OH 16{Verses 1-4. The Lord tells them what kind of treatment they may expect from those who thought they were serving God, though these had truth given of God, yet it applied to men in the flesh, and the revelations of God, the Father, and the Son, was truth which the flesh cannot take in, so they put them out of the synagogues; and thought they were doing God service in killing them. Jesus says, "These things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.'' It was the pride and enmity of traditional religion, without the reality of being in the presence of God. Truth of God must be received by faith that depends on His Word alone. When the time came they would remember His instruction. He was telling them now because He was going away.
Verses 5, 6. They did not enter into the necessity of His going away. They thought of their loss, whereas He was going away for their good. Nature thinks of what it loses. Faith believes what God says, and is rich in the certainty of future blessings with Him. They truly loved the Lord, and felt to part with Him, and the Lord graciously leads them on to understand afterward, if not just then, how necessary it was for Him to go away. None of them said, "Whither goest Thou?" Sorrow filled their hearts only on their own account. Verses 7, 8. Nevertheless it was necessary that He should go away, that He might send the Comforter unto them, whose presence with them would demonstrate the world's sin, and the righteousness of God, and of judgment of Satan.
Verse 9. "Of sin, because they believe not on Me." This is not speaking of the sins of the world, though they had plenty. In the conversion of souls they are convicted of sin against God, but here it is the treatment the world gave Christ and refused to believe on Him. God was revealed in love in the Son, yet the world would not be reconciled to Him. His love and grace were slighted, and the Lord was crucified between two thieves. Man hated both Him and His Father, and they slew Him.
Verse 10. "Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more." The presence of the Comforter on earth declares that Christ is glorified in heaven. God the Father hath highly exalted Him. Man's wickedness crucified Him. To fulfill the purposes of God in grace, and to make atonement for sin, He allowed them to do it. Yea, He gave His life to do it, and since then the world sees Him no more. (14:9.) Now God declares His righteousness in heavenly glory, setting Him at His own right hand on high. And righteousness, to all who believe on Him, is freely bestowed. The presence of the Comforter on earth demonstrates this righteousness that the One crucified by men, and forsaken of God, is now glorified-God's blessed answer to all His sufferings.
"Every mark of dark dishonor
Heaped upon the thorn-crowned brow,
All the depths of Thy heart's sorrow
Told in answering glory now."
Verse 11. "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." Satan is now proved to be the prince of this world, by his leading on all classes of men against the Lord Jesus, and He did not resist them in order that He might finish the work given Him to do. He gave Himself up to death to destroy and disarm, disannul the enemy's power. His rising from the dead declares it done-the-prince of this world is judged. The presence of the Comforter declares it. The world itself is not yet judged, but in God's time it will be, its judgment is declared.
Verses 12-14. The presence of the Holy Spirit is for great blessings to those disciples, to unfold to them what they could not bear when the Lord was here. He, the Spirit of truth, would guide them into all truth. He would not speak from Himself. He would act as the mouth-piece for the Lord, and what He heard, He would speak, and would show them things to come. He would glorify the Lord, He would receive the things of Christ, and would show them unto them. Heavenly things and future things He would unfold to their souls. Verse 15. All these things were of the Father and were His. What rich unfoldings to their souls! May we too long to have them imparted to us, that we may know the Father and the Son.
Verses 16-33. Now He speaks of the little while of His absence from their sight, and they do not understand. He goes on to tell them of a time of sorrow, when they would weep and lament, and the world would rejoice, but their sorrow would be turned into joy at His resurrection, with a joy no man could take from them. Still He is the absent One, and this little while of His absence will end by His coming for us to receive us to Himself.
From the time of the Comforter's presence with them those new redemption-relationships would be theirs to enjoy, and henceforth they would pray the Father in His name. They would go directly to the Father, and Jesus would not need to pray the Father for them, for they were loved by the Father Himself, because they loved Him, and believed that He came out from God. They were to ask and receive that their joy might be full. His disciples thought they understood, but how little they did understand, but He further tells them of the trial that would come upon Him and them. They would all be scattered every man to his own, and would leave Him alone, and yet He would have the Father's presence sensibly with Him.
So He would encourage them, that, though passing through tribulation in the world, they were to know that in Him they were to have peace, so they could be of good cheer since He had overcome the world. (Rom. 8:35-3935Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35‑39).)