaking plainly, and speak no Proverb (however, they still only understood in a partial sense).

³⁰Now are we sure that You know all things (they now strongly sense that nothing in their hearts was hidden from Him), and need not that any man should ask You (means that before they could ask particular questions, He, already discerning their thoughts, would begin to answer their proposed inquiry): by this we believe that You came forth from God (but still their Faith was imperfect, even as we shall see).

³¹Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? (He will now tell them just how imperfect their Faith is.)

³²Behold, the hour comes, yes, is now come (the Crucifixion was just hours away), that you shall be scattered, every man to his own (proclaims their Faith weakening as to its power, but not its essential quality), and shall leave Me Alone (proclaims exactly what it says, at the end He was alone!): and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me (the Father would be with Him every moment, with the exception of the three hours between 12 noon and 3 p.m. when He was on the Cross, bearing the penalty of sin).

³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace (in effect, says to them, Things may look dark, however, despite how they look, everything is under control; trust what I have said and believe Me!). In the world you shall have tribulation (concerns the fundamental condition of Divine Life in this world; the world is totally opposed because its system is solely of Satan): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (He did this through the Cross [Col. 2:14-15], so may we overcome the world).