John 16

     16:1-12.  Jesus does what he can to forewarn and prepare his disciples for the coming hour of darkness, his trial and death, and beyond that the persecution to follow.  Much of this must be in veiled speech, for they cannot now understand or bear what is ahead, but later what he says will be remembered and understood.

     16:2.  Think of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-2; 26:9-11).

     16:5-6.  They had questioned him before, but at this point enough of what he is saying has seeped into their hearts that they are too full of sorrow to ask anymore.  Jesus proceeds to encourage them.

     16:8-11.  The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.  The unbelieving world is convicted by refusing to believe in Christ and the testimony of the Father concerning him (15:22, 24).  The Spirit also convicts the elect, and brings them to repentance (Acts 2:36ff.).

     The Spirit will convict the world concerning righteousness by the exaltation of the righteous One whom they have rejected.

     The Spirit will convict of judgment by the judgment of Satan, in his great defeat at the cross, just when he had exerted all his power to destroy the promised seed, the holy one of God.

     16:13.  The Holy Spirit is called He, a personal pronoun.  This Person guides, hears, speaks, and discloses the future.  He is co-equal and one with both the Father and the Son.  He always does their will, just as the Son always does the Father’s will, because his will is always in perfect harmony with them.  The three persons are one God.

     16:14-15.  The work of salvation is of the Son.  The Spirit communicates it to us.  He does not seek his own glory, but the Son’s glory, just as the Son glorifies the Father.  It is a mistake to glorify the Spirit and his gifts to the neglect of the Son, because it is his great work to quicken us and point us to the Son.  He glorifies and discloses him to his people, and all to the glory of the Father (15).

     16:16-33.  The necessarily veiled speech of Jesus has them thoroughly confused, even though they think at v.29 that they understand.  But he is preparing them for the day when they will understand, after the resurrection.  But not even then will they really understand, until the Spirit discloses it all to them in that great light bulb moment on the day of Pentecost, when they are filled with the Holy Spirit of truth.

     16:21.  All the translators say “a woman,” but the Greek uses the definite article.  I don’t disagree with the translations.  Jesus is making a general statement using the analogy of birth labor.  But this is John writing, and it just could be that he understands that Jesus is tapping into the great metaphor that runs all through the Scriptures, i.e. the travail of the woman to bring forth Christ.  This is the elect woman, the church, who labors to bring forth Christ into the world, and into the heart of every believer.  This new birth is always a dying with him, and being raised with him again to new life, a great struggle.  The travail of the woman, and her joy at delivery is the common theme from Gen.3:15-16 to Rev.12:1ff.  See also such examples as Song 8:5; Luke 1:38, 2:34-35; Gal.4:4, 22-26.

     16:33.  Cf. Rev.12:11.