Bible Commentary Forever คำอธิบายความเข้าใจในพระคัมภีร์ไทยสำหรับชีวิต

John 16

For Greek interlinear links click the [verse numbers] below
Summary. This chapter has told about the Lord’s duty on earth; with His mercy, He has given us the Holy Spirit; the Father has sent the Holy Spirit because the Son had been on earth, and humans need the Holy Spirit's guidance to realize that because the unconditional love of the beloved Son for humans He accepted the death on the cross. His death on the cross will make the path for all true believers to go to heaven. John 16:1-4. The Lord Jesus warns the disciples about the trials in the world. His disciples will face rejection and persecution on account of their message about the beloved Son of God because the leaders of the people do not know the Father or the Son. John 16:5-15. The beloved Son of God will send the Holy Spirit to save the world. Because the beloved Son of God goes back to the Father, He will send the Holy Spirit into the world to testify about salvation through the Son of God. The Holy Spirit is now the One that leads and guides all true believers, and the Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. John 16:16-24. The Lord Jesus will return. The Lord Jesus tells His disciples, “a little while, and you see Me no longer; and again, a little while, and you will see Me.” By saying this, He tells us that His human body will leave the earth with Him, and no part of Him will remain on earth, which confirms His bodily resurrection. However, at the same time, the Lord Jesus has promised that after He goes to the Father, He will come again to take all His children; therefore, if the beloved Son of God has promised, He will keep it, and our own eyes will see Him. John 16:25-33. The Lord Jesus has concurred the living and the dead. In this portion, the Lord Jesus tells us that He “came out from the Father” into the world, but the world crucified Him. However, by the death on the cross, He has concurred the death itself, and His resurrection proved that He is indeed the Son of God, and they crucified the guiltless One. When we say He concurred the living, we mean He lived on earth as the sinless One, and when we say He concurred the dead, we mean that death could not hold Him. Therefore, the love toward the Lord Jesus is the heart of true believers, and only through the beloved Son of God, the Father will love you.
[1] These have I spoken to you, that you might not fall away.
Comments John 16:1 As the verse has told, the disciples will face many challenges, but here the beloved Son of God has given them a warning because there still is much work for the disciples themselves to do. Regardless of what you will face in life, stay firm in the faith, and you all will succeed.
[2] They will put you out of the synagogues; but an hour is coming, that everyone having killed you may think to offer a service to God.
Comments John 16:2 “They will put you out of the synagogues.” Here the Lord Jesus has told them directly what will happen; because of the message related to the beloved Son of God, the disciples will be cast out from the synagogues. This is because His own people’s hearts are darkened, and they are unwilling to accept salvation through the beloved Son of God. They stay firm with the old tradition they have received, but when the Father wants to offer them a straight way to salvation, in their hearts, they cannot accept the easy way but rather stay with the old way they used to have.
“but an hour is coming ….” Because the disciples talk about the way for His people to be saved through the Lord Jesus, His people consider the message blasphemy because the disciples will lift up the beloved Son of God as a Savior for them. The good news the disciples have given them by going through the beloved Son of God is not the holy way they consider it to be. His own people will not accept this good news and consider it as the disciples are blaspheming against God the Father. Therefore, one way of punishment is killing them because, by the old law, the blasphemers against God must die, and that is the only way for them to know how to please the Father.
[3] And these will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.
Comments John 16:3 Now there is a clear meaning of what they will be facing; His own people have glorified the Father all their lives, but they never truly meditated on His Word and teachings. They follow the teachings of their parents, not the teachings of the Holy Word, and they have not known either the Father or the Son until they meditate on all the written prophecies that the Father has already given them in their law related to the Savior of the whole world. This verse is the place where every true believer can notice that if you yourself do not meditate on what the Holy Bible has told you, you will not know the Father and the beloved Son of God. Therefore, even though all have been written clearly already, your heart will be blind as well, so read the Holy Word and meditate on the Word the Holy Bible has told you; take your heart away from the things of this world, and give your heart to the meditation of the Holy Word of God and you will find salvation for your soul.
[4] But these have I said to you, so that when their hour might come, you may remember them, because I said to you. Now these I did not say to you from beginning, because I was with you.
Comments John 16:4 “But these have I said to you, so that when their hour might come.” The beloved Son of God Himself tells His own disciples what will happen to them. So, when things in their lives happen, they will remember that He has already told them about the rejection. When they go out and tell that the true Savior of humans is here with them, and God did not only just see but has faced challenges as all humans face as well, when the rejection comes upon them, He also is there with them and knows what they are facing in this life for Him.
“you may remember them, because I said to you.” When you walk through the troubles of life, all the mistreatment and troubles that you face, remember that it is not to you that they are doing this; but every hardship you have, it means they are rejecting the Savior but not rejecting you as the messenger itself. Whenever they are doing bad or putting you to suffer, remember their target is not you that they want to harm, but they want your mouth to tell lies and not the true message for the people. Still, all things will come and go, so remember the duty you have received, the beloved Son of God has chosen you to go out and spread the good news for all people.
“Now these, I did not say to you from beginning, because I was with you.” While the beloved Son of God was with them and teaching them, in the beginning, He did not tell them that humans would reject Him as their Savior. While the beloved Son of God was with His disciples, He wanted to teach them all the things that they would need to tell others after the beloved Son of God was rejected by His own people. All the true disciples He has chosen will remember all the messages He has told them, not because of their own memory, but by the mercy of the Father, they will remember the teachings of the beloved Son of God. Everything He has said will be fresh in their memory; they will experience the Holy Spirit's work in them, which will make them be able to transfer into their memory about the teaching of the Lord; even they themselves will be surprised at how much they remember.
[5] However, now I go to the One having sent Me; and none of you asks Me, Where are Thou going?
Comments John 16:5 “However, now I go to the One having sent Me.” The beloved Son of God has told His disciples where He is going, to the Father who sent Him on earth; there is where the beloved Son of God will return. The throne of the beloved Son of God is beside the Father; the Father sent the Son as a Savior, and the beloved Son of God has fulfilled all the duties that He has received, and the time has come for Him to rejoice with the Father.
“and none of you asks Me, Where are Thou going?” The beloved Son of God asks the disciples this question, making them think and ask their hearts, do they really know who they call Master and Teacher? This question from the Master will guide them and keep them walking the straight way, and they will think of the place where He is going now. The disciples have never thought in their hearts before about whom He is going to see, and if He is going there and staying there forever, none of them have ever thought about these things. But if they have considered Him as their Master, when the beloved Son of God has said something to them, it is not just the things of this world they should think about. They must also learn to know Him, not only just calling Him alone, Master, but also knowing where He comes from and where He is going now; however, they are connecting now, but they never thought of these things before.
[6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Comments John 16:6 When the beloved Son of God has told them now is His time to go back to the Father, the sadness of heart has come upon them all. They know in their hearts that He does not belong on earth, but inside their hearts, they can’t give an answer about where He belongs. Still, they keep thinking about the authority of the beloved Son of God for them, and they can’t ask Him where He will go; this also shows their respect towards the beloved Son of God.
[7] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is profitable for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Intercessor will not come to you; however, if I go, I will send Him to you.
Comments John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you … the Intercessor will not come to you.” Even the beloved Son of God has completely known what will happen to Him, His death on the cross for Him has happened already, but in Himself, all He thinks about is what is best for humans because if He is still here on earth, the Holy Spirit will not come to guide humans and lead all humans to worship the Father. Even though the Lord Jesus can lead them to the Father, the Father’s heart wishes to be with humans as well, so the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father, and when He comes, He will guide human souls to glorify the Father and lead every soul to have a relationship with the Father Himself.
“however, if I go, I will send Him to you.” Because the Father and the beloved Son are One, when He goes from the earth, the beloved Son Himself will send the Holy Spirit to humans because He Himself knows what hardship humans have in believing what they can’t see. So, the Holy Spirit will dwell in their hearts, and the true believers will feel not only the beloved Son alone but the Father as well, and the Holy Spirit will speak directly to the heart of every soul. Humans need both the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit to speak in their hearts and convince their hearts about the Son and the Trinity.
[8] And having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment:
Comments John 16:8 This verse tells the duty of the Holy Spirit on earth; the soul that truly believes in the Trinity of God will experience what the Holy Spirit will do on earth for their soul. Each individual duty (see verses 8-11) of the Holy Spirit will guide every soul to go directly and glorify the Trinity of God with all their heart and mind and know the way to reach the Father Himself. Every soul that truly believes in the Trinity of God will experience the worship of the Trinity in their heart and mind. The closest humans can come to the Father is through the Holy Spirit of the Father, so give attention to the duty of the Holy Spirit on earth.
[9] concerning sin indeed, because they do not believe in Me;
Comments John 16:9 This verse tells clearly to all readers that those who do not believe in the beloved Son of God have already committed sin, and that is the sin of the soul as well, not just sin of the heart alone, because believing in the beloved Son of God they will receive guidance to receive forgiveness from the Father. Without baptism in the Trinity of God, the sin from birth until that time will not be forgiven. When the believer has gone under the baptism water, the old sin has been washed off from that soul, but the sin that is committed after that, the punishment is greater; it is greater because it is a sin knowingly, and that is a sin against God. Therefore, let all true believers watch out carefully; after you have been baptized, do not blaspheme against God because that sin will not be washed away from your soul. Q: What is the difference between the sin of the heart and the sin of the soul? A: Sin of the heart is when you ignore the message that has been given; the sin of the soul is when you do not accept the work of God in your life and consider that all things happen by chance. However, nothing happens by chance; all things have been allowed to happen for a reason, for the heart to learn or for the mind to think.
[10] concerning righteousness now, because I go to the Father, and you see Me no more;
Comments John 16:10 When the beloved Son of God goes to the Father, He is going not with authority but with righteousness in Him, the righteousness in giving up His human life for mankind and in bringing all humans to glorify the Father; for the Father, that is the righteousness in the Son, when the Son has given up everything for glorifying the Father first. Also, the beloved Son of God loved the human companions that He had and leaving them was not easy for the beloved Son of God to do, but in order to fulfill the Father’s plan, the disciples must go out and show all humans how to glorify the Father through the beloved Son of God. For that, the Holy Bible has been established because all of His disciples will be part of doing that work, to make the record for the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit, and to write down all the work the beloved Son of God has accomplished on earth for glorifying the Father.
[11] concerning now judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Comments John 16:11 “the ruler of this world.” The “ruler,” in this place, are the rulers of many nations that have sold their souls to the evil one and have become slaves of the evil one, but they also are the rulers of the people in this world (see Matthew 4:8-10). People under their authority also suffer under their rule; this happens when people choose a ruler that did not follow God’s teaching but sold themselves to the dark one.
“concerning now judgment ….” The beloved Son of God will also take part in judgment, but during this time, the Holy Spirit will reveal to the true believers concerning the judgment of the ruler of this world; these true believers that get this revelation must speak and make it known. The rulers of this world have been judged according to their own actions; having ruling positions on this earth has made them think that they are equal to God, and because of their hearts, they will be judged. The Holy Spirit will reveal to rulers’ hearts: “you will have no peace until you have come to recognize the authority of the beloved Son of God on earth; no one can save any soul, but only through the beloved Son of God will you be saved,” and the Holy Spirit will make them realize this as well. The rulers of this world have used the power of the dark side in controlling the people, not only to limit God’s worship but also to encourage the people to worship humans. The rulers have planted in people’s hearts, you worship God, but you don’t earn anything or come and worship me and have a good life; but the rulers of this world have been judged according to their actions and their hearts toward God. This duty of the Holy Spirit is related to revealing, to the true believers, concerning the judgment of the rulers of this world at this time, and He will also reveal, to the hearts of the rulers of this world, concerning who has the true authority to save souls. So, the Lord Jesus came to bring salvation and reveal to the rulers during His life on earth that He is the Son of God and salvation of souls is only through Him, but they crucified Him for this. Now, this duty continues through the work of the Holy Spirit (See Acts 24:10-27 and Acts 28:11-31).
Q: Many rulers still do not acknowledge the authority of the beloved Son of God; what can we say about these? A: As the Bible has told as well, many kings have come from distant lands to worship the Lord (Matthew 2:1-12); so, how do these kings know about the Lord, if not by the work of the Holy Spirit to stir their hearts. However, the Bible does not say that the whole earth’s rulers have come; those who come and worship the Lord find peace, but the rest have ignored the voice in their hearts. Therefore, those who do not come to the Lord have no peace in themselves, making them have wars with others. They cannot find peace unless they have killed people because they have ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, and for that reason, many wars have happened on earth; even now, the wars have not ended yet.
[12] I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now.
Comments John 16:12 This is the last period of time the beloved Son of God will stay physically on the earth, and He has given this warning to all of His disciples because many rejections will come upon them for spreading the good news. He will not name them out specifically for the disciples at this time, but He has specifically reminded them to remember all His teachings during the time He has spent with them. They have received the truth that will save not only their souls but the souls of their hearers as well. His words have sunk down into their hearts, and when they go out and tell anyone, those words will also sink down into those hearts. Therefore, all humans will benefit from the good news, everyone equally, not only His own disciples alone, and whoever hears the teachings and believes them will benefit the same as His own disciples did because they are His disciples as well after they receive the message.
[13] Nevertheless when He, the Spirit of the truth, shall come, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself; but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will declare to you the things coming.
Comments John 16:13 “Nevertheless … truth.” The beloved Son of God will send down the Holy Spirit to all true believers; the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father, and He has only the truth in Him because in the Father, no lies can exist, and whatever the Holy Spirit will tell the true believers, those sayings are all true and come from the Father Himself. No one can blaspheme the Holy Spirit; whoever does so blaspheme the Trinity of God at the same time. Because what He will tell us is hard to believe for humans, and those that have no heart for God will never accept it, but we as true believers should listen and meditate on all things He tells us because the Holy Spirit will give warnings to the heart of the true believers. Many call themselves believers but do not have a true heart to the Word of God, and those hearts will ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit, but it does not mean they did not hear; they heard but ignored.
“for He will not … He will speak.” Whatever the Holy Spirit speaks is not from His own alone. Everything He hears from the Father, He will tell, and those things will happen as the Father has said; the earth is His footstool. The Holy Spirit will tell what the Father wants to all that have given their hearts and souls to the Father, and even those that reject Him will hear as well, and because they hear and reject it, they will be judged according to that as well.
“and He will declare to you the things coming.” The verse tells all true believers that the Holy Spirit will tell them what will happen in the future. The things He will tell may be too hard to understand, but in each period of time, the Holy Spirit will still tell specifics to many more and remind them what will happen, and their hearts will be stirred up to speak more and warn the others. The things that will come are hard for all humans, but the Father has also given way out to all that listen and meditate on the Word of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible also has guidelines for what all true believers should do when times of trouble come, but the Holy Spirit will specifically guide those with a true heart to the Word of God.
[14] He will glorify Me, for He will receive out from Me, and will announce to you.
Comments John 16:14 The beloved Son and the Father have made clear to all now that the beloved Son and God the Father are One. As the verse has told, the Holy Spirit will tell all things what will happen and take all the knowledge out from the beloved Son of God; the Holy Spirit will glorify the beloved Son of God and will take out from the beloved Son and will make it clear to you as you work for Him. In this verse, the beloved Son has told very clearly to all that whatever belongs to the Father also belongs to Him because, between the Father and the beloved Son, there is nothing between them because the two Gods are one God together; what the Holy Spirit has declared also it is what the beloved Son wants to declare to all humans as well.
[15] All, as many as the Father has, are Mine; on account of this, I said that He takes out from Me, and will announce to you.
Comments John 16:15 The beloved Son of God has declared Himself to all that believe in Him, that He is One with the Father; all things belong to the Father, and that has made all things also belong to the Son, and that is why the verse has told, “He takes out from Me, and will announce to you.” This also told that the Holy Spirit also belongs to the Holy Son, even though the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father. Still, in the Trinity, the Holy Spirit also has become the beloved Son's Spirit, but let all humans not forget, as the Bible has told, the beloved Son of God also has His own Spirit. The Spirit of Christ also has the duty to all things and will also work with the Holy Spirit as One together.
[16] A little while, and you see Me no longer; and again, a little while, and you will see Me.
Comments John 16:16 “A little while, and you see Me no longer.” Here the beloved Son of God has said to His disciples, He as a human right now, they can see Him as He is, but this human body of Him also will be taken away with Him, and that is why He has told them they see Him no longer, not even in the grave itself. His human body will leave the earth with Him, and no part of Him will remain here on earth, and the disciples should not worry and look for Him. He has told them before His resurrection in the body takes place, and here is the place to confirm the resurrection. He gave away His blood and the water from His body for all the earth to benefit, but no one has seen that blood again because the earth has swallowed that blood and water within itself, which will sustain the earth until the judgment day comes. However, His blood and water from His body will always be there for humans to take through communion. Any moment Christians come to take communion and glorify the Father, it will always confirm to them that the Father Himself will hear their prayer. When you take communion, in your mind and heart, you should also think that you have eaten the Lord Jesus' flesh and drank His blood, which will make your soul feel connected to Him. “and again, a little while, and you will see Me.” This is a continuing event, meaning that we will see the beloved Son of God again when He comes back to take all His children. That time will be a time of rejoicing between the beloved Son of God and all who have put their complete trust in Him. It will be only for a short time that He has gone back to the Father, but this is the promise from the beloved Son of God Himself that all that trust and have faith in Him will see Him again; at that time, the Lord will not be just speaking into your hearts, but your eyes will see His face and all His faithful followers will glorify the Father with the beloved Son of God, not through the Holy Spirit, but through the beloved Son of God Himself.
Q: What does “a little while” mean for us? A: The time for humans and God is not the same; many generations of humans will pass away, but that time for God is just a small little dot; so all true believers must have patience; if the beloved Son has promised, He will keep it, and your own eyes will see Him.
Q: So, where does the Lord Jesus go? A: Some older manuscripts add an extra clarification: “because I am going away to the Father.” But this addition is believed not to be part of the original text. However, in verse 10, the Lord talks directly about His going back to the Father, and this verse indirectly implies the same event. The beloved Son of God does need to be with the Father as well; because He has taken the human form with Him, the reunion between the Father and the Son has happened with the Father being most joyful. The beloved Son of God will spend time with the Father, but it does not mean He is not watching over all that have given their hearts to Him; always His eyes will be upon them all that face troubles but do not wither their faith. Their faith in Him makes Him always be beside them. The persons themselves will feel it as well, that they are never left alone, the deep feeling in their souls always will be the voice of comfort for themselves, that God never abandons them, even He has returned to the Father; also, He has already told that He has sent the Holy Spirit for all true believers to feel close with Him all the time.
Note that the appearance of the Lord Jesus to His disciples after His resurrection happened before He went away to the Father; as such, the part of the verse “and again, a little while, and you will see Me” must refer to His second coming.
[17] Therefore, out of His disciples said one to another, What is this that He says to us, A little while, and you see Me not; and again a little while, and you will see Me; and, Because I am going to the Father?
Comments John 16:17 His disciples are also common men; what the beloved Son of God has talked to them, the common man's mind will only think what they can see. The time humans can think of is the time right now in front of their eyes or the time of tomorrow. The word “a little while” for them has created confusion, and every human will have the same question as them. Is the Lord talking about a period of time or just talking about what He is doing right now before the departure? The beloved Son will depart from the earth, but He has already told everyone that He will send the Holy Spirit to come down on earth, and the Holy Spirit, with the mercy of the Father, will guide the hearts of the true believers. During waiting for the beloved Son of God, they will glorify the Father within the deep of their souls. The words of glorifying the Father will be echoed, and all heavenly hosts will hear the sounds of worshiping of the souls, and that will be the song of worship for the Father. By the help of the Holy Spirit, the souls will sing the song of glorifying the Father.
Q: We comment that “and again a little while, and you will see Me” refers to the second coming of the Lord Jesus on earth. A: Indeed, at the second return of the beloved Son of God on earth, as the Bible has told, He will not come alone. The army of angels will also accompany Him at that time, and every eye will see Him and His glory; it will not be possible to describe the picture for humans; at that time, the eyes that see will be amazed, and nobody can describe out the picture, neither are we.
[18] Then they were saying, What is this that He says, A little while? We do not know what He says.
Comments John 16:18 Let all readers also notice that His own disciples, while the beloved Son of God was on the earth with them, what the beloved Son of God was talking with them, also they couldn’t understand. The word that He said right now for them, they all think in the same way, that it applies only right now, but they have not yet linked to where He is going and why He is going there. The question arises in their hearts, and they want to ask Him but the fear of the unknown also has made them not have the confidence to ask the beloved Son of God, and they also worry the answer will make them doubt more. The point here is that they talked among themselves (see verse 19), thinking that the Lord doesn’t hear, but the Lord knows all things.
[19] Jesus knew that they were wishing to ask Him, and He said to them, Do you seek among one another concerning this, that I said, A little while, and you see Me not, and again a little while, and you will see Me?
Comments John 16:19 This verse has also let all believers know that the beloved Son of God knows everything, what His own disciples are thinking and worrying about, but in time He will explain to them. All readers will notice later on as well that He will explain to everyone what He means.
[20] Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and will lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be grieved, but your grief will turn into joy.
Comments John 16:20 “… but the world will rejoice”; The world was glad to see the Lord Jesus crucified, except for those who had given their hearts to Him at that time. Those who loved Him without expecting to receive anything in return, even when their eyes saw He was crucified, their souls were in sorrow, but the rest of the world was in awe that He, the one who performed miracles, could not save Himself from this torture. So watch out when you read this verse, and ask yourself what you would feel if you were there and saw Him who has said He is coming from the Father but has been crucified by the humans' hands. The hand that created them had received back in return the death on the cross; that is what, in return, humans have given to the beloved Son of God who gives them life.
“you will be grieved, but your grief will turn into joy.” The true believers that weep for the beloved Son of God in their hearts will have joy unspeakable when they see the beloved Son return to rule over them. The eyes of the soul will be the eyes that look at Him and glorify Him, and those eyes have convinced the soul to realize the true King will rule over them from now on and forever; that is the joy for them to be under the true King of life.
[21] The woman when she is giving birth has pain because her hour has come; however, when she has delivered the baby, she remembers no longer the distress because of the joy that a child is born into the world.
Comments John 16:21 When the woman has given birth, her distress has gone away; it is the same as the soul when it receives the joy of worshiping the Trinity of God; that joy has pushed away all worry and doubt in your own soul. The woman, when she has seen the baby knows as well that her baby is still alive and glorifies the work of the Lord; it is the same way when the soul has rejoiced in the work of God and worships Him; we can say as a new birth has occurred as well.
[22] And you therefore, now, indeed, have grief; however, I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one takes away from you.
Comments John 16:22 “And you therefore now indeed have sorrow”; When all have seen the beloved Son of God’s suffering, in their hearts the sorrow has occurred that the One that they call Lord and Master now has suffered the pain of death; inside them, all have felt the pain of His death. Still, no one truly understands what the true feeling of the moment of separation between the soul and human body feels, but the beloved Son of God has tasted that as well. And also, His resurrection will bring joy back to the beloved Son of God because He is back in the human body again; the connection of soul and flesh is a special way of connection; the Father has created them to be one, and when the time of separation comes, the pain is more than anyone can say.
“but I will see you again …”; When you, a true believer, will meet the beloved Son of God, the feeling of rejoicing in your soul no one can take that from you. But also, this part refers to anyone who first has committed their soul to the Lord and goes to be baptized in the water. When that soul comes out from the water, it is the same as being reborn in the kingdom of heaven, and that joy of being reborn will stay with you; the troubles of life will still come but use that joy to help you go through life.
[23] And in that day, you will question Me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you may ask, the Father, He will give you in My name.
Comments John 16:23 “And in that day, you will question Me nothing.” On that day when you have been reborn (baptized in water) and baptized in the Holy Spirit, in your heart, you have received your answers, the Holy Spirit transfers the answers to you; because if your heart is not opened to receive the baptism in the water, your heart will not be opened to receive the Holy Spirit baptism as well. The Holy Spirit baptism can occur afterward, after the water baptism, when the soul deepens itself in the Word. The Word will open the path for the soul, and the soul will receive the Holy Spirit upon it, and your questions will be all answered at that point. If you have received the Holy Spirit, no questions will be left for you on that day when you meet the Lord. If you do not have the Holy Spirit baptism, the heart of your soul has not been opened to receiving the joy, and also, all your questions deep in the soul have not been answered yet; indeed, the soul will receive all the answers at that time when you meet with the Lord.
“whatever you may ask …”; In that time, when you have any questions, and you have asked the Father to explain to you, but that asking must be in the name of the beloved Son of God, so the Spirit of the beloved Son of God will be with you in your mouth at that time, the Father will answer all your questions because, in His ear, He will hear the beloved Son asking for you, even though you yourself are the one who asks, but the beloved Son of God has acted on your behalf to ask the Father, and all the answers will be given to you. “In that time” in this comment refers to the time of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When you receive the Holy Spirit baptism, your soul itself will have the experience of conversation, and when all is complete, you yourself will be meditating and have joy, the joy that the soul can tell the heart what the answer is they have received. You will feel deeply within you the understanding, and that is when your soul and heart have given the understanding to one another.
[24] Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Comments John 16:24 Remember that the beloved Son of God is speaking with the disciples (not only the apostle but all His followers around Him) and other people are surrounding them. Therefore, everyone around them will hear His sayings, so the benefit is not only for His disciples alone. However, some part of the conversation is just between the Lord and His disciples, but some part is also for others to hear because they were never alone in any place.
“Until now, you have asked nothing in My name.” His own disciples have not asked Him specific questions about what He will do or what they will do to complete the work that the Master has given them. At that time, the Lord gave them the teachings, and He gave them a chance to ask questions. However, the disciples had their own questions they wished to ask, mostly unrelated to the teachings; they asked specifically what they would do and how they could do it. They need to pray about the questions in their hearts because the Master has already told them to ask, and it will be given to them. If they ask in the name of the Master Himself, they will get it. But mainly, they asked to have the same power they have seen the beloved Son perform; they also want that power and want to know how they could perform the same type of miracles; it is just their worry. Common men have seen miracles, so in their hearts, they wonder if it is a true miracle or just a trick. The question in their hearts is: if the Master can do it, can they do it as well? It is a common question for everyone who was there.
“ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” The beloved Son of God has told His disciples straight forward that whatever they want to do for others to ask in His name. The Father will give it according to the beloved Son’s wishes to have that miracle (true knowledge about the Son of God coming on earth) done because the beloved Son will go back and be with the Father soon; and whatever His disciples ask at that time in His name, the Father will do it because the beloved Son will ask for them.
Q:What asking are we talking about in this verse? A: When anyone asks the beloved Son of God related to the teaching of the Holy Bible and what it really means for humans, and when the person in their heart truly wishes to know what the Holy Bible has talked about the beloved Son of God, that came on earth, that question the Father will be pleased to answer. And when the person has received the answer, they will feel the completion of the faith in their heart and have confidence that what they are reading in the Bible is from God Almighty, and they will have complete trust in the Holy Word's teaching.
[25] These things I have spoken to you in parables; an hour is coming, when I will no more speak to you in parables, but will announce to you plainly about the Father.
Comments John 16:25 “These things I have spoken to you in parables”; Because the time was not right for the disciples to understand, the beloved Son talked to them in comparisons. Therefore, in His teaching for them, He gives examples, and the disciples must use that to compare with what is happening at that time; that is why He always used comparisons to teach them.
“an hour is coming …”; The time of departure for the beloved Son is approaching shortly. In this short period of time, He will not use comparison but will answer straight forward when they have questions; for every question regarding the Father, the Son will tell them in plain meaning, and there is no need for them to ask each other afterward again because they all will have the same understanding.
The beloved Son of God has been with His disciples for some time. Still, He had never explained concerning the Father and His authority to His own disciples at any time yet because it was not a time for them to know the details about the Father while the beloved Son was still with them; so now He wants to teach them first in all things. If they want, just ask Him, and then all things will be done for them. His time of departure is approaching now, so He also wants to teach them. The next person who will do all things according to what they are asking towards the beloved Son is the Holy Spirit, whom He will send for them and will take their request to present to the Father in heaven because the Father is the root of all things, all things in the present, future, and past are according to the Father’s will; the beloved Son and the Holy Spirit also do all things according to the Father’s will. He never really explained to them in detail but showed them His authority.
[26] In that day, you will ask in My name, and I do not say no to you, that I will ask the Father for you;
Comments John 16:26 “In that day you will ask in My name.” Most people interpret “in that day” as a specific day only, but when the beloved Son of God told His disciples “in that day,” He meant a period of time or length of time that they were working; that is why that day is not about one specific day only, but a period of time. As humans can put “in that day,” as meaning that every day, you can ask in His name, and He will ask the Father for you, even the verse itself has told in that day but let everyone that wishes to ask to consider your day to be that day. Note that this verse says, “in that day” while verse 25 says, “an hour is coming”.
“and I do not say no to you.” The beloved Son of God has said to His disciples that if what they ask is related to His teaching, He will never say no to them because a chance for them to ask for understanding may come, but they will not always have the heart to receive it. The situation in life will make them have a hard time and feel brave enough to ask, but because the answer may not be as they wish to hear, the beloved Son of God has told them here that He will not say no to them.
“that I will ask the Father for you.” When you ask anything related to the understanding of the teaching, the beloved Son of God will always ask the Father to give you the understanding; take this as a promise from Him that He will always ask the Father for you. The things of this world are nothing for the Lord, but the Lord also wants everybody to realize as well that the things of this world come and go, and there is no need for anyone to try to have everything. When life on this earth ends, you cannot take anything with you, but if you understand and know the meaning of the teaching of the Lord, those will go with your soul when you depart from this earth. Therefore, if you want any understanding of the Holy Word, the beloved Son of God will never say no to asking the Father to grant it for you because, in the end, you take it with you when you are going to be with the Lord in heaven. However, because this relates to keeping it after departing from this earth, only the Father will allow for the soul to keep this memory; what the Father allows the soul will keep.
[27] for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from the Father.
Comments John 16:27 “for the Father Himself loves you.” At this point, the beloved Son of God has told His disciples that not only do they know the truth, but the Father also loves them. He told them this to make their hearts start to think that the Master of their life loves them and the Father Himself also loves them, and they should abide in that love, and they themselves should keep their love towards Them (the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit).
“because you have loved Me.” The love toward the Lord Jesus is the heart of true believers; remember that only through the beloved Son of God the Father will love you; so, if you lack the love towards the beloved Son of God, that lack of love also will reflect until the heart of the Father. Therefore, love the beloved Son of God with all your heart, mind, and soul; that love will become the path for you to reach the Father.
“and have believed that I came out from the Father.” Then, when you have loved the beloved Son of God, in your heart also, you will accept who He is. When your heart has accepted the Son, the Father also will accept you; all that matters is the love of the Father; so, think at all times how to keep the Father’s love with you; the main source of that love is the beloved Son of God. Listen and obey the teachings that the Holy Spirit has given in the Holy Bible, which will make your heart firm in love for the Lord; when your heart is firm in love for the Trinity of God, you will receive the love from the Trinity of God as well.
[28] I came out from the Father, and have come into the world; again, I leave the world and go to the Father.
Comments John 16:28 “I came out from the Father.” Now the beloved Son of God has told His disciples straight forward that He is coming from the Father of heaven; the verse itself has told straight to the point where He is coming from. He has told many times that He comes from the Father, but their ears and hearts were not connected; sometimes His disciples listen, but their hearts did not capture the understanding, and His disciples as well did not pay attention well; but at this point, they are listening with all their attention to His words and this will become clearer for them at this time.
“and have come into the world.” Also, at this time, the beloved Son of God has told His disciples that He is in the world to do the work and to acknowledge all the hardships humans are going through. According to what the world is, it has made the human heart unclean; and the beloved Son of God has tasted this with Himself (meaning He witnessed the uncleanness of the world). During the beloved Son of God as a human on earth, He also has human feelings and has experienced what the world can do to those feelings, but it does not mean His heart is not clean; instead, He has witnessed the unclean world for the heart. Therefore, when anyone asks for help from the God Most High, they will receive it because the beloved Son of God has experienced the same problems humans experience.
“again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” Also, at this time, the Lord will go back to the Father, and because of all that He experienced while He was human on earth, the Father has also acknowledged the hardship of humans. What the beloved Son of God has tasted, the Father also has tasted. The time of departure has come, and the beloved Son also knows what will happen to Him as a human and how He will depart from this earth; the sadness of what will happen to Him has already occurred in His heart. This verse is also a goodbye for them; the beloved Son of God is saying goodbye to His disciples. This verse has told all that He is going back to heaven, and the disciples will not see Him with them and walk with Him as humans would do together; the sadness of goodbye has happened now.
[29] His disciples say, See, now Thou speak in openness, and speak no parables.
[30] Now we know that Thou know all and have no need that Thee should ask anyone: by this we believe that Thou came forth from God.
Comments John 16:30 Now all readers can notice that His disciples realized now that the beloved Son of God knows their hearts and that what they have in secret in their hearts, He can see them all. So now for His disciples, it is time for them to understand that His knowledge is beyond what they understand; by not asking anything from them and knowing all things, it has already been shown to them as proof that He is coming from the Father from heaven.
[31] Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?
Comments John 16:31 The beloved Son of God also wants to ensure that His disciples understand who their master is. And this understanding will help them in doing work when they spread the good news about the mercy of God through the beloved Son; this understanding and belief will be the base of their heart in furthering the work in the future.
When the beloved Son of God asked them this question, He intended for them to think about it; He wanted this question to sink down not just in their head but deep into their soul. The word “believe” itself has a strong meaning. The true “believe” can tell the difference between being serious in believing or just believing because you have been asked to do so; let everyone think about this as well.
[32] Behold, an hour comes, and has come, so that you may be scattered, each to his own, and shall leave Me alone; also, I am not alone because the Father is with Me.
Comments John 16:32 “Behold, an hour comes, and has come, so that you may be scattered.” The time of the Lord’s departure has come close, and the beloved Son of God wants to make sure that even though they will be scattered in a different direction for the work and leave Him here, they still have to remember as well, even scattered around they still can do the work as each individual will feel in their heart the duty they have received. They will tell people about the wrong done to the Lord Jesus by crucifying Him, the Son of God.
“each to his own.” Refers to the area they are working in; each person has their own area of work. This does not talk about their hometown but the place and area where they will be led to do the work.
“and shall leave Me alone.” This portion of the verse tells all readers that when the beloved Son of God is crucified, He will be alone on that cross; none of His disciples will be crucified at that time with Him. He will be left alone without the disciples at that time.
“also, I am not alone because the Father is with Me.” Therefore, let all true believers think in this part carefully; when the beloved Son of God has been crucified, He is not alone, that was hanging on the cross; the Father also has been crucified in Him and the pain the beloved Son of God has taken during this time, not Him alone that has felt it, the Trinity of God has felt it as well.
Note: This verse doesn't mean that the disciple will be scattered away because they fled when the Lord was taken to be crucified, but it refers to the fact that only the Lord alone was on that cross carrying the sins of the world and the disciples will be scattered and do the work without the Lord walking with them after the crucifixion; however, they will be led in their work by His Spirit and the Holy Spirit.
[33] These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation: but take courage; I have overcome the world.
Comments John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.” The beloved Son of God has told all true believers that it is only in Him that all true believers can find peace when they abide entirely in His teaching and always mediate and remind themselves what the Holy Bible has been teaching them; all things have been told, but come and abide in the love of the beloved Son of God, and there you will find the completion of your own soul. It is a purpose to be born as a human; everyone must find that purpose by themselves, but only when you come and abide in the love of the beloved Son of God will you find the true purpose in your life.
“In the world you have tribulation.” This verse tells all humans what the world is giving you, but the Lord has also given you the way out. So, if you want to avoid all problems, come to the beloved Son of God; on earth, you may not be rich, but you would be the richest person on earth in peace. Therefore, it is up to what you choose to have; the beloved Son of God has come to give you the way out, and it is your own free choice to choose Him or not.
“but take courage; I have overcome the world.” This is the most important part of the verse. With the death on the cross of the beloved Son of God, He has already concurred the death itself (the death could not hold Him); the resurrection of the beloved Son of God has proven to all about the evil deeds done to Him (the resurrection proved that He is indeed the Son of God, and they crucified the guiltless One). He has won over all the evil deeds when they have crucified Him on the cross. Whoever comes to the beloved Son of God will also share in that victory; the beloved Son of God has concurred not just the living but the dead as well (when we say He concurred the living, we mean He lived on earth as the sinless One, and when we say He concurred the dead, we mean that death could not hold Him). Because of the evil deeds in the world, the resurrection of the beloved Son of God has proven about their deeds; whatever evil they have done on earth, He has concurred it all. We are talking about the evil deeds, and when the beloved Son of God has resurrected, He also has testified about their evil deeds in killing Him (the guiltless One), and their deeds have been shown to all humans.
Life and Faith Application. 1) As a follower of the Lord Jesus, we have the duty to spread the good news; regardless of tribulations, we must stay firm in faith in the Lord Jesus. 2) The Lord Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit into the world to guide His true followers, so always pray and ask the guidance from the Trinity of God in the name of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will come and guide. 3) We must understand who our master of life is; there is only one way to be saved, and that is through faith in the Lord Jesus and His death on the cross and staying firm on His bodily resurrection, and faith in the Trinity of God; therefore, love the beloved Son of God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and that love will become the path for you to reach the Father. 4) Have faith and look for the Lord Jesus’ return; He promised “you will see Me” to His disciples, so if He promised, He would come again to take all His children.