Interpretation of the Gospel of John chapter 16

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Revelation of John

Chapter 16
Introduction

John 16:1-2

. Why does Jesus tell them so much about the world's hatred of them and the persecution that awaits them? Anticipating the bewilderment of the disciples, the Lord answers the question that was not expressed by them: so that you are not tempted; for awareness of the coming trials will help them stay on the path pleasing to God. (He repeats this idea in verse 4.) The disciples will be in danger of being thrown out of their familiar environment; martyrdom will become a realistic prospect for them. But they will remember that Christ was subjected to ostracism and suffering, and that He predicted the same fate for His apostles. And this will help them endure - to remain faithful.

The first Christians were Jews (Acts 2:11,14,22), but the Church quickly grew and spread and soon (around the year 90) broke out of the synagogues. However, already in the early days of the Church’s existence, Stephen (Acts 7:59), James (Acts 12:2) and others (Acts 9:1-4) paid with their lives for loyalty to Christ. Unfortunately, throughout the history of the Church, there have been people driven by blind “zeal for God,” who persecuted other believers, thinking that by doing so they were serving God (Rom. 10:2).

John 16:3-4

. Jesus warned the apostles that the persecutors of Christians would do this because they knew neither the Father nor Him. When applied to the Jews, His words should be understood to mean that they did not recognize the will of the Father in the words and deeds of Jesus. The Jews, of course, had a certain idea of God from the Law, however, their knowledge was not saving, and about the bearers of this non-saving knowledge God said: “they are a people who err in heart: they have not known My ways” (Ps. 94:10).

So, Jesus warned the disciples about what lay ahead in order to strengthen their faith. Having subsequently realized that He knew the future, they will be confirmed in their trust in Him. Before, He did not tell them about this because the hatred of the world was directed at Him, and He was, as it were, a shield for them; however, they now remained on earth as His “body” (Eph. 1:22-23).

3. The work of the Holy Spirit (16:5-15)

John 16:5-6

. The knowledge that Jesus would soon leave them deeply saddened the apostles. They were depressed by the thought that He, so alive and close, would no longer be near them. If they could really understand why He leaves them and to whom He goes, they would rejoice, but during the life of the Teacher the apostles understood this vaguely. Later (verse 22) Jesus predicts to them that their sorrow will suddenly turn into great joy.

Jesus' statement: And now I go to Him who sent Me, it would seem, should have raised the same question among the disciples: “Where are you going?”, but this time even Thomas (compare 14:5) did not ask it. Preoccupied with the oppressive and unclear things that were approaching them, they were not aware of the full significance of what was now coming and the events that it brought (His death, burial, resurrection and ascension).

John 16:7

. The departure of Jesus was necessary, no matter how difficult and painful it was for the disciples. It was aimed at the good of the world. For without the “departure” of Christ, which began with His death and ended with His Ascension, the Gospel would not have been preached to the world. In order to save those who came to Him (Matt. 1:21), Jesus had to atone for the sin of the world.

Moreover, if He had not “left,” then the Comforter would not have descended to people from the glorified Lord. (Greek, the word parakletos, translated as “Comforter”, taken from the legal dictionary of those times; this was the name of the person who represented the interests of the defendant (defendant) in court; it is translated into English as “Counselor”.) We are talking about the promised Spirit to people The Saint who came into the world after the ascension of Christ, on the day of Pentecost, declaring Himself in a completely new way.

John 16:8

. One of the new ministries of the Holy Spirit was the conviction of the world about sin and about righteousness and judgment. To reprove does not mean to convert, but the second is impossible without the first. The word elenksei is translated into Russian as “convict... of sin,” meaning “to present facts testifying to the truth.” The Holy Spirit, influencing the minds of unsaved people, reveals to them the truth of God as it is. But, as a rule, this process takes place with the participation of believers, with their “help” (15:26-27).

John 16:9

. Sin is rebellion against God, and it reached its highest point at the crucifixion of Jesus. The greatest sin in our time is not believing in Jesus Christ (3:18; 15:22,24). Most people are not at all aware of their “guilt of sin.” They are ready to admit the presence of weaknesses, shortcomings, even the fact of committing a crime - just not that. But sin is an ongoing rebellion against God, and people - "rebels" - invariably "suppress the truth through unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18,21,25,28). The powerful action of the Holy Spirit is necessary to “convict” humanity and convince it of the deplorability of its condition.

John 16:10

. Here the word translated “truth” also means “righteousness.”

By crucifying Jesus, the Jews demonstrated to the world that they considered Him unrighteous, for they understood the corresponding passage in the Scriptures (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13) to mean that only an unrighteous person could be “hanged on a tree” and thus fall under God’s curse . However, the subsequent resurrection and ascension proved that Jesus was God's righteous Servant (Acts 3:14-15; Isa. 53:11).

In essence, the very fact of Christ’s removal from the sinful world testified to the existence of God’s truth and righteousness. The Holy Spirit, who descended on earth in His place, convicts people of their erroneous attitude towards Jesus Christ when they hear the Good News, in which the main emphasis is on the fact of His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

John 16:11

. The third area in which the Holy Spirit carries out His convicting work is judgment. The death and resurrection of Jesus proclaimed a condemnation of Satan (12:31; Col. 2:15) - the prince of this world (John 14:30). By His death, Jesus defeated the one who has “the power of death” (Heb. 2:14). It was Satan, not the Lord, who was defeated on the cross, but despite his defeat, he continues to be active in the world (1 Pet. 5:8); however, as a criminal who has already been convicted, he “cannot escape” from the execution of the sentence imposed (Rev. 20:2, 7-10).

People who rebel against God should reflect on the fact of the defeat of Satan and fear God, who has the power and authority to judge the world. In light of the proclamation of the coming judgment (over Satan and over humanity), the Holy Spirit convicts people and thus prepares those of them who recognize their need for it to accept salvation (Acts 17:30-31).

John 16:12-13

. At that time, the disciples were simply unable to perceive new spiritual revelations. Their hearts were still “hardened”, and their minds were still busy with dreams of an earthly kingdom in which each of them wanted to occupy a “special” position; and therefore they did not see any “necessity” in the death of Jesus.

Sadness at the thought that He had to leave them, sorrowful bewilderment at the words of Christ that one of them was a traitor, and finally, His gloomy predictions regarding their own future - all this did not dispose the disciples to perceive spiritual truths. Well aware of this, Jesus says that when, after His departure, He, the Spirit of truth, comes (compare 15:26), He will instruct them regarding the meaning and purpose of the ministry of their Master.

The Holy Spirit, Jesus explains, will not speak from Himself (that is, not on its own initiative), but will say what it hears from the Father. This and subsequent verses again focus on the interaction of the three Persons of the Godhead. The Father will tell the Spirit what and how to teach the apostles about the Son.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit will tell them the future. This phrase seems to serve as a “key” to the promise: ... will guide you into all truth. That is, Jesus promised the apostles that their partial understanding of His Person and activity as the Messiah would be supplemented by the Holy Spirit, who would give them the ability to penetrate into the depths of such spiritual mysteries as the Cross and Resurrection, and the return of Jesus Christ to earth in the future (1 Cor. 2:10). The New Testament books fulfilled this promise of guidance by the Spirit.

John 16:14-15

. The Spirit of Truth glorified Jesus by revealing to His disciples the previously hidden secrets of the Person and ministry of the Logos (He will take from Mine and tell you), giving them the ability not only to perceive and understand the highest spiritual truths about the Savior, but also to convey them to other people.

I. Prediction of change (16:16-33)

From the future work of the Spirit, Jesus moves in His instruction to the disciples to what awaits them in the near future. The day will come when Jesus returns to earth, but before that His followers will go through many trials, and their lot will be sadness, pain, and spiritual decline. However, they are also destined for consolation in prayer, joy and peace, which will eventually replace various sufferings.

John 16:16

. The word, repeated twice, soon sounded mysterious to the apostles (and, perhaps, to the first readers of the Gospel of John). Just like the phrase you will see Me. Was Jesus referring to a) the coming of the Holy Spirit, or 6) His second coming, or c) His brief forty-day ministry on earth between His resurrection and ascension? He most likely meant the latter.

John 16:17-18

. What puzzled the students most of all were these “time intervals.” None of them could answer the questions they asked each other. Only the death of the Master, His resurrection and subsequent ministry, and then the ascension to the Father, shed light on these amazing statements: “soon you will not see Me” and “soon you will see Me again” and “I go to the Father.”

John 16:19-20

. Jesus, a very special Teacher, understood, of course, the perplexity of His disciples. At that moment, however, He did not explain anything to them, because He knew that over time and through the work of the Holy Spirit (verses 12-13) everything would fall into place. His “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” as always, serves as an introduction to a solemn declaration, this time about the coming sorrow, which, however, will be replaced by joy.

His death will be the most difficult experience for them, but the world will rejoice at it. However, this very event - the death of the Messiah, which will make the disciples “weep and lament”, will subsequently turn out to be a joy to them. For His resurrection and the expository work of the Holy Spirit will enable them to understand that He had to die for the forgiveness of their sins. Later, His Church will rejoice at the death of Jesus (1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2).

John 16:21-22

. Jesus compares the sorrow that comes to the disciples, and the joy that will replace it, with the sorrow (pain) that a woman endures in giving birth, and with her joy when a man is born into the world. When the disciples saw the risen Jesus, their joy knew no bounds, and it does not end throughout the centuries - in the hearts of Christ's followers, realizing that He once died for the sins of the world and now lives forever (Rom. 6:9-10; Luke 24: 33-52; Hebrews 7:24-25).

John 16:23-24

. Enlightened and wise by the very fact of His resurrection, the disciples will stop asking Him their endless questions.

After “Truly, truly, I say to you,” comes the Lord’s solemn declaration again. Now the disciples will turn to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus - as His authorized representatives on earth, having the right to ask God for everything that contributes to the fulfillment of His will. And these very words “in my name” seem to link the request with the work of the Son to fulfill the will of the Father (compare with “in my name” in 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:24,26). Until that moment, the disciples had not prayed in the name of Jesus. And now they had to do this, because with the departure of Jesus and the descent of the Holy Spirit into the world, a new Christian era began, “within the framework” of which the followers of Christ became executors of God’s new program.

Prayers answered by God become a source of perfect joy for believers (compare 15:11; 16:22) because they recognize that the Heavenly Father Himself is working through them.

John 16:25

. Although Jesus was the Perfect Teacher and taught His followers in word and deed for three years, their understanding of His revelations about the Father remained limited (14:9; 2:22; 6:60; 13:7,15-17) . Often the speech of Jesus sounded completely mysterious to them (hitherto I spoke to you in parables), but now He promises to directly tell them about the Father. Obviously, this was realized in His conversations with them after His resurrection (Acts 1:3), and also when the Holy Spirit descended on them (John 14:25-26).

John 16:26-27

. The coming new day (the age of the Church) will bring the disciples a special closeness with the Father. They will enter into direct communication with Him in the name of Jesus Christ, that is, through Him. Jesus will no longer need to ask for them, for it will be given to them to ask for themselves. This does not make the intercessory mission of Christ unnecessary, the purpose of which is to help believers day after day in overcoming sin (Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2). Yet because of what Jesus did, believers gained personal access to the Father on the basis of love and faith. Such access is the privilege of children (Rom. 5:2).

John 16:28

. Jesus sums up His ministry in three phrases: I came from the Father, that is, I became incarnate; and came into the world, that is, suffered humiliation; and again I leave the world and go to the Father; in the last phrase He speaks of His resurrection, ascension and glorification. All this the disciples should have believed.

John 16:29-30

. It is clear from the disciples' response that they understood and believed Jesus' words. In confirmation, they confessed the omniscience of their Teacher (You know everything and His Divine nature (You came from God.

John 16:31-32

. Although the disciples' confession at this point was honest and sincere, Jesus recognized the limitations of their spiritual "potential" far more than they realized it themselves (compare with 2:24-25). Do you believe his words now? They express both His understanding that they really believe and the consciousness of the incompleteness of their faith until His resurrection and then the descent of the Holy Spirit on them.

In the “dispersion” of the disciples, which Christ speaks of here, the prophecy of Zechariah about the Shepherd (Messiah), “smitten” by the Lord of Hosts, was to be fulfilled, as a result of which the Shepherd’s sheep would “scatter” (Zech. 13:7). Despite the disciples' devotion to Jesus, their faith and love, they were soon to “leave Him alone”; this was literally fulfilled when the Master was captured (Matt. 26:56), and when Peter denied Him (John 18:17,25-26). But the Heavenly Father did not leave Him (I am not alone, because the Father is with Me - John 8:29; Ps. 22:4; 72:25-26); here, however, it is necessary to make a reservation that for a short time the Father also left Jesus - when He was on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

John 16:33

. Jesus' instruction concerning "this" (this I have spoken to you; referring to John's teaching in chapters 14-16) was given to support the disciples in the coming trials and to give them inner peace in Him. After all, the existence of believers occurs simultaneously in two spheres: in Christ and in this world. In Christ they find peace, but the hostile environment around them never ceases to put pressure on them.

The entire worldly system is opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1:5,10; 7:7) and the ministry of His messengers. And yet Jesus conquered the world—precisely as a system operating under the leadership of Satan. He is the “Strongest” One who defeated the “strongest” and defeated him. Jesus wanted the disciples to always remember this, drawing courage, peace and joy from this circumstance.

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16:1 I told you these things so that you would not be tempted

To be forewarned means to be armed with useful knowledge so as not to be taken by surprise. Jesus continues here the thought from 15:27: the disciples had a difficult path ahead of them as a witness to Christ, not covered with roses and not burdened with the enthusiastic acceptance of Christianity. At the moment when Christ is crucified, this prophecy could encourage them, because if they are to testify for Jesus, then his death as a criminal will not be a cause for stumbling for them, and they will ultimately cope with the task set before them to spread Christianity .

16:2,3 They will drive you out of the synagogues; even the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think that he is serving God

Here Jesus warns of the coming of especially difficult times for the disciples of Christ. The Apostle John, who wrote down the Gospel through approx. 60 years after the death of Christ, I had the opportunity to understand what this warning of Christ meant. He himself witnessed that before the end of the Jewish system of things the position of Christians was very difficult. And the problem was not only the complexity of life at that time. And the fact is that Christians were persecuted not only by the Romans, but also by their own co-religionists - in places where they heard the word of God (synagogues). Those who believed that they served the Creator - that is, the Jews themselves, the people of God of old - persecuted the disciples of Christ, just as they had previously persecuted Christ himself (although the Romans also persecuted Christians, they did not serve the Creator, so John’s warning concerns the true people of God: Jesus spoke no more about any other God except Jehovah).

The same thing will await the last messengers of God and His Christ, whom it will fall to serve before the end of this age: they, too, will be persecuted by those who are their own by faith, those who serve the Creator, and those who do not serve Him (Rev. 11:3,6,8,10) . And when they are rejected by the people of God, everyone will believe that by expelling the messengers of God, they are thereby fulfilling the will of God (as a rule, in the 1st century they were declared blasphemers, like Jesus Christ, and for this they were expelled from the synagogues. The same The same thing awaits the last prophets of God: they will be expelled from the assemblies of God’s people).

Next, Jesus explains the reason for the rejection of God’s prophets by his fellow believers:

They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me.

If the people of God had correctly understood the essence of the Creator and His words, then they would not have rejected His prophets.
But, as Jesus predicts, not everyone who considers himself a servant of God and His Christ will actually be one. In order to know God, you need to learn to look at everything through His eyes .
16:4 But I have told you these things so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about these things; I didn’t tell you this at first, because I was with you. Previously, there was no need to warn the disciples about the danger: danger did not threaten them as long as Christ was with him, because he took the entire blow of persecution while he was alive. However, after his death, the focus of the impact will eventually shift to his followers (for some time after the death of Christ, Christianity became widespread, but after that Christians faced persecution, which continued until the end of the Jewish system of things. The same picture will be observed before the end of this system things (Rev. 11:1-10).

16:5,6 And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going?

Apparently, the students were stunned by the many warnings of danger and the message of the impending betrayal of the teacher.
They became silent not because they understood Christ absolutely or completely lost interest in what he said. They froze in anxious anticipation of events incomprehensible to them and were greatly saddened that Christ would soon leave them: but because I told you this, your heart was filled with sadness
16:7 But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go ; for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you;

Jesus again explains that although his departure is regrettable for the disciples, however, they themselves will be better off if Jesus leaves them - to his Father.
Only in this case will they be able to count on the help of the holy spirit from above in fulfilling God’s instructions. Note: this spirit - the Comforter, whom Jesus will send to his disciples from God - is not Jesus Christ himself in the form of a spiritual person. But he will be sent by Christ from the Father to help him on earth: if I go, I will send Him to you.
What kind of helper is this?

16:8
He will come and convict the world about sin and about righteousness and judgment
: The tasks of the Comforter from Jesus include convicting the world about sin, telling about the righteousness of God and about the judgment of God.
Will the world hear all this from voices from heaven? No. The disciples of Christ will have to proclaim the intentions of God throughout the entire earth through preaching, and a certain spirit of the Comforter should only help them in this, inspiring them to speak the truth of God and correctly understand His will for humanity. The Comforter in this case is the same supernatural power of God, which is acquired by the disciples through the anointing of the holy spirit and inspires all prophets at all times to convey the word of God - 2 Peter 1:20,21, 1 John 2:20,27: However, the anointing that you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you;
but just as this very anointing teaches you everything, and it is true and not false, whatever it has taught you, abide in it. How will the world be convicted of sin, truth and judgment through the preaching of the disciples?

16:9-11
about sin, because they do not believe in Me;
The sin of unbelief will be exposed by the reaction to the disciples' preaching about accepting the atonement of Christ

about the truth that I go to My Father, and you will no longer see Me;

thanks to the holy spirit, the disciples will be able to preach about the resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven to the Father - that is, about the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of mankind

about judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned

and that Jesus will prove faithfulness to the Father in the conditions of the age of the devil and thereby condemn him to destruction - to the lake of fire, prepared for him and all his faithful followers (Matt. 25: 41,46).

Without the help of the holy spirit, it would be impossible to receive such information from God.

We can now observe the results of the COUNTER's help in the form of the Bible, from which we learn about sin, about truth and about the essence of God's future judgment.

16:12 I still have a lot to tell you; but now you cannot contain it.

Jesus told the disciples as much as they could understand at that time: it is useless to tell a 1st grade student about higher mathematics. It’s the same in this case: although many of Christ’s words seem simple to us today, for Christ’s disciples it was “higher mathematics,” but not because it was actually very difficult. But because the Jews of the 1st century were “sharpened” under a completely different understanding of the word of God, which was then disseminated by the teachers of the people of God.

Nothing that Jesus told them fit into the logical structure of their usual knowledge. For example, interpretations of certain passages in Scripture about the reign of the Messiah taught them to expect the reign of the Messiah now and forever. And Jesus told them about the death of the Messiah. Hence the complete misunderstanding of the situation; many aspects of the real development of events were not perceived by them. Therefore, Jesus, although he had the opportunity to present to them the full picture, did not do this: at the moment they could not understand it and did not understand it until some prophecies about the death and resurrection of Christ were fulfilled. So it is today: when teaching the word of God, you should not expect instant understanding from those listening, understanding can come to them later. Some of Jesus' words were spoken in the hope that the disciples would understand them later. 16:13,14 When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you the things to come.

The Holy Spirit that will come to them from heaven on Pentecost will inspire them to speak God's truth about the present and the future. The detailed mechanism for transmitting information from above from God to the disciples through the holy spirit, unfortunately, is not described in the Bible; there are examples when an angel transmitted the thoughts of the Most High through the miraculous power of God (Acts 8:26,29). Jesus also said that when they receive the power of the holy spirit from above, they will be able to preach to the ends of the Earth about Jesus (Acts 1:8).

But one thing is clear: no matter how the disciples of Christ received understanding and inspiration from above, it is clear that they were given the understanding of the Most High, and not the personal opinion of some angel of God. That is why students will not say ad-libs and make up their own fantasies. But they will accurately convey what will be put into them from above in a supernatural way - from God.

14 He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you.

This same strength of spirit from God will help them glorify Christ in the sense that it will explain to them the essence of Christ and his mission in full: at a certain moment it will simply dawn on them from above and they will be able to understand much of what they did not understand during the life of Christ. And when you yourself understand, you will be able to explain to others what the Messiahship of Christ of God for humanity consists of.

16:15
All that the Father has is Mine;
Therefore, I said that the Holy Spirit will take from Mine and tell you - this belongs to the Father of Christ - first of all. But Christ can also use everything that is at the Father’s disposal. All that knowledge that was transmitted by the Father to Christ - Jesus will pass on to the disciples with the help of the Holy Spirit of the Father.

16:16-20 Soon you will not see Me, but again soon you will see Me, for I go to the Father. 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 go to the Father? So they said, “What is it that He says, “soon”? We don't know what he says. 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? 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. Jesus said that he would soon die and come to life again, going to the Father from the earth. But he was never understood, and these strangenesses of Christ’s speeches confused many. He briefly described the situation that in connection with certain events (meaning his arrest, execution and death) - first they must go through sadness: you will cry and lament, and the world will rejoice; you will be sad

but then joy awaits them (meaning their resurrection:
but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
16:21,22
A woman, when she gives birth, suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to a child, she no longer remembers the sorrow for joy, because that a man was born into the world. So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. Using the
example of a woman in labor who waited for the birth of her child in the sorrow of the pains of birth, Jesus shows them how it is possible that sadness can be replaced by joy. When he is resurrected, the disciples will see him again and will rejoice, and will forget their previous sadness after his death. This is what he told them about. But then they could not understand him.

16:23
On that day you will not ask Me anything
.
When all these events happen, the disciples will be able to understand what Christ warned them about and the questions will disappear by themselves. whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you -
Jesus explains to the disciples the principle of asking for help: everything that the disciples of Christ will ask from the heavenly Father to protect the interests of His son, Jesus Christ on Earth - God will help them in all of this (see (also John 15:16)

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, the disciples had asked Christ himself for everything, but they had not yet asked anything from the Father in his name: Christ had not yet glorified the Father and had not sacrificed himself for people. But from the moment of his death and resurrection, a new stage begins in the formation of the disciples, now they can turn to the Father for help: in the person of Christ they have the intercessor of the New Covenant, concluded with the Father on his blood (thanks to his sacrifice). The Father will not ignore the requests of Christians in which they care about the interests of Jesus Christ. From now on, two in heaven will take care of them: His Father and His Son, and this thought of all the fullness of help from above will delight Christians.

16:25-27 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. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you: for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and believed that I came from God.

.Jesus also tells them that soon (after his death) they will be able to directly ask the Father for help, and Jesus will not have to
turn to the Father instead: the Father Himself will hear Christians and help, since they accepted His Christ and believed that Christ is the son of God.
16:28
I came forth from the Father and came into the world;
and again I leave the world and go to the Father. Before Jesus came into the human world, he was with the Father in heaven. Now his path again lies to the Father in heaven, he returns to his home.

16:29,30
His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and do not speak any parables. 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 understood the direct text of Jesus that he came from the Father, and that all questions about his origin now disappear. The disciples assured him of their determination to recognize him as the messenger of heaven and the Christ of God.

16:31,32 Jesus answered them: Do you believe now? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will be scattered, each to his own [side], and you will leave Me alone; but I am not alone, because the Father is with Me

. Jesus was glad to hear such confidence in the disciples. However, he showed them that faith achieved at some point is never enough: it may turn out that their faith still needs to grow and grow, going through trials. For with such strong faith in Christ (as it now seems to them) - they, nevertheless, will all scatter in different directions and leave him alone. Although, of course, he will not remain lonely - even if all his disciples leave him, because the heavenly Father will not leave him. One can only imagine how upset those who, as it seemed to them, were unshakable in their faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God, were upset by such a picture of the near future.

16:33 I have spoken these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world.

Those who are in Christ will be kept in the peace of God - in the peace given by God and confidence in the future despite the sorrow they will face from the people of this wicked world. And although the pressure will be strong, Christians will be able to remain calm by looking to the example of Christ. The conviction that they remain faithful to God will help them in this; thanks to this, they will be able to defeat the pressure of the world of the devil. From the outside, such a victory may even seem like a loss: after all, Christ was killed. However, he proved: there is something more important than life. This is the desire to remain faithful to God. And it is stronger than the fear of death. And all the faithful disciples of Christ will be able to win such a victory of the power of God’s spirit in weak mortal bodies.

Chapter sixteen

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 the fact that I I told you about this before it happened, and you accepted My consolation with faith that I would 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 in perfect security. 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”? (Matt. 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 am telling 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;

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 with power

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 “of righteousness,” that is, that he is deprived of righteousness who does not believe in Jesus the Righteous One, 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, He 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, I speak” (John 15:15), and thereby expresses not that He Himself is learning like a child, but that He knows nothing without the Father and does not teach anything: 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.

and the future will tell you.

For he says “and he will tell you the future,” and knowing the future is primarily characteristic of God. And since nothing else is more desirable for human nature than 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 one Teacher is You Yourself, then how can you say that there will be another The Teacher is 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 even against their will, and they did 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.

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. There are some

of His disciples said one to another: What is it that He says to us: Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, and: I go 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?

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 lament that I will die on the Cross, and the world will rejoice, that is, the Jews, worldly minded, will rejoice that they destroyed Me, their enemy; but your sorrow will turn into 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 My, 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 disease 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 it depicts.

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 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.

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, 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 be scattered, 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 one 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 will scatter each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself.

but I am not alone, because 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 appropriated to 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 for everything I have told you is true.”

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 against the devil. For if God alone were victorious, then nothing would apply to us.

I told you these things so that you would not be tempted. They will drive you out of the synagogues; the time even comes when everyone who kills you will think that he is serving God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or Me. But I told you this so that when that time comes, you will remember what I told you about it.

He says, “I 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 Before this happened, you accepted My consolation with faith that I would not deceive you in this case, just as I did not lie in the prediction of disasters. - “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). 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. 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. 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. And now I go to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me: Where are you going? But because I told you this, your heart was filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth: it is better for you that I go: for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you; and if I go, I will send Him to 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 in perfect security. 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. - “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. - But “I am telling 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 obey 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 enmity does not cease through the mortification of sin, if the Father is not reconciled with human nature? What can the Macedonians say here who diminish the glory of the Spirit and call Him the servant of the Son? What good is it for the Master to go away, 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. - 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. 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 sign to that.

And He came to convict the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment: about sin, that they do not believe in Me: about the truth, that I go to My Father, and you will not see Me anymore; about judgment, that the prince of this world is condemned.

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. 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 no longer see Me” mean that He will remain with the Father forever. 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 8:48-62; 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 their remission 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 “of righteousness,” that is, that he is deprived of righteousness who does not believe in Jesus the Righteous One, 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.

I still have a lot to tell you; but now you cannot contain it. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak what He hears, and He will tell you the future. He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that he will take from Mine and tell it to you.

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. 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. - 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, He will make them capable of accepting many and great things, which in the presence of Christ they could not accommodate - so as not to thought 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, 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 knows nothing. teaches: this is how one should understand about the Spirit. And that the Spirit does not need teaching, listen to what the Apostle Paul says. “Just as no one knows the things that are in a man except the spirit that dwells in him, so 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 more desirable for human nature than knowledge of the future, the Lord consoles the apostles with this. He says that He will benefit you so much that He will also give you foreknowledge of the future; and this talent is considered the greatest of 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 from carelessness. “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. Then, since the Lord spoke, and they heard that they have one Teacher, Christ (Matthew 23:8), lest they think: if one Teacher is You Yourself, then how can you say that there will be another Teacher - the Spirit, - so that they don’t think this, He adds: “He will take from Mine,” that is, from what I know, from My knowledge. 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 (Wisdom 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 even against their will and They did not consider Him less than the Son because He appeared in the world after Him.

Soon you will not see Me and again soon you will see Me; for I go to the Father. 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?” So they said, “What is this that He says soon?” We don’t know what he’s saying.

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 he said the sad thing: “soon you will not see Me”; He also added joyfully: “And again soon you will see Me,” because I ascend to God, who can help you; I do not perish, but change my state; My separation will not last long, but My presence with you, which will then come, is eternal. But they didn't understand this. 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.

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? 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. When a woman gives birth, she suffers sorrow, because her hour has come; never gives birth to a baby, no longer remembers sorrow for joy, because a person was born into the world. So now you also have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

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. “You,” he says, “will weep and lament” that I will die on the Cross, “and the world will rejoice,” that is, the Jews, worldly minded, will rejoice that they destroyed Me, their enemy; but “your sorrow will be turned into joy,” and the joy of the Jews, on the contrary, will turn into sorrow for them when, after the resurrection, My name is 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 My, about which you are sad, will be the joy of the whole world and salvation. 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: you will be overtaken by sorrows, 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 disease 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. 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). In the words: “no one will take away your joy,” it also shows that He will no longer die, but, always being alive, will give them inexhaustible joy.

And on that day you will not ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

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. 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. “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?

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. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and came into the world; and again I leave the world and go to 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, over 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. Again encouraging them that they will receive help from above in their temptations, he says: “You will ask in My name,” and I assure that the Father loves you so much that you will no longer need My mediation. For He Himself loves you. 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. 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?

His disciples said to Him: Behold, now You speak plainly, and do not speak any parables; Now we see that You know everything and have no need for anyone to question You: therefore we believe that You came from God. Jesus answered them: Do you believe now? Now the hour is coming, and has already come, that you will scatter, each in his own direction, and leave Me alone; but I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

The disciples, hearing 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, 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. 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. And so that they, holding such thoughts about Him, do not think that they are pleasing Him, he says: “The part 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 will scatter each one separately, and each will seek refuge and salvation for himself. 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: 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.

I have spoken these things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world.

“This,” he says, “I told you,” so that you would not remove Me from your thoughts and would not hesitate or be embarrassed to continue to steadfastly love Me, but “so that you may have peace in Me,” that is, so that you remain steadfast , accepting as true everything 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. "Take courage: 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 snakes and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). For through man death came in, and through man both life and power against the devil (1 Cor. 15:21-55). For if God alone were victorious, then nothing would apply to us.

JOHN XVI

John XVI, Pope of Rome. Painting c. San Pietro a Grado in Pisa. XI century

John XVI, Pope of Rome. Painting c. San Pietro a Grado in Pisa. XI century († 26.08.1001 or 1002, Rome; before being elected pope - John Philagatus), antipope (February or March 997 - May 998). I. is mentioned in the letters of Leo, Bishop. Sinadsky, Peter Damiani, as well as in a number of Germans. and Italian chronicles. Greek by origin, b. in the city of Rossano in Calabria (Southern Italy). In con. X century made a successful career at the imperial court. Feofano, widow of the emperor. Otto II: in 980-982 and in 990-991. John Philagatus served as Archchancellor of Italy; in 982 he became abbot of the monastery of St. Sylvester near Nonantola. In 987 he was one of the teachers of the Germans. cor. Otto III. In 988, John Philagat took the see of Piacenza, the status of which was granted by Pope John XV at the request of the Emperor. Feofano was temporarily elevated to archbishopric especially for him. In 994 he was sent to Byzantium to negotiate the marriage of Otto III to the Byzantine Empire. princess. In 996 he returned to Italy with the Byzantines. Ambassador of Bishop Lev Sinadsky.

In the fall of 996, shortly before the return of the embassy from Byzantium, Rome. Senator John (I) Crescentius rebelled against Pope Gregory V, the protege of the Emperor. Otto III, expelled the pope from Rome and established sole rule in the city, in February. or in March 997 he proclaimed John Philagatus as Pope. The reasons for I.'s transition to the side of the opponents of the Germans. Emperor, are unclear. Probably Rome. the senator and I. counted on the support of the Byzantine Empire: from the letters of Bishop. Leo Synadsky follows that I. negotiated with high-ranking officials in Byzantium (Leo Synada. 1960. N 171), and according to the assumption of Arnulf of Milan, I. planned to crown the Byzantine Empire with the crown of the Roman Empire. Emperor.

At the Council in Pavia (Feb. 997), Pope Gregory V excommunicated John (I) Crescentius and I. from the Church. At the same Council, he was restored to the rank of archbishop. Arnulf of Reims. Contrary to the decisions of the Council, I. tried to win over the deposed archbishop. Herbert of Avrilak of Reims (later Pope Sylvester II) (Gerbert von Reims. Brief. 220 // MGH. Briefe. T. 2. R. 261). On Dec. 997 imp. Otto III approached Pavia with his army; all R. Jan. 998 imp. The troops, who came out in support of the legitimate Pope Gregory V, moved towards Rome. When the troops of Otto III approached in mid. Feb. Crescentius fortified himself in the castle of St. Angel, I. was forced to flee from Rome and take refuge in an “impregnable tower,” possibly in Byzantium. possessions in South. Italy. According to Arnulf of Milan, I., finding himself in a hopeless situation, vainly asked Otto III for mercy. Soon the antipope was captured and presented to the emperor. The prisoner's nostrils and tongue were torn out, his lips were cut and he was sent to a monastery in Rome (the name of the monastery is unknown). In May 998, Pope Gregory V convened a Council, at which I. was deposed. Sources report a shameful procession through Rome: I., sitting backwards with a bag on his head, was carried through the entire city on a donkey. However, it is unclear whether this procession was organized immediately after I.’s capture or after his deposition at the Council. The clergy was dissatisfied with the cruelty shown towards I. St. Nile of Calabria, as noted in his Life, was depressed by what was happening and asked imp. Otto III and Pope Gregory V about mercy to their compatriot, appealing, among other things, to the fact that I. was the godfather of both of them. The Emperor and Pope remained adamant.

The year of death and place of burial of I. are unknown. In the catalog of the abbots of the monastery of St. Sylvester near Nonantola, the date of I.’s death is indicated as August 26. (Catalogi abbatum Nonantulanorum // MGH. Scr. Lang. P. 573). The generally accepted hypothesis is that the deposed antipope did not survive Otto III and Sylvester II, and therefore his death should be dated to 1001 or 1002. Date of death of I. April 2. 1013 in the Fulda monastery is based on the report of the Fulda obituary about the death on this day of a certain “John, the Greek” (Annales necrologici Fuldenses // MGH. SS. T. 13. P. 210).

According to the Legend of the Transfer of the Relics of St. Justina, the relics found under I. were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Rufina; in 1001, blinded and crippled I. handed them over to Siegfried, bishop. Piacenza. This legend was questioned by the Bollandists.

Source: LP. Vol. 2. P. 261; Leo Synada. Epistolae // Épistoliers byzantins du Xe siècle / Éd. J. Darrouzes. P., 1960. N 169-174; The Correspondence of Leo, Metropolitan of Synada and Syncellus / Ed. MP Vinson. Wash., 1985; Papstregesten, 911-1024 / Bearb. H. Zimmermann. W., 19982. N 785-814. (Regesta Imperii; Tl. 2. Abt. 5); Johannes Diaconus. Chronica // Cronace veneziane antichissime / Ed. G. Monticolo. R., 1890. P. 153-155. (Fonti per la Storia d'Italia; 9); Annales Quedlinburgenses, an. 997-998 // MGH. SS. T. 3. P. 74; Thietmarus Merseburgensis. Chronicon. IV 30 // MGH. Script. Rer. Germ. T. 9. P. 167; Arnulfus Mediolanensis. Gesta archiepiscoporum Mediolanensium. I 11-12 // MGH. SS. T. 8. P. 9-10; Translatio Beatae Justinae Virginis et Mart. a Roma in Placentia. Lect. 1-4 // ActaSS. Sept. T. 7. P. 258-259; Vita Nili. 90-91 // Vita di S. Nilo fondatore e patrono di Grottaferrata / A cura di G. Giovanelli. Grottaferrata, 1966. P. 127.

Lit.: Mann HK The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages. L., 1910. Vol. 4. P. 414-421; Schramm PE Kaiser, Basileus und Papst in der Zeit der Ottonen // Hist. Zschr. 1924. Bd. 129. S. 424-475; idem. 9 Briefe des byzantinische Gesandten Leo von seiner Reise zu Otto III. (997-998) // BZ. 1925. Bd. 25. S. 89-105; Gerstenberg O. Studien zur Geschichte des römischen Adels am Ausgang des 10. Jh. // Hist. Vierteljahrschrift. Lpz., 1937. Bd. 31. S. 1-26; Savage PM John XVI // NCE. Vol. 7. P. 927-928; Gregorovius F. History of the city of Rome in Wed. centuries: From V to XVI centuries. M., 2008. pp. 487-492.

E.P.K.

June 16. Soon you will not see Me, and again soon you will see Me, for I go to the Father