John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
This chapter starts right in on a discourse with no clue as to where they are. One would assume that He is talking to them as they walked toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus compares Himself to a vine and the Father to a gardener and His followers to branches on the vine. The Father gets rid of the branches that bear no fruit, and He prunes or cleans the branches that are bearing fruit so that they will be even more fruitful. How does He prune us? Through chastening and testing.
Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten….”
Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth….”
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” Temptation = putting to proof (testing)
Tried = approved
Israel was often symbolized by the vine in scripture.
Psalm 80:8-9 “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.”
Isaiah 5:1&7 “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill….For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”
Hosea 10:1 “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.”
Observation from JVMcGee: “Their identification with the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion is not the essential thing….The important thing now is for the disciples to be related to Jesus Christ.”
Jesus represents the “true vine.” He represents the Father to the world rightly—as Israel was intended to do.
Wiersbe: “The branch cannot produce its own life; it must draw that life from the vine. It is our communion with Christ through the Spirit that makes possible the bearing of the fruit. The sooner we as believers discover that we are but branches, the better we will relate to the Lord, for we will know our own weakness and confess our need for His strength.”
I am reminded that the primary work the Father is looking for from us is that we believe in, that we entrust our spiritual well-being (from the Greek) to Jesus.
John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’”
It is this work that will result in our producing fruit. And what is that fruit?
Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance….”
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Jesus tells the disciples that they are ready to bear fruit because of their faith and the time spent with Him being fed by His word. As long as they remain obedient to Him and function as part of the vine, they will bear fruit. They cannot bear fruit in their own wisdom, strength, or power—they need nourishment and provision from the vine (Jesus, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit).
I just skipped over verse 3 in my previous studies through this journal. It seems out of place at first reading. Finally, it dawned on me that the word “clean” was connected to one who had been purged. In fact, the word for purge in Greek means “to cleanse”; Webster adds, “purify by separating and carrying off whatever is impure.” Although I believe chastening and testing are part of the purging process, I realize now that it is the “washing of water by the word” that is most important.
Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word….”
Purging is an ongoing process according to these verses. It is done as needed to ensure the fruitfulness of the branches—you and me.
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
If the branches, those who follow Jesus, choose to be disobedient and separate themselves from the vine, the source of nourishment, they cannot bear fruit. This branch or person will become like the branch that is thrown away because it is not producing fruit; it withers from lack of nourishment; it is useless.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
The key word here is abide; this indicates a continuing close relationship. Those who remain obedient to Him will be able to ask for whatever they need to produce fruit, and it will be given to them. It brings glory to the Father when we are producing fruit (obeying the commands of the Father/Son, winning other souls and loving and serving one another). Obedience is what proves that you are His disciple. If we are abiding in the Father and His words abide in us, our will and desires will mirror the will of the Father. We would not knowingly ask Him for things that would go against His will. John supports this truth in his first epistle.
1John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us….”
John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Now Jesus tells them that He has loved them in the same way the Father has loved Him. “Continue ye in my love.” I think that this is saying that He wants them to love others as He has loved them, to follow His example. Next He tells them how—by keeping His commandments (again as He has set the example for them by obedience to His Father’s commands). Then He tells them why; He gives them a motive—that their joy may be full and complete.
Note the word “remain” in verse 11. The new believer is always full of joy and enthusiasm. Jesus is saying that we never have to lose that first joy. I think that is the very thing He is addressing in His letter to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 when He speaks of their leaving their first love. It was their choice to leave. Keeping His commandments is the key. Once we begin to compromise or take back control of little sections of our life, we begin to lose joy; we begin the process of leaving our first love.
In verse 10 Jesus makes a direct connection between obedience and abiding in the love of God. I think we have a hard time with this concept because obedience carries a negative connotation today. It is associated with rules that we don’t necessarily like and forbidden pleasures. We haven’t been taught that obedience to one who loves us and establishes rules for our benefit and protection actually gives us more freedom to enjoy life. The commandments of the LORD Jesus are an expression of His love for us. The fact that He has established boundaries around us by giving us those commands proves that we are important to Him. It’s like He has erected a fence of protection for us. By staying in the fenced-in area established by His commands we are protected from experiencing the consequences that accompany actions outside that fence. We can enjoy complete freedom without fear inside those boundaries. When you get a vision of that word picture, you can better understand how keeping His commandments equates to abiding in His love.
A second thought that hit me was that Jesus the man lived within those same boundaries and knew from experience the truth that He was teaching. As always, He was teaching truth revealed to Him by the Father. He was not telling His disciples to do one thing and then doing something different Himself. He lived the truth He taught.
The third thought that jumped out to me is that our joy is directly connected to His joy. The closer we stay to the heart of God through our willing obedience to His commands, the greater will be the joy that we experience in life. I believe that joyis an attitude of heart that comes from knowing we are loved and watched over by a Father who is in complete control of all that is allowed to touch our lives. When we go outside the “fence,” He allows us to experience the consequences of that action so as to teach us not to do that again; but He also willingly takes us back into the fold and makes something good come out of that something bad.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Jesus seems to say that this command is THE command; it embodies almost all of the other commandments. “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Follow my example in every way. The fact that the LORD commands us to love one another implies that love is a choice. It is not dependent upon one’s feelings or the perceived worthiness of the one to whom it is directed. This type of love is actually evidence of our love for the Savior.
Now He goes on to explain the measure of that love—that one be willing to lay down his life for his friends—which is what He is about to do for them (and the rest of humanity). Then He says that those who follow this command are His friends. This is an important distinction from one who is a slave or servant, one who obeys because he has to, not because he loves his master. It is different because He is not just issuing orders as a master without giving explanation as to why. The desire of Jesus is to encourage them. Obedience to His commands will bring joy to their lives. He is careful to make sure they understand and can be confident about the future. He has shared with them everything He learned from the Father—as His friends.
I found an interesting quote in the Believer’s Bible Commentary by MacDonald:
“Someone has pointed out that as branches, we receive (v5); as disciples, we follow (v8); and as friends, we commune (v15).
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
In this verse I think it is important to remember that Jesus is talking to His disciples whom He “hand picked” to personally train in the truth received from the Father so that they in turn would be prepared to carry on these teachings when He returned to the Father. Isolating this point in time and trying to see through the eyes of the disciples and hear through their ears is enlightening. From a human perspective, the thought that they were chosen for a special service or task by someone they admired, trusted and revered so much was an honor; it was humbling. The time had come for them to start shouldering the responsibility. He is trusting them to go out and “bear fruit”—teach others so that they would have faith in Jesus and, in turn, act in obedience themselves. Their faithful obedience would result in provision from the Father of anything that they needed in the process. This provision would be provided through the obedience of the Son (Jesus), so they were to approach the Father through the Son. These same truths are applicable to every believer today.
John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
A key focus of His teaching is that His disciples should love one another. Again, Jesus emphasizes the importance of what He is saying by repeating it so many times.
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Now the LORD begins to warn them that life won’t always be easy. He reminds them that the world in general has rejected Him, hates Him, and will treat them as His followers in like manner. He explains how the world is comfortable with those that are like themselves. Jesus had chosen His disciples to be different from the world, and this will cause many to hate them. He reminds them of a truth He had taught them earlier—“The servant is not greater than his lord.” So they shouldn’t expect to be treated any better than He has been treated. Those who persecuted Him would persecute them, and those who obeyed Him would obey them. It ultimately was a reflection of their belief or unbelief in God the Father that sent Him.
Sadly, it seems that the true body of believers in America is rapidly coming to a time of just such hate and persecution because of their obedience to the LORD. Tolerance and acceptance are the buzz words for the day. The true body of believers will never tolerate or accept what goes against the Word of God as their own way of life. Their love for God will compel them to stand up for the truth of God’s word and share the good news of salvation with others.
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
John 15:23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
John 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
We know that Jesus is not saying that those that had rejected Him, primarily those who were the acknowledged religious leaders, were not guilty of sin before He came. They were not, however, guilty of the sin of rejecting Him as Messiah. Jesus then added that to hate Him is to hate the Father, the One they claimed to be serving. They hid behind the cloak of appearing to serve God, but it was clear that they were serving self. If He had not done among them what no one else had done (lived a sinless life and performed the miracles foretold in scripture that would affirm Him as the Messiah), they might still be hiding behind that cloak. Though His life was beyond reproach, they still hated Him and His Father. Then Jesus explained that their response had been in fulfillment of the scripture—“They hated me without a cause.”
Psalm 35:19 “Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.”
Psalm 69:4 “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.”
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Then Jesus reminds them that He will send the Comforter (advocate, intercessor, helper), the Spirit of Truth from the Father, who will testify of Him. He will speak to the conscience of man. They (the eleven) are also to testify of their personal knowledge of His identity since they had been with Him since the beginning of His ministry. The resulting scripture that forms our New Testament is one result of their obedience to this command through the inspiration of the Spirit.
I think it is important to note that Jesus declares that the Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus—not Himself.
John 16:13-14 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
There is a lot of emphasis given to recognition of the Holy Spirit today. I’m not saying that it is wrong to recognize His ministry in our lives, but I think it is a big warning sign for possible false teaching when more emphasis is given to knowing and relating to the Holy Spirit vs. knowing and relating to the Savior. According to the scripture, any person being led by the Holy Spirit will be drawing attention to the person of Jesus Christ—not the Holy Spirit.
John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
John 16:3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Jesus explained to the disciples that He was telling them these things so that they wouldn’t be tempted to go astray when He was gone. He wanted them to know what to expect. They will be put out of the synagogues. People will even think that to kill them will be a service to God. Saul was a prime example of this type of person before his conversion. They would act this way because they did not know the Father and did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.
The truth in verse two has been proven time and time again throughout history—against both believers and the Jewish people in general.
John 16:4 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.
John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
John 16:6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.
Jesus wants them to remember that these things are expected and will not be a surprise. When these things start to happen, He wanted them to remember that He had already told them what would happen. He did not need to tell them about these things while He was physically with them; He took the brunt of the persecution at that time. Jesus explained that He was going back to “Him that sent me” (God the Father). He let them know that He understands that they are too filled with grief to even question where He is going.
There is an apparent contradiction of verse 5 with questions from Peter in John 13 and Thomas in John 14.
John 13:36 “Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.”
John 14:5 “Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”
The consensus of many commentators centers on the fact that the disciples seemed more concerned with their future suffering than His soon to come suffering that will result in His leaving them. I think Matthew Henry’s comments were more to the point.
“Peter had started this question (John 13:36), and Thomas had seconded it (John 14:5), but they did not pursue it, they did not take the answer; they were in the dark concerning it, and did not enquire further, nor seek for fuller satisfaction; they did not continue seeking, continue knocking. See what a compassionate teacher Christ is, and how condescending to the weak and ignorant. Many a teacher will not endure that the learner should ask the same question twice; if he cannot take a thing quickly, let him go without it; but our Lord Jesus knows how to deal with babes, that must be taught with precept upon precept. If the disciples here would have found that his going away was for his advancement, and therefore his departure from them should not inordinately trouble them (for why should they be against his preferment?) and for their advantage, and therefore their sufferings for him should not inordinately trouble them; for a sight of Jesus at the right hand of Godwould be an effectual support to them, as it was to Stephen.”
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
John 16:9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
John 16:10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
John 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Jesus began to explain that His going will result in blessing because the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will come to them when He leaves, but not before. He is personally going to send the Comforter to them. The Comforter is coming for specific purposes:
to reprove (expose, convict) the world of sin,
to make known righteousness, and
to make man aware of the coming judgment (of sin & Satan).
He will cause the world to recognize the sin of not believing that Jesus was the Messiah. The Comforter will persuade men that Jesus was righteous and that He is now with God the Father. He will also reveal the truth that Satan will be judged in light of his defeat by the resurrection of Jesus.
McGee: “If we are to have any standing before God, we must be in Christ and He is our righteousness. Either we have as much right in heaven as Christ Himself has, or we have no right there at all.”
Another good quote from the Believer’s Bible Commentary: “The Holy Spirit witnessed to the fact that Christ was right and the world was wrong.”
“it is expedient…” – I just realized that Jesus was saying that it is better to have the Holy Spirit in you than to be in His physical presence while dealing with the sin nature. Why? Because that will mean that Jesus has defeated Satan at the cross and has risen victoriously in power to sit at the right hand of God the Father. His obedience and victory made it possible for us to personally access that power as we contend for the faith as we look forward to our own eternal future home with the Father and Son.
When listening to Jon Courson in reference to this verse, he made an observation that I did not address. While Jesus was here on earth in physical form, He could only be in one place at a time. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit He will be with all believers at all times.
John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jesus explained that there is much more He wants to tell them, but realizes that they are overwhelmed. He promised that the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, will be their guide to discerning truth. The Spirit will speak to them as He hears from the Father and Son, and He will tell them of things yet to come. The Spirit will always glorify Jesus; whatever He receives from the Son He will share with His disciples and followers. He will never draw attention to Himself. He emphasizes one more time that what is His Father’s is also His own; so it is clear that anything that comes from Jesus is the same as coming from the Father.
John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
Then Jesus told them that in a little while they will no longer see Him (He will suffer death and burial); but after another little while, they will see Him again (after the resurrection) before He returns to the Father to assume His rightful position on the throne at His right side.
Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
John 20:17 tells us that Jesus didn’t want to be touched before He returned to His Father. He evidently went to the Father before returning to show Himself to His disciples and allowing them to touch Him and fellowship with Him before visibly ascending to heaven. He will return visibly at the appointed time to take His earthly throne, and John tells us in the Revelation that every eye shall see Him at that time.
Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
John 16:17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
John 16:18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
The disciples began mumbling among each other about what Jesus meant by these statements.
John 16:19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
Jesus knew what they wanted to ask Him. He explained that they would weep and mourn while the world rejoiced (at His death). However, their grief would soon turn to joy (when He appeared to them after the resurrection).
John 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
Jesus explained further by using the example of a woman in childbirth. She is in pain once labor begins until the baby is born. She soon forgets the pain, however, in the joy of seeing and holding her child. He explained that even though they were grieving (because the time had come for Him to die for their redemption), He would see them again soon (after His resurrection). This will result in their rejoicing with a joy that no one will be able to take away from them. I think much of their joy would stem from the fact that the resurrection will serve as the final proof—without a shadow of a doubt—that Jesus is the Son of God and that everything He has taught them is TRUTH. They can TRUST in Him and look forward to a future in eternity with Him.
John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
The disciples won’t need to be coming to Jesus with their questions anymore. They will be able to go directly to the Father and petition Him in the name of His Son. Anything they ask the Father in the name of Jesus will be given to them. This is not a magic key. The important phrase here is “in my name.” You wouldn’t sincerely use His name for something that was contrary to His teaching or nature or being. He points out that they have asked nothing in His name as of yet. He encourages them to ask so that they can receive and experience pure joy, full joy. The Greek for the word joy implies “full to bursting, to gush with.”
I think we rob ourselves greatly by our lack of faith. Maybe I should say, “I rob myself.” I’m probably at one of the happiest and most contented stages of my life, yet I’m not sure I can say I’m full of joy. There are still times I allow the things of the world to weigh on my spirit. When I think about the LORD coming, I am so thrilled about the fact that I won’t have to struggle with sin in my life anymore and will truly enjoy perfect peace and joy—and yet I feel so unready to meet Jesus. I want to have gifts to place before Him, but then I feel trapped by the demands and circumstances of life. I have had to learn that He just expects me to serve within the limits that He allows me according to my giftings. One of the gifts I can give Him is to be the best example of His love to those around me that I can. I want to be sensitive to recognize the opportunities to serve that He does allow me and realize that He will provide according to His leading.
John 16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
Jesus admits that He hasn’t always used plain language to this point, but that the day would come for plain speaking through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
A proverb is a parable. There appears to be only one parable in John (10:1-18 re the Good Shepherd). This would seem to be an affirmation from John regarding the other gospel accounts which present many of Jesus’ parables. The obvious question is, “Why did Jesus teach in parables?” We have to go to Matthew for that answer.
Matthew 13:11-15 “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
Note: The condition of our heart directly affects our ability to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears.
When Jesus first started teaching, He spoke plainly. Although many followed Him, the Jewish people as a whole, through the direction of their religious leaders, rejected Jesus in spite of the miracles He did that evidenced the truth that He was the Messiah.
The principle seems to be that the precious revelation of the deeper truths of God is only to be shared with those who choose to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. He always explained the parables to His disciples, those who follow Him in faith and obedience.
Disciples = “whosoever hath”
Unbelievers = “whosoever hath not”
When the Holy Spirit comes, plain speaking will again be used since the wisdom of God will only be understood through the revelation of the Spirit to believers.
1Corinthians 2:10-11 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
John 16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
When the Holy Spirit comes, they will be able to pray to the Father directly without depending on Jesus’ intercession. The Father already loves them because they believe in Jesus as the Son of God. He explained that He came from His Father when He entered the world and will soon leave the world to go back to His Father.
Both the Spirit and Jesus intercede for us, but we also have direct access to the Father.
Romans 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
John 16:29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
John 16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
The disciples told Jesus that that was pretty plain speaking. They know that He knows all things and no one should question Him regarding Who He Is. They believe He came from God.
“believe” = trust with their spiritual well-being
John 16:31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Jesus basically said – Oh, really? Now you believe me? The time has come when you will each go your own way to your own homes, leaving me all alone. But I won’t be alone because the Father will be with me. Point: Their actions will not support their declaration of belief.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Jesus then told the disciples to remember what He has said so that they may find peace in their faith in Him. He told that that they would experience trouble in this world. This is a statement of fact. Jesus didn’t make “pie in the sky” promises to the believer. He did, however, state truth. This life will bring trouble, but our future will be well worth the experience because our future is with Him for eternity and those blessings will far outweigh any trouble we experience here.
Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory….”
This life is just a vapor—a very short blip on the timeline of eternity.
James 4:14 “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
In spite of the tribulation the believer will encounter, he is to be of good cheer, take heart, and look to the future with hope. Why? “I (Jesus) have overcome (defeated, conquered, gotten victory over) the world (evil, sin, ruler of).”
This is also a statement of faith from the Son regarding the Father’s completion of His victory at the cross through the resurrection.
Because our focus is on eternity, we can endure whatever God allows this world to throw at us with a heart at peace. It is temporary and will accomplish good according to His purposes.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”