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John 16:1. I told you these things so that you would not be tempted. “I,” he says, “told you about this before it happened, so that you would not be tempted later when you see that many do not believe your preaching and that you yourself will be subject to disasters, but so that, concluding from what I told you about this before it happened, you would accept My consolation with faith that I will not deceive you in this case, just as I did not lie in the prediction of disasters.” John 16:2. They will drive you out of the synagogues; “They will drive you out of the synagogues,” excommunicate you from their meetings and places of honor, and deprive you of all fellowship. For “they have already agreed that whoever recognizes Him as Christ will be excommunicated from the synagogue” (John 9:22). the time even comes when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God. Not only will you be expelled from the synagogues, but you will also accept death, and a blasphemous death, for you will be killed as harmful people, enemies of God. And everyone who kills you will try so hard to kill you that “he will think that he is serving God,” that is, he will think that he is doing a godly and holy deed. John 16:3. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me. It also adds sufficient consolation. He says: “They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me.” You will suffer for Me and for the Father, and that is why you endure. For “blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for My sake” (Matthew 5:11). May this bliss be a consolation to you when you remember it. John 16:4. But I told you this so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about it; I told you about this so that when you see My sad words come true, you will believe the others. For you cannot say that I, wanting to deceive you, predicted only pleasant things for you; but just as, having predicted the sad, I did not deceive, so in predicting the joyful, I am worthy of faith. I said it at the same time so that you would not be left without preparation, but would prepare yourself, remembering that I myself said about this, and therefore stand courageously against sorrows. I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you. The apostles, hearing that such disasters would happen to them, were weighed down with great sadness. Therefore, the Lord says: “I did not tell you about such sorrows before, not because I did not know, but because I was with you, and you had sufficient refuge in Me, and the whole war was raised against Me, and you yourself were completely safe. So, then there was no need for such speeches to prepare and protect you; but now, going to My Father and leaving you, I warn you about this so that you can protect yourself.” How did the Lord say that He did not say this at first, when it is written that, having called the twelve disciples, He said to them: “They will lead you to rulers and kings”? (Matthew 10:18). Although He said that they would lead you to the rulers, He did not yet say that they would kill you as wicked people, harmful people and enemies of God. And otherwise. There he said that they would have to suffer from the pagans, and here he says that the Jews will cause you disasters; for they will be driven out of the synagogue, without a doubt, by the Jews. John 16:5. And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going? John 16:6. But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow. “And none of you asks Me: Where are you going?” For you were troubled by grief and went into a frenzy; your hearts are shaken by the anticipation of troubles. John 16:7. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go; But “I tell you the truth.” See how He comforts them. “No matter how much you grieve,” he says, “I tell you what is good for you. You want Me to always be with you, but this is of no use to you. For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you. Therefore, although you desire My presence, I will not listen to you, but I would rather choose what is beneficial for you than fulfill your desire that is harmful to you.” We must do the same in everything: for ourselves and for our neighbors, we must come up with what is useful, not what is pleasant. For if I do not die for the world and do not go to the Father, giving myself as a sacrifice and propitiation for the sins of the world, then the Comforter will not come. For how will He come if hostility does not cease through the mortification of sin, if the Father is not reconciled with human nature? for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; and if I go, I will send Him to you, What can the Macedonians say here who diminish the glory of the Spirit and call Him the servant of the Son? What is the benefit for the Master to leave, and for the slave to come? Therefore, you, disciples, although you will be grieved because of My departure, will be rejoiced at the coming of the Spirit, which will bring you greater and more important benefits. Note, perhaps, here the sovereignty of the Spirit and the will of the Son; for in the words “The Comforter will come” the power of the Spirit is expressed, and in the words “I will send Him” the favor of the Son, consent, so to speak, to the coming of the Comforter and a signal to it. John 16:8. And He, having come, will convict the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment: John 16:9. About sin, that they do not believe in Me; The Comforter will come. What's the use of that? He will “convict the world of sin” and show that they sin without believing. For when they see that the Spirit, through the hands of the disciples, performs special signs and wonders, and after that they do not believe: how will they not be worthy of condemnation and not be guilty of the greatest sin? Now they can say that I am the son of a carpenter, the son of a poor mother, although I perform miracles. And then, when the Spirit does such things in My name, their unbelief will be inexcusable. So, He will convict them “of sin,” that is, He will show that they have sinned unforgivably. John 16:10. About the truth that I go to My Father, and you will no longer see Me; He will also denounce “the truth that I am going to My Father,” that is, he will prove to them that I, being righteous and blameless in life, was killed by them unjustly, and the proof of this is that I am going to the Father. For I would not have ascended to the Father if I had not been righteous. Since they will kill Me as an atheist and a lawless one, the Spirit will prove to them that I am not like that; for if I were an opponent of God and a transgressor of the Law, I would not have received honor from God and the Lawgiver, and, moreover, honor not temporary, but eternal. For the words “and you will see Me no more” mean that He will remain with the Father forever. John 16:11. About judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned. He will denounce “about the judgment that the prince of this world is condemned,” that is, that I am righteous and sinless - the Spirit will also prove this by the fact that the prince of this world is condemned and defeated by Me. They said: “demons are in Him” (John 8:48–52; John 10:20); “He works miracles by the power of Beelzebub” (Matthew 12:24); “He deceives the people” (John 7:12). All this will turn out to be false when the devil is condemned and it is proven to everyone that he is defeated by Me. For I could not have done this if I had not been stronger than him, and had I not been free from all sin. How is this proven? Because with the coming of the Spirit, all those who believed in Christ trampled upon the prince of the world and laughed at him. And from this it is clear that he was condemned by Christ much earlier. So, the Spirit will convict those who do not believe as sinners. For faith absolves from sins through the remission of them in baptism, and the powers of the Spirit, manifested in believers, are not revealed in unbelievers. Hence it turns out that they are evil, nasty vessels and unworthy to contain the Spirit. And otherwise. The Spirit convicts the unbelieving world “about righteousness,” that is, that he is deprived of righteousness who does not believe in the Righteous Jesus, who was taken up into heaven for his righteousness. He denounces and “condemns” him as lazy, because he was wounded by Satan and did not want to overcome it. John 16:12. I still have a lot to tell you; but now you cannot contain it. The Lord said above that it is more beneficial for you that I go. Now he expounds on this in more detail. “Now,” he says, “you cannot contain it, but when He comes, then, having received gifts of grace from Him, you will be guided into all truth.” John 16:13. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: What kind of truth does he mean? Is it really knowledge about everything? The Lord Himself did not proclaim anything great about Himself, partly in order to set an example of humility, partly because of the weakness of the listeners and the ill-intention of the Jews. He did not explicitly introduce the abolition of legal rituals, so that everyone would not consider Him to be an adversary to God. And when the Comforter came, then the dignity of the Son became clear; true and clear knowledge is communicated about everything; legal rituals were taken from the environment and abolished; we are taught to serve God in spirit and truth; by miracles performed by the Spirit, faith is confirmed. for he will not speak from himself, but he will speak what he hears, Then, since the Lord said something great about the Spirit, so that others would not think that the Spirit is greater than Him, if He guides them to the truth, will make them capable of accepting many and great things, which in the presence of Christ they could not accommodate, so that they would not think this, He adds “He will not speak from Himself,” that is, He will not say anything different in comparison with Mine. For the words “what He hears” mean that He will not teach anything except what Christ taught. As the Lord says about Himself: “What I have heard from the Father, that I speak” (John 15:15), and thereby expresses not that He Himself is learning, like a child, but that without the Father He knows nothing and teaches nothing: this is how one should understand about the Spirit. And that the Spirit does not need teaching, listen to what the Apostle Paul says. “For what man knows what is in a man except the spirit of man which dwells in him? Likewise, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). You see, the Holy Spirit, like our spirit, teaches Himself. The prudent person learns the Divinity of the Spirit from what follows. For he says “and he will tell you the future,” and knowing the future is primarily characteristic of God. And since nothing else is so desirable for human nature as knowledge of the future, the Lord consoles the apostles with this. “He will benefit you so much,” he says, “that He will give you knowledge of the future; and this talent is considered greater than all.” And how they must prepare for temptations, he says: “He will prepare you for what is about to happen to you, so that you do not unknowingly fall through carelessness.” John 16:14. He will glorify Me “He will glorify Me,” for he will say and do everything in My name, and will not say anything contrary. Therefore, the miracles performed by Him will confirm that I am God, when the wealth of grace will be poured out on you, My disciples, and My name will shine even more after My death. For this is great and indisputable glory, when the one killed and dishonored after this will shine even more. because he will take from Mine and tell it to you. Then, since the Lord spoke and they heard that “they have one Teacher - Christ” (Matthew 23:8), so that they would not think: “If there is one Teacher - You Yourself, then how can you say that there will be another Teacher - the Spirit,” so that they would not think this, He adds “He will take from Mine,” that is, from what I know, from My knowledge. John 16:15. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that he will take from Mine and tell it to you. Otherwise: “from Mine,” that is, from My treasure, which is the Father’s. And just as everything that the Father has is Mine, and is My wealth, and the Comforter will speak from the Father; then I rightly say “he will take from Mine,” that is, treasures, and riches, and knowledge. Why did the Spirit, and not the Son, give us so many benefits? To this, first of all, let’s say that the Son created the way to the gifts of the Spirit, and He is the author of so many good things. For if He had not taken away sin, how would we have been rewarded with the Spirit? For the Spirit “will not dwell in a body guilty of sins” (Wis. 1:4). Therefore, the gifts of the Spirit are great, but their foundation is in Christ. Then, since heretics appeared who diminished the dignity of the Spirit because He came after the Son, He allows Him to act in the apostles more than Himself, so that, prompted by the greatness of the gifts, they would recognize the dignity of the Spirit against their will, and would not consider Him less than the Son because He appeared in the world after Him. John 16:16. Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, for I am going to the Father. Why does Christ again remind them of His removal and death, when it would be better to hide this? He exercises their soul and makes it firmer, and constantly reminds them of the sad so that they get used to it and expect it, and are not surprised by the suddenness. At the same time, it adds to the sad something that can inspire. So here too he said the sad “soon you will not see Me,” and added the joyful “and again soon you will see Me,” because I ascend to God, who can help you. I do not die, but change my state. My separation will not last long, but My stay with you, which will then come, is eternal. But they didn't understand this. John 16:17. Then some of His disciples said to one another, “What is it that He says to us: Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, and: I am going to the Father?” John 16:18. So they said, “What is it that He says, “soon”? We don't know what he says. Therefore, others may wonder how they did not understand His words. Probably, the sadness that took possession of their souls erased from their memory what was said, or obscurity came over them due to the obscurity of the words themselves. Therefore, they see some contradiction in the words of Jesus: “If we see You, where are You going? If You leave, then how will we see You? It seemed like a mystery to them. John 16:19. Jesus, realizing that they wanted to ask Him, said to them: Are you asking one another about this, that I said: A little while later you will not see Me, and again a short time later you will see Me? The Lord saw that the disciples, burdened with sorrow, did not fully understand His words; therefore, he offers them the clearest teaching about His death, so that, having become accustomed to words and deeds, they will endure it courageously. John 16:20. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy. “You,” he says, “will weep and mourn that I will die on the Cross, and the world will rejoice, that is, the Jews, who are wise in the world, will rejoice that they destroyed Me, their enemy; but your sorrow will be joy, and the joy of the Jews, on the contrary, will turn into sorrow for them, when after the resurrection My name will be glorified.” By the joy of the world you can understand not the joy of the Jews, with which they rejoiced at the death of the Lord, but the salvation of the world, so that these words will have the following meaning: you will be sad, but these sufferings of mine, about which you are sad, will be the joy of the whole world and salvation. John 16:21. When a woman gives birth, she suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to a baby, she no longer remembers the sorrow for joy, because a man was born into the world. Then he gives the ordinary example of a woman and childbirth. This comparison was also used by the prophets, denoting the highest degree of sorrow by the cruelty of childbirth diseases. He says something like this: “Sorrows will overtake you, like the pain of birth; but illness is the cause of birth.” At the same time, it confirms the doctrine of the resurrection and shows that dying is like coming out of the mother’s womb into the light. Do not be surprised that you should achieve joy through such sadness. For even a mother, through grief and illness, achieves that she becomes a mother. Here He hints at something mysterious, namely: that He destroyed sickness and death and brought about the birth of a new Man, no longer decaying, no longer dying, who is the Lord Himself. For, look, He did not say “the woman no longer remembers sorrow because a child was born to her,” but “because a man was born into the world.” Not without a purpose He said so, but in order to mysteriously and covertly hint that He Himself is a Man, born not for hell, which He was sick with, but for the world. For for us was born from the resurrection a new and incorruptible Man, Jesus Christ our God. So, the example of a woman giving birth does not require adaptation in everything to the events of Christ, but only aims to show that sorrow is temporary, and that there is great benefit from these illnesses, and that the resurrection gives birth to life and a new being. Everything else has no application in comparison, and rightly so. For this is a parable, and a parable, if preserved in all parts, is no longer a parable, but the very thing that is depicted by it. John 16:22. So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you; So here too, by the illnesses of birth we understand the sadness of the apostles, by joy - their consolation after the resurrection, and again by the resolution of illnesses - the destruction of hell, and by birth - the resurrection of the First Born from the dead. But by mother we no longer mean hell; for it was not hell that rejoiced, but the apostles rejoiced, and they rejoiced with such joy that no one took away from them. For when they were offended, when they were dishonored for the name of Christ, they rejoiced even then (Acts 5:41). The words “no one will take away your joy” also shows that He will no longer die, but, always being alive, will give them inexhaustible joy. John 16:23. And on that day you will not ask Me anything. “When,” he says, “I am resurrected, and then the Comforter comes to you and guides you into all truth, then you will not ask Me anything, as, for example, you asked before: “Where are You going?” (John 14:5), “show us the Father” (John 14:8). For by the power of the Spirit you will know all things.” Or “ask” is used instead of “ask, demand.” Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. So, when I, after the resurrection from the dead, send you the Comforter, then you will no longer ask Me, that is, you will not need My mediation, but it will be enough for you to pronounce My name in order to receive what you want from the Father. So here He shows the power of His name. Since they will not see Him and will not ask for them, but will only call His name, and He will do such things. John 16:24. Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “Until now you have asked nothing in My name,” but from now on “ask, and you will certainly receive.” Therefore, it is more beneficial for Me to die; for from now on you will have greater boldness before My Father. Although I will be separated from you, do not think that you are abandoned by Me; for My separation will give you greater boldness, and your joy will then be fullest when you receive everything you ask for. Note: he who asks in the name of Christ receives. And of those who desire worldly and spiritually harmful objects, no one asks in the name of Christ, and therefore does not receive. For the name of Christ is Divine and saving. If someone asks for something harmful to the soul, then shall we really say that he asks in the name of the Savior? John 16:25. Hitherto I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you directly about the Father. A parable is a speech that explains some subject indirectly, covertly and comparatively. Since the Lord spoke a lot in secret, and the speech about a woman and birth was inaccurate, He says: “Until now I have spoken to you in parables; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables, but will tell you directly about the Father.” For after the resurrection, having revealed Himself alive, “in the course of forty days” He imparted to them the most mysterious and detailed knowledge about the Father (Acts 1:3). And before they thought that God was His Father, just as He is ours, by grace. John 16:26. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you: Again encouraging them that they will receive help from above in their temptations, he says: “You will ask in My name, and I assure you that the Father loves you so much that you will no longer need My mediation. For He Himself loves you.” John 16:27. For the Father Himself loves you, because you loved Me and believed that I came from God. Then, so that they do not lag behind Christ, since they no longer need Him and are in the immediate love of the Father, he says: “The Father loves you because you have loved Me.” Therefore, if you fall away from My love, you will immediately fall away from the Father. John 16:28. I came from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to the Father. And since the rumor that He came from God and is going again to God comforted them in various ways, He often speaks about this. Therefore, they themselves, having received benefit from hearing about this and were inspired, what do they say? John 16:29. His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and do not speak any parables. John 16:30 . Now we see that You know everything and have no need for anyone to question You. Therefore we believe that You came from God. The disciples, having heard that God the Father will love them, and that they do not need the mediation of Him, Christ, as having been adopted by the Father, and that He came from God, say: “Now we see that You know everything,” that is, you know what everyone’s heart is tempted by, and you have no need to learn this from others, and therefore we believe that You came from God. For it is characteristic of God to know the secrets of the heart (Ps. 43:22). Look how imperfect they were when they say “now we see.” They, who listened to His teaching so much and for a long time, say “now we know.” John 16:31. Jesus answered them: Do you believe now? And Christ declares to them that even now they are still imperfect, that they have not understood anything great about Him, but are still turning low and near the earth. He says: “Do you believe now?” and with this, as it were, he reproaches and reproaches them for the slowness of faith. John 16:32. Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will scatter, each in his own direction, and leave Me alone; And so that they, holding such thoughts about Him, do not think that they are pleasing Him, he says: “The hour is coming that you will be scattered, each in his own direction.” You think that you have a great idea about Me. But I tell you that you will leave Me to your enemies, and such fear will take possession of you that you will not move away from Me together with each other, but you will scatter each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself. but I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. But I will not tolerate any harm from that. For I am not alone, but the Father is also with Me. Therefore, I do not suffer out of weakness, but I voluntarily surrender myself to the crucifiers. When, therefore, you hear “My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46), do not understand so simply that the Savior was abandoned by the Father (for, as He testifies here: “The Father is with Me”), but understand that these words were spoken by human nature, abandoned and rejected for sins, but in Christ reconciled and adopted by the Father. John 16:33. I have spoken these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. “This,” he says, “I told you, so that you do not remove Me from your thoughts and do not hesitate, and do not be embarrassed to continue steadfast love for Me, but so that you have peace in Me, that is, so that you remain steadfast, accepting as true everything that I tell you.” Let Arius also hear that all this humble and, apparently, unworthy of the glory of the Son, was said for the sake of the listeners, and not so that we use these words when defining dogmas; for they were spoken for the consolation of the apostles, as showing His love for them. In the world you will have tribulation; Temptations for you will not stop at these terrible words, but as long as you are in the world, you will have sorrow, not only now when I surrender, but also after that. But resist the tempting thought. but take heart: I have overcome the world. And when I won, you, the disciples, should not grieve, but despise the world as if you had already been defeated. How did He overcome the world? Having deposed the chief of worldly passions. However, this is clear from what follows. For everything submitted and yielded to Him. Just as with the defeat of Adam all nature was condemned, so with the victory of Christ victory extended to all nature, and in Christ Jesus we were given the power to “tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). For “through man... death” entered (1 Cor. 15:21), and through man both life and power came upon the devil. For if God alone were victorious, then nothing would apply to us.